[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/business_employee_lounge.jpg” caption=”Taking part in the ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the new lounge, back row, from left, are Cam Playfair, service manager, Physical Plant; Muriel McKay, senior teaching systems analyst; Dave Kidney, manager, Classroom Audio Visual Services; Ingrid Ellis, administrative co-ordinator, Facilities Management; and Stephen Shurvin, customer service clerk, Physical Plant. Pictured in the front row, from left, are, Carmela Melo, Academic Programs Office; Vicki Cometto, administrative assistant, School of Business; Paul Bates, dean of business; and Leah Allan, special projects co-ordinator, Department of Chemistry.”]New laminate wood floors, large, colourful artwork, comfortable reclining chairs and a computer workstation are some of the new features of a refurbished employee lounge in the Michael G. DeGroote School of Business.

“This new lounge is very welcoming,” said Vicki Cometto, an administrative assistant in Human Resources & Management in the School of Business. “It's bright and fun and very comfortable. It's a nice place where you can come when you want to have your break.”

Cometto, who uses the lounge every day for her lunch break, was one of numerous staff members on hand for the official opening today (Monday). It is the tenth employee lounge to be constructed or refurbished since the summer of 2001, when an Employee Lounges Steering Committee was formed.

“All employee lounges are available to employees in any building with the use of a photo ID card,” says Susan Mitchell, managing partner, Human Resources Services. “The steering committee has a set of standards, which ensures that each lounge is equipped with comfortable seating, artwork, greenery as well as kitchen necessities such as a microwave oven and refrigerator.”

For more information about employee lounges, visit the Employee Lounges Web site.