The Most Important Room at Any Startup

It’s the lunch room. Or the kitchen. Or really wherever you and your colleagues can gather to eat together.

Here’s why.

Meals are remarkably egalitarian experiences. There’s no boss of sandwichville or senior director of saladland. Everyone just pulls up a chair, takes out their lunch, and talks.

At a startup, the importance of this gathering cannot be understated. Companies that do this right by providing ample seating, encouraging employees to take their lunch away from their desks, etc. see almost immediate benefits including increased cross-functional teamwork, employee morale boost, a sense of togetherness and belonging, and more.

Companies that don’t focus any time or energy here wonder why some of the departments feel so isolated or why Glint surveys keep coming back with subpar culture metrics.

Surprise, surprise.