[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/IWClounge.jpg” caption=”The lounge in the Ivor Wynne Centre has comfortable furniture and kitchen facilities. Photo by Lorraine Redford.”]It's officially open. A newly refurbished employee lounge is in full use at the Ivor Wynne Centre. Located on the second floor in the middle of the kinesiology section of the building, this lounge is used by faculty and staff in Athletics & Recreation and the Department of Kinesiology.

The lounge is equipped with comfortable seating, tables and chairs for dining, kitchen facilities, and many other items, all of which are part of the lounge standards defined by the Employee Lounges Steering Committee.

Operating under the jurisdiction of Working at McMaster, this committee strives to improve the working environment for all University employees by providing clean and comfortable lounge space. This committee has developed design standards for lounges and is responsible for auditing and identifying where upgrades or new locations are needed.

Since 2000, twelve newly-created or refurbished employee lounges have been completed. To ensure these spaces are maintained, each lounge has a dedicated lounge trustee.

“The lounges located in various campus locations have been very well used by employees in all areas of the University,” says Leah Allan, chair of the Employee Lounges Steering Committee. “Taking a break from your desk and heading to the lounge for 15 minutes or so can make a huge difference, both mentally and physically as we are finding out with ergonomic training and healthy workplace awareness. Meeting others from different departments and areas can lead to collaborations and new ideas, not to mention new friendships.”

The employee lounges are available to any University employee. The doors to any of these lounges can be opened by swiping your McMaster access card (employee ID card) on the keypad located at each entrance.

If you have comments or suggestions about a campus lounge, please contact working@mcmaster.ca.