How and Why You Should Add a Coffee Bar to Your Workplace
9/14/2022
A coffee or café bar can be a wonderful addition to any office. These areas provide a designated location for workers to fuel up throughout the day and encourage workers to take a break to mingle with other employees. These chance encounters, referred to as “collisions,” have been shown to drastically improve the performance of knowledge workers.
Coffee bars in the workplace are a growing trend. You can easily incorporate them into a breakroom using extra counter space or an additional table, in an office corridor, or even in a reception area. A coffee bar doesn’t have to be fancy; it just needs to be an area that is functional, easy to use, and large enough to accommodate more than one person. Let’s look at what’s necessary to add a coffee bar to your workplace.
Once you have a dedicated space, you need a coffee maker. There are many options available, but make sure the coffee maker can accommodate the number of employees or guests you need to serve.
Fixings for a Great Cup of Coffee
Besides coffee, you should also include everything else necessary to create an ideal cup of coffee. Stock the area with sweeteners, creamer, stirring sticks, and additional coffee filters.
Do you want your office space to represent your company’s identity and mission? We understand the feeling. A great way to do just that is to incorporate your brand into your office design. But before you paint all of the walls your brand colors and order logo-heavy furniture items, it’s vital to know that a little bit of branding in your office can go quite a long way. Here are our top tips when it comes to incorporating your brand tastefully.
Address the First Point of Contact
Introducing your branding right away is always a good idea; this could be a reception or waiting area with something as simple as your logo or company name placed on a wall.
Add Branded Reading Material
Whether your business has a reception area or just a front counter to help customers, there is usually an easy and seamless way to add branded reading material. From business cards and brochures to catalogs or company newsletters, giving customers access to these branded materials can help them better understand your brand.
Get Creative
Go beyond the logo—go with décor and other design elements that still represent your brand without getting repetitive or looking like a billboard. Maybe instead of a wall with your company name or logo, you can feature your company’s mission. Maybe you add items linked to your brand in the form of décor. For example, in an effort to distinguish its Austin, Texas, headquarters, Sizmek added famous cow brands to its flooring, giving the space a feel that reflected not only the company but also its location. Creative touches like these can help you incorporate your brand while also being memorable to visitors and prospective employees.
Small or large, your office can benefit from a modern update. The Metropolitan collection includes desks in a wide assortment of shapes and sizes to complement your workspace, all at a price the average business can afford. Boardwalk walnut laminate with silver accents creates an attractive style, while clean lines and matching pieces give the collection a streamlined look. There's even a corner desk option for the office that needs to save some space.
To incorporate the modern aesthetic throughout your private office, add minimalist finishing touches like abstract art, small plants, or simple sculptures to the space. Select an office chair with a clean profile in a modern textile like mesh or white vinyl to complement the case goods in the room. Since most private offices include a guest chair or two for holding meetings, go for guest seating with a metal framework and a clean, edgy look that will match the furniture in the rest of the space.
Industrial Look for Less
If it's the rustic industrial style you love, you could be paying a pretty penny for solid wood and wrought iron office furniture. Achieve the same look for a fraction of the cost when you choose furniture from our NBF Signature Series Urban collection. This furniture group utilizes weathered walnut laminates rather than solid hardwoods to create the same rustic look you love at a much lower cost. For an industrial edge, black accents on the Urban pieces are also constructed of laminate—a fact most guests would never guess.
When decking your office out in the right décor, go for metal and wood art that will complement the furniture in the space. From wall clocks and framed artwork to faux driftwood décor and wood and metal accent chairs, there's plenty to choose from when you're looking to boost the organic aesthetic in your industrial-style private office.
Mid-Century Look for Less
Love Mad Men-inspired office design? That signature style is known as mid-century modern and has been sweeping private offices across the country with its angled lines, thick wood grain, and modern elegance. For a truly historical piece, you'll pay more than you may have bargained for. That's why we offer the beautiful look of mid-century design without the daunting cost. From desks of every size to storage and filing cabinets with a high-end look, you'll be able to outfit your entire office with this sleek and sophisticated collection.
When it comes to décor, you can go the mid-century route or the modern contemporary route and still end up with a unique look you can love. For a mid-century modern look, go with wood accents and 50s-inspired designs. If you prefer a more current modern appeal, choose framed wall art, area rugs, and other décor in a neutral color palette.
Traditional Look for Less
Warmth and elegance are the keys to a beautiful office when you're going for a traditional look. The NBF Signature Series Cumberland collection features desks and case goods in a cherry wood veneer finish that will give your office a rich, sophisticated appearance. And because it's from NBF Signature Series, you know you'll get beautiful furniture at a reasonable price.
Styling a traditional private office is a lot like styling a home. Choose décor that brings warmth to the space, such as wood-framed wall art, Roman numeral clocks, and earth-tone walls. Your executive office chair and guest seating will look best in high-back styles with wood framework and button-tufted upholstery, but the details depend on your preference.
According to a research study conducted by Kelton Global, the physical workspace affects the mental workspace a lot more than you may realize. The study surveyed adults aged 18 and older who are employed full- or part-time and measured which elements influence employee mood, performance, and overall job satisfaction. The following physical elements were shown to have the greatest negative effect on employee mental well-being at the office.
1. Cluttered Work Area
62% of survey respondents reported that a cluttered workstation would make them unhappy on the job. Upon closer examination of the results, it was revealed that a cluttered workspace has an especially negative effect on women, of whom 70% said that having a cluttered work area would make them unproductive. By comparison, 55% of men felt the same way.
2. Outdated Technology
Using outdated technology was a close second cause of workplace unhappiness among study participants. 61% reported that working with outdated technology would negatively impact their mental state at work, while 1 in 4 said having multiple computer monitors is critical to workplace happiness.
3. Uncomfortable Workspace Ergonomics
More than half of survey respondents stated that an uncomfortable workspace would cause unhappiness at work. This includes not only the type of desk or cubicle the individual works at but the ergonomic features and overall comfort of the office chair.
4. Lack of Privacy and Workspace Flexibility
43% of employed Americans say that not having a private area to work would negatively affect their mental wellness at the office. Additionally, 1 in 4 survey respondents finds value in flexible work environments so that they may work away from their regular work areas when needed.
What Can Business Managers Do to Keep Employees Happy at Work?
The study results are clear—employee satisfaction and productivity decrease when the provided work environment is not up to par. To stave off the negative effects of a poorly designed workplace, consider the 4 major contributing factors when designing your employee workstations and common areas.
1. Offer employees plenty of storage and filing space at their desks and keep most files digital to decrease the amount of visual clutter in the physical workspace.
2. Keep technology as up-to-date as possible, and offer employees multiple monitors.
3. Provide ergonomic office chairs that can conform to individual users so that every employee can experience comfort at work.
4. Finally, provide privacy options intended for intense mental focus, and switch up your common areas to provide open collaboration spaces.
When making office design decisions, consider that women are more likely than men (60% versus 49%) to say that an uncomfortable workspace would cause them to be unhappy. Additionally, employees in the millennial generation are the most impacted by the physical workspace, indicating that younger workers may benefit the most from certain upgrades in office furniture and design. By making simple updates to your office's physical look and functionality, you’ll be investing in the future of your business’s workforce.
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