Making Breakout Zones Work

You may have heard that many start ups and trendy tech companies, have started incorporating breakout areas or spaces into their offices. Additionally, many architects are starting to advise that clients introduce breakout areas into their new office designs. Despite this many companies are skeptical about incorporating breakout spaces into their offices as they see them as waste of space or worry about whether they will be properly utilized. They seem to be right to worry, with some of the research suggesting that breakout areas are often underused, meaning that they are a lot less effective than they should be. 

What is a breakout zone? 

Breakout zones are typically defined as spaces with communal ownership, which means that no one has control over the particular space. It also means that these areas can't be bookable for meetings etc. and are somewhere for workers to escape their work station. It is understandable why many employers don't see the value of these spaces particularly when research suggests they are chronically under used.  

4 Tips to make breakout zones work 

1. Function over style. When designing breakout zones there is always the temptation to make a super stylish space for your employees to break out too. When designing your breakout zone it is important to make sure the space can be used by the employees to get work done, this may mean ensuring their is internet and power points for laptop use etc. 
2. Pick the right location. Many breakout zones are under utilized due to the fact they are placed in a poor location within the office. For instance placing a break out zone in an area where their is a lot of noise and disruption can lead to the area being chronically under utilized.  
3. Right Furniture and Tools. Again often not enough thought is put into what furniture and tools should be placed in the break out zone. While it is important to differentiate break out zones from standard office spaces, it is important that their is decent furniture which will allow the zone to be used for work purposes. 
4. Cultural Acceptance. Design typically moves at a faster pace than the mindsets of managers do. This often why trendy startups and tech companies make the best use of break out zones. Ensuring that staff and management understand the benefits of breakout zones is important to ensure that these areas are used properly.