I'm doing a project on improving employee satisfaction through
improvement of employees' physical space. I'm looking for the
following:
- Best practices for designing/outfitting employee break rooms,
hopefully with specific examples and/or pictures;
- Studies/statistics about improvements made by employers that
increased employee satisfaction, lowered turnover, helped the
business's bottom line, or similar;
- Any information about employee expectations or instances of
businesses using their employee facilities as recruitment tools would
also be helpful, but is of a lower priority than the statistics or
best practices.

Thank you!

---

Request for Question Clarification by czh-ga on 04 Jun 2005 00:03 PDT

Hello erazerbelt-ga,

Where are you located? The types of fringe benefits that are expected
and customary vary greatly by country, region, profession and other
company-specific factors. Just consider the different break rooms you
would expect to see in lawyer's offices, research labs, police
stations, hospitals, restaurant, construction sites, elementary
schools and on and on. What's appropriate and desirable for one may
not be so for another. I also believe that the standards vary greatly
by country and region. Break rooms in Saudi Arabia would certainly be
different from break rooms in Tahiti or Toronto.

The way you've posed your question makes me think this is a school
assignment. Do you have a point of view that you're trying to explain?

I look forward to your clarification.

~ czh ~

---

Clarification of Question by erazerbelt-ga on 05 Jun 2005 21:26 PDT

Hi czh,
I'm in the states, and interested mostly in fast food restaurants and
other businesses that compete for the same general applicant pool. I
know that there are many different standards and laws throughout the
world, and though I am interested in those, I figured I would pose it
as a separate question. Right now I'm interested in building a
business case for an improved employee break room, as well as
understanding ways that different companies have approached their
break rooms as a mechanism for attracting and keeping good employees
(that's where the photos would help).

Hope this helps clarify things, and thanks for the help!

---

Request for Question Clarification by czh-ga on 06 Jun 2005 00:47 PDT

Hello erazerbelt-ga,

My preliminary research shows that employee break rooms don't have
much impact on employee retention. Many fast food restaurants don't
even have employee break rooms. Would you like to have some
information about the factors that DO effect employee retention? Here
is an article that provides some information about employee retention
issues in fast food restaurants.

http://employmentblawg.blogspot.com/2005/02/more-on-turnover-reduction-profiling.html

I look forward to your clarification.

~ czh ~

---

Clarification of Question by erazerbelt-ga on 07 Jun 2005 16:22 PDT

Hi czh,

Thanks for the preliminary research. It's unfortunate that there are
no stats to support the theory that a good employee space reduces
turnover. In lieu of that info, it would be great to understand the
spectrum of how the 'best places to work for' approach employee space
and related perks. Though it may not be a direct correlation, it would
certainly help make the case. Again, pictures and employee stories
would be great illustrative tools.

Thanks again,
erazerbelt

---

Request for Question Clarification by czh-ga on 07 Jun 2005 22:31 PDT

Hello again erazerbelt-ga,

Thanks for the clarification. I will have some interesting results for you shortly.

~ czh ~

Hello erazerbelt-ga,

I really wanted to be able to confirm your thesis that having a nice
break or lunch room or employee lounge would make a significant
difference to employee retention but I couldn?t find anything. The
survey?s I?ve found showed that even at companies that have fancy
cafeterias this is not a top priority perk.

I think it?s important to take a quick look at employee motivation in
theory and in practice. I?ve collected some articles for you to help
you familiarize yourself with the underlying principles to your
question. It seems that employee facilities such as break rooms are
part of what is summarized under ?working conditions.? This is a broad
umbrella and I don?t think anyone has evaluated break rooms as a
significant element of ?working conditions.? In my estimation, break
rooms and other employee facilities would fall under ?hygene needs?
under Herzberg?s Theory or physiological or safety needs in Maslow?s
hierarchy. This means that these are very low level needs that must be
met as a matter of course by employers and glamorizing them may give a
short term boost in motivation but on the whole they?re trivial in the
general scheme of employee motivation.

It should be noted that what kinds of employee facilities must be
maintained are frequently regulated by state and local government as
well. Many employers will do the absolute minimum because they know
that their employees don?t have options to go work somewhere else.
Aesthetic and social issues are much more likely to be addressed by
employers who are competing for candidates in a scarce labor pool.
Even with these employees, having the nicest cafeteria and the most
glitzy employee lounge is not likely to be the key factor for choosing
one employer over another.

I was fascinated by the subject of your question and I got carried
away and did a lot more research than I normally would for a question
at this price. It seems to me that we all know something about
employee break rooms ? either ones from places where we?ve worked or
heard about from relatives and friends so it?s easy to have opinions
about the subject. I?ve collected a variety of resources to help you
with your research.

I focused first on employee retention in the fast food industry and
then examined retention in general. I also collected some links to
help you with gauging the practices at ?best companies.? Finally, I?ve
also found lots of pictures for you, as you requested.

Best wishes for your project.

~ czh ~


=================================
UNDERSTANDING EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION
=================================

http://www.joe.org/joe/1998june/rb3.html
Motivation Theories

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.accel-team.com/motivation/index.html
Employee Motivation, the Organizational Environment and Productivity
http://www.accel-team.com/motivation/theory_01.html
Motivations Theorists and Their Theories

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.netmba.com/mgmt/ob/motivation/maslow/
Maslow?s Hierarchy of Needs

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.mapnp.org/library/guiding/motivate/basics.htm
Basics About Employee Motivation 
(Including Steps You Can Take)


================================================
FAST FOOD RESTAURANTS --  TURNOVER AND RETENTION
================================================

http://www.peoplereport.com/news.html
People Report? is the foremost provider of human resource metrics,
benchmarks, trends and best people practices for the foodservice
industry. Acknowledged by the National Restaurant Association
Educational Foundation as an expert in workforce practices, this
innovative research and consulting practice publishes quarterly and
annual reports for it?s members that track, analyze and benchmark the
people side of the P&L. Key findings are further analyzed by segment
in the restaurant industry, categorized by sales, guest check, and,
where possible, service style.

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.peoplereport.com/newsclippings/JackInTheBoxTacklesTurnover.htm
Jack in the Box Tackles Turnover

The fast-food chain is trying to remake its stores and also ditch some
of the staples of the restaurant industry--including a lack of
benefits for part-timers.

Jack in the Box is reinventing its brand. Rather than focus on
discounts, the company is emphasizing premium food and superior guest
service at its namesake fast-food restaurant and fast-casual JBX.
The strategy partly depends on recruiting and retaining frontline
employees who can deliver an enjoyable dining experience. The result:
Jack in the Box Inc. is improving its employee benefits, enhancing its
training and adding recruitment tools.

Jack in the Box had offered health insurance to hourly workers until
1991, when the company stopped extending the benefit to new crew
members. Since then, the company has tracked tenure of those with
company health insurance and those who joined after 1991. The average
tenure of those with health insurance was 15 years versus 1.5 years
for those without it.

***** This is a long article that discusses issues involved in
employee retention at Jack in the Box and other fast food restaurants.

-------------------------------------------------


http://brandautopsy.typepad.com/brandautopsy/2005/03/the_dominos_the.html
March 14, 2005 -- The Domino?s Theory to Keeping Employees

So the Domino?s Theory to Keeping Employees is about ensuring store
managers are (a) of better quality, (b) have better tools, and (c) are
better incentivized.

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.morebusiness.com/running_your_business/management/d968034020.brc
June 8, 2005  --  Turn, Turn, Turn

High turnover has reduced earnings and stock prices by an average of
38 percent in four industries where it is common, according to
research by Sibson & Company, a talent management company. These
industries are specialty retailing, call centers, high-tech and fast
food. According to the survey, turnover rates range from 31 percent
annually in call centers - the places that answer your 800-number
calls when you order merchandise - to 123 percent a year in fast food.
Sibson estimates it costs companies in these industries more than $75
billion a year just to replace the 6.5 million employees who leave.

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.peoplereport.com/newsclippings/greatthingsatyum.html
Great Things Are Starting at Yum
The restaurant company has been pouring energy into retention,
recognition and communication. The result is lower turnover, higher
sales, increased earnings per share and better customer service at the
drive-thru.

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.brannickhr.com/decreasing%20_staggering_costs.html
DECREASING THE STAGGERING COSTS OF TURNOVER IN YOUR ORGANIZATION

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m4021/is_2000_Oct/ai_67001182
democritic; Feel-Good Fast Food - McDonald's Corp. marketing campaign
American Demographics,  Oct, 2000  

-------------------------------------------------


http://hospitalityguild.com/GuidePro/Management/Studies.htm
Nation's Restaurant News Review:
Studies find operators create employee turnover problem.

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.incentivecentral.org/Motivation_In_The_Hospitality_Industry.567.0.html
Motivation In The Hospitality Industry

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.pww.org/past-weeks-2000/Fast%20food%20madness.htm
Fast food madness

Aside from the health risks of consuming these high fat, high sodium
meals, the fast food industry draws huge profits from the intense
exploitation of youth, the elderly, the underskilled and the racially
and nationally oppressed. Working conditions and schedules are
deplorable in the fast-food industry, and only getting worse.

But what most people don't know is that the growth of the
'drive-through" option has dramatically worsened these already
miserable working conditions. According to a study cited in a recent
Wall Street Journal article (May 18, 2000), the industry averages
203.6 seconds from the time the customer drives up to the time that
same customer drives away with a meal. Wendy's, the speed-up leader,
averages only 150.3 seconds, followed by McDonald's at 168 seconds.
Today, fully 65 percent of the fast-food business is drive-through and
growing rapidly.


===========================================
EMPLOYEE RETENTION ? BENEFITS AND PRACTICES
===========================================

http://www.hrba.org/erba.html
Employee Retention Benchmarking Association?

-------------------------------------------------


http://hbswk.hbs.edu/pubitem.jhtml?id=3803&t=organizations
Your New Core Strategy: Employee Retention
November 26, 2003

***** This is a long article that examines the question of employee
retention in light of a long-range projection of labor shortages.

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.amanet.org/books/catalog/0814405975_s.htm
Six Truths about Employee Turnover

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.diamondassociates.net/articles/content/Retention.html
EMPLOYEE RETENTION

http://www.teconline.com/www/bestpractices/employee_retention.asp
Best Practices: Employee Retention
A Changing Work Force and Workplace

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.employee-retention-hq.com/#abouthead
The Secret of Attracting & Retaining Key Employees on a Tight Budget
Attracting, Retaining & Motivating Employees: The Realities and the Options
Grimme's Top 10 Tips: To Attract, Retain & Motivate Employees

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/0,4621,320272,00.html
How to Create a Winning Employee Retention Strategy
Keeping these four elements in mind will help your business hold on to
the top people on your staff.
March 14, 2005 

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.business2.com/b2/webguide/0,17811,59584,00.html
Web Guide
Our hand-picked directory of the best business links on the web.Employee Retention

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.keepem.com/
Retention-Focused Manager 
When the thrill is gone, so are they


====================================
EMPLOYEE TURNOVER ? CAUSES AND COSTS
====================================

http://www.epf.org/pubs/newsletters/2002/hb20021203.pdf
Employee Turnover ? A Critical Human Resource Benchmark

***** This 5-page article offers some excellent survey results.

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.uwex.edu/ces/cced/publicat/turn.html
How Much Does Your Employee Turnover Cost?
Online Employee Turnover Calculator

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.isquare.com/turnover.cfm
COST OF EMPLOYEE TURNOVER

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.advantagehiring.com/newsletter/n99Q4_1.htm
Understanding Turnover

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.canadiandimension.mb.ca/extra/d0331iw.htm
END OF THE NEW WORKPLACE 
Smiling serfs of the new economy 

But, as Benjamin Hunnicutt, a historian of work and leisure at the
University of Iowa, says, "work has become a new belief system, a new
religion". According to economist Juliet Schor, people work longer
hours (or hold more than one job) to keep up with the steady decline
in their purchasing power, and be able to afford to buy everything
they feel they ought to own (3).
Such overwork leaves little time for family, leisure, community or
civic duty. Time is increasingly absorbed by the workplace.
Sociologist Arlie Hothschild has found that, for many employees (women
in particular), "work is home and home is work". The workplace
provides a sense of community, while the home is increasingly defined
by dysfunctional relationships (4).
Whether as a cause or consequence of this, the model of human resource
management popularised by new economy giants such as Microsoft,
Oracle, Cisco, Apple or Amazon companies that to the global elites,
epitomise technological and social progress strives to fulfil all the
needs (physical, psychological, emotional) of employees. The corporate
campus the word suggesting a convivial cocoon, as well as a young,
laid-back ambiance was a workers' paradise, with child care, exercise
facilities, cafes, therapists, grief counsellors, laundry, post
office, bookstore, break rooms stocked with soft drinks and aspirin,
and even a concierge service attending to special needs (ordering
flowers or buying theatre tickets).

The objective has not been to decrease the workload of employees but
to allow them to overwork in the best possible conditions, since
well-being improves productivity. Such golden cages look glamorous,
especially from the outside.



============================================================
PHYSICAL SETTINGS ? BREAKS AND BREAK ROOMS AND RELATED PERKS
============================================================

http://www.careerjournal.com/columnists/cubicleculture/20040820-cubicle.html
Conga Lines and Monkey Murals: Employee Motivation Gets Creative

While most workers still get by with a cup of coffee when they want to
take a break, some companies are providing more creative ways to get
employees' adrenaline flowing. "We're seeing some very interesting
breaks now that are attempts at team building," says Nancy F. Koehn, a
professor at Harvard Business School. "It's an evolving waltz as ideas
about business strategy change and the rhythms of our lives change."

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.inc.com/magazine/19991015/14325.html
Recruiting Strategies: Motivation 
Looking for a new way to motivate employees? Here's a sampling of the
perks several Inc. 500 companies are using to lure and retain their
hard won staff.
From: Inc. Magazine, Oct 1999 

***** This article discusses innovative perks that were popular at the
height of the dot com boom. They?re still available in companies that
need to retain a highly competitive workforce in a shortage situation.

-------------------------------------------------


http://doit.circles.com/corp/ne_article_page2000.asp?article=EmployeeBenefitNews
Symphony of nontraditional benefits -- Employee Benefits News

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.management-issues.com/display_page.asp?section=opinion&id=1215
Perks can keep employees happy 
06 Apr 2004	

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.ravenwerks.com/Teamwork/zoo.htm
Life in a Cubicle Zoo
The Psychology of Office Space

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.retailworker.com/node
http://www.retailworker.com/node/9083
Break Room Perks

Posted by CCTech at 10/15/2004 - 15:59
Ok fellow CCers, any of you have your break room setup with an xbox
with live? If so post below so we can setup some matches. Feel free to
add CIRCUITBR3AKER and VISUALSUN to your friends list.

-------------------------------------------------


http://arneberg.com/chippewa/articles/2000.09.eclt.sle.html
Cashing in the chips 
A Chippewa Valley company is enjoying Silicon Valley-style success by
keeping its employees and clients happy.

One room at Silicon Logic Engineering's Eau Claire building is packed
with computer equipment, which is used by SLE employers to design some
of the world's most advanced computer chips.

The room next door contains only a Ping-Pong table, used by SLE
employees to goof around.

-------------------------------------------------


http://labmice.techtarget.com/articles/jobeval.htm
Beyond the Bucks: Tips for evaluating potential employers

There is more to life (and work) than just money. Despite what people
claim, few actually quit their jobs over money alone. The quality of
management, working conditions, advancement opportunities, office
politics, and corporate culture all become important factors that can
outweigh economic issues  For the savvy technical employee who wants
to get the most out of their career, it's important to find out as
much as you can about a company before you accept a full time
position. If you don't have a friend already working in the company
you're considering, you'll have a lot of homework to do. Here's where
to dig and what to look for.

***** The ?While you are visiting ?? section is especially good.


=================================
BEST COMPANIES EMPLOYEE RETENTION
=================================

http://www.graduatingengineer.com/articles/feature/12-31-99a.html
Workplace Trends: The Future Is Now

Employers are adopting innovative ways to attract and retain
engineering and computer science graduates

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.stlcommercemagazine.com/archives/october2004/work.html
Perks at Work ? Going Beyond Bucks

So what is your next-door neighbor getting at his or her place of
work? Commerce decided to take an informal look at the perks and
privileges being offered across the St. Louis region. Here are just a
few of the things we found.

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.worklifetoday.com/lists2004.asp
Work/Life Today?s LIST OF ?BEST COMPANY? LISTS for work/life professionals

***** This is a very comprehensive list of Best Company lists and
should help you explore further to see how important working
conditions are for employee retention.

-------------------------------------------------


http://techrepublic.com.com/5100-10878_11-1057719.html
Retention success tied to money, but it's much more than salaries

Instituting a great work environment
Along with job flexibility and opportunities for career growth, SAS
has an array of employee perks that it claims contribute to the low
attrition rate. Most employees have offices with doors, providing
privacy and the ability to focus without the distractions common to
cube farms. Break rooms on every floor make it easy for workers to
step out, take a coffee break, and interact with colleagues.

***** Read the rest of the article for the outstanding benefits
offered by this company.

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.managementweb.org/WorkplaceofChoice/index.html
Workplace of Choice Conference
http://www.allconferences.com/conferences/20050318103659/

-------------------------------------------------


http://denver.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2005/05/23/smallb3.html
May 20, 2005 
Just how important is employee retention to companies?

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.nobscot.com/news/
Exit Interview and Employee Retention Briefings    
5. Case Study of a Best Place to Work Business


=========================================
WORKPLACE LUNCH AND BREAK ROOMS -- PHOTOS
=========================================

http://www.abspresort.com/tour/break.htm
Employee Lounge & Break Room

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.camglass.com/benefits.htm
Employee Break Room

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.graduatingengineer.com/articles/feature/12-31-99a.html
An on-site cafe, complete with skylights, hanging sculptures and a
piano player, serves restaurant-quality meals to SAS Institute
employees each day.

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/08.28.97/corp-culture-9735.html
The Company Line: Employees at Cisco Systems enjoy a variety of
freshly prepared foods at the company's cafeteria.

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.st.northropgrumman.com/aboutus/Content.cfm?ContentID=85
Employee Store and Cafeteria

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.gtlc.com/emplifestyle.aspx
Employee Lifestyles

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.sybbq.com/manufacturing.php
Employee break room

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.teterboro-online.com/news/news03/usps/employee.shtml
Employee facilities

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.ci.broomfield.co.us/police/VT-EmpFacilities.shtml
Employee Facilities

-------------------------------------------------


http://members.aol.com/xfire905/photo5.htm
The employee break room, a.k.a. Pledge Central.

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.atarigames.com/ataritrip/index.html
The following pictures were taken in May of 2003, when Midway decided
to close their Milpitas facility. The Milpitas facility was the old
'Atari Games' building. I was able to get some pictures, before
everything was moved out of the building. These pictures are of the
employee cafeteria, the lobby gameroom, the hallways, and the
warehouse areas.

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.kask.org/photo.htm
Employee lounge and Kitchen 9-25-01

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.infotoday.com/searcher/nov00/Teledesic_lounge.gif
http://www.miarch.com/pp/projects/mia_renovation/images/staff_lounge.jpg
http://www.westernanimalhospital.com/images/graphics/employeereception.jpg
http://www.cortehouse.com/HP/INetPub/WWWRoot/images/640x480/Cafeteria3.jpg
http://www.westernlandpreviews.com/myer0007.jpg


===============
SEARCH STRATEGY
===============

"employee retention"
"employee retention OR turnover"
"employee retention" working conditions
"employee retention" "best companies"
workplace of choice
employee motivation "break room" OR "coffee break"
employee motivation "break room" OR "lunch room"
employee lounge

Fantastic answer! More than I was expecting, and incredibly helpful.
Saved me hours of research on my own.

Google is probably top of the line. Check out this article about their
free gourmet lunches and other amenities.

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/11531501.htm
Corporate cuisine: a tour

For larger firms, the 'coffee lady/guy' works. This person makes sure
the break/lunch area is always clean, that there is no odor of
garbage, and that the coffee is always fresh, and even that there are
always ice cubes available.

Clean toilets help too.

You could run a questionaire or post a list for suggestions.  Your
staff would appreciate that you were asking them.  If you have any
kind a staff representatives, you could turn the matter over to them,
or call for volunteers for a committee on the project.
If anything like this is a possibility, I would suggest defining a
budget:  how much for remodeling, etc., how much for ongoing costs
(mags, free services to employees, whatever); and a list of things
that will not be provided (internet access, telephone, couches for
naps, limit of kitchen facility, whatever).
IF you don't set limits or eliminate the impossible up front, this
kind of a project could backfire if everyone got too high
expectations.

IF your organization is large enough, a daycare facility could be real
"seller", but one with significant on-going costs.  But I bet there
are statistics on the value of a daycare facility in employee
satisfaction and reduced lost work time, and for the employees reduced
commuting time.  Having an in-house facility, even if the employees
had to pay the going price for such, could be attractive due to the
convenience.
(And it could be very good PR in the community.)

Wow, you did get carried away, Czh-ga!  Very interesting.

When I saw that the question applies to fast food restaurants, it
occurred to me that a great many of the employees in such are working
part time, so that they probably do not have breaks of any length (vs
lunch breaks for fulltime staff in other operations).  Break rooms are
for such employees of minimal significance.