Archive for the ‘Office Space Planning’ Category

On-Site Office Design Matters to Remote Employees

Friday, December 16th, 2011

This week, Herman Miller retweeted an interesting article published on fastcoexist.com about how one company is making it easier for employees to telecommute. Technology firm Plantronics has designed and constructed its new headquarters to encourage workers to stay away from the office – in a good way.

The company is practicing “hot desking” (not providing a desk for every employee and making desks available on a first come, first serve basis). Instead, the office is equipped with many huge wall mounted TV screens in both shared and private work areas. These provide a way for off-site workers to visit, meet, and collaborate with on-site employees virtually as needed.

Is this the workplace of the future? Let us know whether you would like this type of office design in the comments.

Steelcase’s Futuristic Workspace Design

Friday, November 18th, 2011

An article has been making the rounds recently about Steelcase “designing for the future of work”. The company is using the coworking concept to bring the feel of entrepreneurial enterprise into corporate spaces. According to Greiner and Grazziano at Steelcase, all signs point to a future where work areas are less closed off and more communal.

In an on-site office space planning experiment, this furniture manufacturer remodeled its own cafeteria and turned it into a space for meeting, eating, and working. It has quickly become a favorite place for employees to get things done. They get to see what it’s like for business owners and mobile workers who (at least in the movies) get to start their day working in a local café instead of behind a desk.

Spreading Out May Concentrate Productivity

There’s evidence that as people become less tethered to an assigned workstation, they become more productive overall. Satisfaction increases when workers have choices about where to park their laptop to work on individual tasks or group projects. Steelcase believes having a layout that includes several work area choices will be an attractive feature for high-value job candidates. Imagine coming in for an interview and finding out that you have your own desk – and 3 or 4 other places where you can work whenever you want a change of scenery. That would certainly make you feel less caged in.

This sense of satisfaction might even grow over time as you settled in. Even if your workstation is next to an annoying coworker, you aren’t chained to your desk. When Joe in the next cubicle starts clipping his toenails or Susan starts yelling at her boyfriend on the phone, you can get up and leave – without having your pay docked. You can simply find a quiet corner to do your work or sit in with a group of coworkers you actually like. Now that’s freedom!

What IT Workers Want in a Workspace

Thursday, November 3rd, 2011

Last year, we looked at one programmer’s opinion about whether IT workers prefer offices or cubicles. But now there’s more extensive data available from a survey conducted by Computerworld. Author Cara Garretson reveals that not all tech employees have the same desires when it comes to their office setup, but there are some definite trends.

The most successful approach employers are using for IT staff appears to be a blended work environment. There are some collaborative areas for when team members need to have an ad hoc discussion or troubleshoot a problem. But workers also have the ability to retreat into cubicles or semi-private workspaces such as small conference rooms when they need more privacy. The flexibility of being able to choose where to work at any given time seems to be more important than the “office or cubicle” debate – as long as the noise level is addressed.

Steelcase Says Office Design Should Reflect the Work Culture

Saturday, October 29th, 2011

With the holidays coming up, it’s always interesting to see how many different celebrations are recognized at this time of year. In November, there’s Dia de los Muertos (the Latin American Day of the Dead), All Saints Day, Al Hijra (the Muslim new year), and Diwali (the Festival of Lights). Then, December holds Bodhi day (celebrating the enlightenment of the Buddha), Hanukkah, Kwanza, Christmas, and Boxing Day. If you work in a large, diverse office, you might know different coworkers who celebrate all of these great traditions and more.

But diversity is something that can be recognized and supported all year long - especially if you are part of an international corporation. It’s all about understanding expectations for workplace behavior, consumer needs, and work styles in different cultures. Steelcase recently put together a “Culture@Work” article on one aspect of this expansive topic. It’s a fascinating look at how our thoughts regarding appropriate, productive office design need to shift when operating on a global scale. This approach requires looking at what employers value and what employees desire in a workspace.

A Few Examples

Germany is all about maximizing worker speed and efficiency. Acoustic comfort is given top priority and achievement or status is recognized with the provisioning of spacious private offices. In India, technology is king. Companies in this culture are interested in investing in the infrastructure that will support rapid growth in their burgeoning economy.

In the UK, office space around city centers is at a premium. Few new office structures can be built and expansion is limited by strict building codes. So, making the most of available square footage is essential. However, office overcrowding can lead to high turnover as employees seek better working conditions.

Are you opening up an office in a new country? What steps are you taking to ensure the space matches the local workplace culture? Let us know in the comments.

What Does It Take To Achieve LEED Gold?

Wednesday, October 5th, 2011

LEED certification can be achieved by retrofitting an existing office space. However, getting a fresh start in a new office environment makes certain LEED points easier to accumulate. Huitt-Zollars, Inc. in Dallas recently took advantage of their relocation to grab for the gold. They actually ended up just 3 points shy of reaching platinum rating.

What choices did they make? First, they picked the right spot. The new location allows employees to access three forms of public transportation – making it possible for workers to cut fuel emissions. The facility itself is designed for efficient use of water and energy. 84% of the materials (including office furniture) were refurbished or composed of recycled content. More than 40% of these items were manufactured locally. Besides the incentives from LEED qualification, Huitt-Zollars no doubt saved a pretty penny by choosing refurbished office furnishings instead of all new pieces. That’s something to think about the next time you upgrade or move your office.

Collaborative Office Space & New Age Design Brings Companies Together

Thursday, September 29th, 2011

Today’s guest post is by Erik Braunitzer of Douglas Elliman Real Estate, leading agents for Bronx Rentals. Enjoy!

With many technology companies finding rapid growth in the online world, their infrastructure and resources must also expand. Many Chief Executives are looking towards highly contemporary and collaborative design. Apart from choosing a paint & carpet color, they are highly concerned with spaces that encourage teamwork, along with a unique and fresh atmosphere that most traditional law, accounting, or HR departments don’t necessarily offer. For example, conference rooms have become sleeker and less private, at least in terms of visuals. Glass encasements and centralized locations are evidence of such changes. Clearly, people can see exactly who’s working on what, but can’t always listen in on the discussion. Likewise, seating has become more “high-tech” with Aeron Chairs that adjust to fit almost any body type.

Not Every Improvement Translates To Higher Spending

In some cases, conference rooms have been eliminated completely and more open areas have been designated for group discussion. For instance, some modern offices have corners where vertically folded 7 ft whiteboards are viewable via benches that represent something that may be seen in Google Headquarters’ waiting room.

Some companies have even gone as far as to put aside room for an employee spa or gym, including showers and a full array of equipment ranging from barbells to free weights. For smaller, more segmented firms, they’ve utilized extra space for “confessional” type rooms, specifically designed for personal phone calls. Although the idea is to bring team leaders/members together, it’s still important to remember the individual.

The folks over at Facebook actually have a back loading dock that permits employee skating/rollerblading during lunch hours. Although not always practical for cooler climates, it would be interesting to seen an office with a bit of outdoor workspace, whether it be on a balcony, or simply an outside gathering spot.

Breakrooms Get a Makeover

But the most interesting of updates tends to be the company-break room, which can be luxuriously furnished in many ways. This includes anything from a flat screen television to a leather recliner. As it’s still somewhat traditional to provide seating and a couch, some have explored different options like massage chairs and buffet style lunches, catered on specific days of the week. Google has a room entirely filled with massage chairs that face multiple fish tanks filled with a variety of species.

Whether it’s the actual office space, café, or lounge, companies are looking to create a more comfortable and team friendly environment. The idea is to encourage closer relationships and promote integrity amongst all company leaders, all the while encouraging brainstorming and groupthink. At the same time, this makes team members want to spend more time at the office and turns any company into a more attractive place to work.

DMI Shaves More Time Off Office Furniture Shipping

Tuesday, September 20th, 2011

DMI just celebrated its 100th year in business at NeoCon 2011. That means the company began back in the days when Wells Fargo was still hiring stagecoach drivers to make deliveries. These days, the company is taking advantage of automotive transportation, modern logistics, and lean supply chain management to ship product faster than ever.

General Industry Quick Ship Options

For many office furniture companies, 2-3 weeks is considered a short lead time. When cubicles and workstations are being factory produced to standard customer specifications, that’s actually very speedy service. But when an office furniture company already has items in stock, it shouldn’t take that long – and they recognize this. For example, Allsteel has a 5 day Express Solutions® program that has orders for commonly requested items from their Concensys line ready to ship in 5 days or less.

But the DASH program from DMI is taking it to the next level. They are promising actual delivery in 3 business days or less for areas east of Oklahoma and 5 business days for western states. This service includes their entire product line with few restrictions. That’s a boon for companies that need to set up an office fast.

Potential Drawbacks of Fast Ship Programs

The main risk in purchasing your office furniture with a quick-shipping program is that it may tempt you to make decisions too fast. Buying office furniture isn’t just something you need to get out of the way so you can get down to business. The space planning and provisioning decisions you make now can have a major impact on both general business costs and worker productivity for the next ten years or more.

So, even if you need furniture fast, you absolutely shouldn’t skip the consultation and planning phase. That’s one advantage of going local with Cubicles Office Environments. We have a large and varied in-stock inventory of refurbished office furniture that’s available for fast delivery to save you both time and money. Plus, you get a free space planning consultation to help you make the right choices for your company.

Best of NeoCon Software Tech

Thursday, September 8th, 2011

Some of the most interesting “Best of NeoCon” entries aren’t physical furnishings at all. Instead, they are software technologies that are designed to enhance the workplace. Here are a couple that might improve how businesses go about office space planning and furniture selection:

20-20 Visual Impression

This 3D office layout and furniture design software tool is intended for office furniture dealers to use in customer consultations. It’s being marketed as more than simply “imaging”. Because the user can change the viewing perspective to see the furnishings from every angle, this is being referred to as “visualization” software. One big selling point for dealers is likely to be the speed with which the imagery can be updated with new specs and the fact that the solution is integrated with a huge library of manufacturer surfacing and finish options. Less time spent manually entering new textile, laminate, and paint data could save a lot of time.

Photo Lab in CET Designer

This software package from Configura, Inc. continues to evolve in collaboration with manufacturers like Steelcase, Teknion, and Haworth to ensure a complete and accurate catalogue of specifications. The drag and drop function lets users add and remove various workstations and other furniture items easily while delivering photorealistic renderings. It automatically inserts hardware and other components that might be overlooked in a simpler software system. This also helps with the final step – putting together an order with all the parts needed to complete the carefully designed “look”.

Why so much attention on imaging and planning software?

Office furniture companies that don’t invest in some form of accurate and realistic imaging software will be left in the dust. At Cubicles Office Environments, we always offer software generated plans in our free consultation process so our clients can see and understand exactly what they are getting. But we know that fancy images are just half of the picture. We also stand behind the comprehensive quotes we put together. If we accidentally forget a necessary component during the design process, we will pay for it ourselves.

Furnishing A Tiny Office (Or Cubicle)

Wednesday, September 7th, 2011

Blogger sjennings at Arnolds Office Furniture always has great photo roundups showing offices that meet specific criteria. Recently, this included a set of truly tiny offices. Some were cluttered and cramped, while others were pretty cute. The post included some helpful tips for using a smaller office space wisely. Be sure to check those out here.

Now, here are a few more ideas for what kind of office furniture to use in a mini-office. These also work for cubicles:

  • Pick a workstation with an overhead bin so the area above your worksurface isn’t wasted
  • Install an under desk keyboard tray and an articulated monitor arm to free up desktop space for printers and other peripherals
  • Look for a chair with arms that can be adjusted downward so the chair will fit in the leg hole of your desk when not in use
  • Consider using a corner desk that has a shelf for your hard drive to align all the essentials in one area of your workspace
  • Use a mobile storage pedestal with a padded top to serve as occasional seating as needed
  • If you’re using dividing panels, choose those that have tackable or white board sections incorporated into the design so they serve multiple purposes.

What other ways would you save space through your selection of office furniture? Let us know in the comments.

Office Furniture and Office Space TCO Tips from Steelcase

Monday, August 22nd, 2011

As we continue exploring the free office environment resources provided by Steelcase, you won’t want to miss their white paper about the true value of space and the value of what you put in it. The cubicle manufacturer advocates installing workstations on the ceiling of your office space so that employees can hang upside down like bats as they work. Just kidding…(although it would certainly be an interesting way to leverage unused vertical space!) However, Steelcase does encourage business owners to start thinking about space in a new way – as a strategic asset rather than an unavoidable cost.

For example, looking at office real estate just based on how many employees you can fit into the space is missing the bigger picture. You should be asking how you can equip the interior to enhance the productivity of the employees who will be working there. Each item should be selected to serve a specific purpose as part of an overall plan to enhance work flow and reduce waste. Furniture purchases should be made with an eye toward future development rather than just current needs.

Office Furniture By the Numbers

But this isn’t just another paper about keeping workers happy. Facility managers and purchasing directors will appreciate all the details about the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for office furniture and office space. You might not realize that the initial price tag for a cubicle is only part of the real cash outlay over time. Management and maintenance costs can bump that price up significantly over time. For example, if you don’t have a plan in place for redeploying or selling older furniture when you buy new, you could end up spending money on storage for used furniture instead of recapturing costs. At Cubicles Office Environments, we can buy your used office furniture to help you manage your business expenses the smart way. Give us a call at (760) 536-6374 to get more details.

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