Category: Office Fitout (page 2 of 8)

Advantages of working in the office

Why workspaces are so important

Many of the employees who work in these workplaces need certain skills to be able to perform their tasks such as face to face communication between teams, ability to exchange views, write, work as a team or knowing how to function in an collaborative work environment with other professionals.

Unlike remote working, the office has been designed and conceived from the outset as a place to carry out a specific job. Another of its differentiating factors is the complete separation of the employee from home: working from home can lead to stress and a lack of disconnection from the workplace, as cohabiting in the same space where you “work” and “rest” makes people not able to separate and take a real break from their working day.

Benefits of working in the office

When working in an office, there are times when you need to shift your workspace around and take up tasks at different places. This is because each space has its own unique functionality that helps maximize productivity while minimising any distractions from external factors like people or noise pollution – it’s always best if we can work without interruption.

Working as a team. Being part of a company project with a team of people boosts your creativity, as well as developing our collaborative and social skills. In an office we can interact and work side by side with other colleagues, something that can help us move away from static work routines. In addition, productivity in the office is increased.

Conduct face to face meetings. For certain work or projects, it may be necessary to hold face to face meetings. For example, arranging a meeting with a very important client at our place of work can help us to sell a proposal, because the customer engages, feels part of a whole and is able to see in person how we perform naturally and safely in a professional environment.

Establishing new links and contacts. Being immersed in a daily work routine with a lot of people around us can benefit us in the future, as this will allow us to acquire new contacts that can help us in the long run to find new job opportunities or start new professional projects. Interacting with other professionals in the office can benefit us when building new business or if we want to initiate and create new personal projects.

Tesco converting excess store space to flexible offices for hybrid workers

The supermarket is taking advantage of the pandemic-driven shift to home working by partnering with office landlord and flexible workspace provider IWG to convert the 3,800 sq ft upper mezzanine of the Tesco Extra store in New Malden.

The space will contain 12 desks, 30 co-working spaces and a meeting room. It is to be opened to businesses and individuals who join the IWG platform – including shoppers wishing to catch up on some emails – from this month.

The tie-up is expected to see excess space in more Tesco stores converted to flexible offices.

IWG said its research demonstrated the ongoing popularity of hybrid working. It found 72% of workers would prefer the long-term ability to work flexibly over going back to the office five days a week with a 10% pay rise.

IWG claims to be “leading the workspace revolution”. Its recently launched ‘OpenDesks’ are designed for retail-based office space and use magnetic screens to create privacy.

IWG operates 300 flexible offices across the UK and is set to open sites this year in south London’s Twickenham, Sutton and the revamped Battersea Power Station. Each of its workspaces can be accessed by downloading its mobile app.

New locations in suburban areas will transform communities and are a response to the growing demand we are seeing from customers who want to live and work locally.

Office Storage Ideas

Smart home office storage ideas

The best way to store your items on open shelves is by using hooks. You can find them at any hardware store, but if you don’t have one then just use nails or staple gun blades as long as they are flathead ones so that there won’t be too much space between each piece of furniture and its neighboring stand!

You can’t go wrong with a classic wooden rack or baskets to store your things. They’ll not only look great on top of an office desk, but it’s also easy enough that you could make one yourself! If function is more important than form for what resides in this space then try using something like notice boards which allow ample room inside them so important papers don’t get lost when they’re needed at their most secure locations.

Boxes and letter files are useful additions on your desktop to store items you use frequently. But to stop them looking too business-like, cover them with your favourite wrapping paper, wallpaper or fabric to create a cohesive theme. A storage ottoman or trunk is the perfect place to store your paperwork, but invest in hanging files or separate folders to keep everything separate.

There’s never enough space in our homes for everything we want and need. That is why it pays to invest some time into finding ways that will give you more storage options, like using a drawer organiser! These handy gadgets ensure all those pesky papers stay put while also keeping your workspace neat at any given moment.

Squeeze desktop storage into an alcove

Make use of an empty alcove if you’re needing to set up desk in a bedroom or living area. A slimline ladder-style desk won’t protrude into a room too much and makes a great landing spot for a laptop or tablet.

This bookshelf has a secret drawer for all your little secrets. It’s perfect if you’re looking to create an inviting, organised space that also doesn’t look too cluttered!

Build a wall of storage

Take office storage floor to ceiling with a flexible shelving system that can be tailored to suit your space. Position it adjacent to your desk, so you can grab paperwork and essentials as and when you need it.

Start your set-up with uprights and support brackets to create a framework, then add a combination of shelves, racks, panels or drawers as required.

Keep clutter out of sight

If not kept super-tidy, open shelves can easily look messy, especially if you’re working out of a living room or bedroom.

Corral small-scale clutter away into pretty baskets or decorative storage boxes and stack neatly on shelves. Choose a colour theme that ties in with your decor for a co-ordinated look.

Ways to make your office more productive

Do you feel like your office could be more productive? You’re not alone. Many business owners feel like they could get more done if their office was set up a bit better. Luckily, there are some simple changes you can make to your office that will help increase productivity. In this blog post, we’ll outline eleven ways to make your office more productive. Keep reading to learn more!

  • Use a standing desk to promote better posture
  • Add plants to your office for increased oxygen levels and improved mood
  • Set up an ergonomic workspace with the right lighting, furniture, and tools
  • Create a designated space for breaks so you’re not tempted to take them on your computer or phone
  • Take frequent walks outside of the office during your break time
  • Limit screen time by setting aside specific hours where you can only work on your computer or phone

For most people, the workplace is a place where they are expected to be their best. That means being productive and efficient while getting work done in an environment that promotes creativity. So what can you do to make your office more productive? Here are a few ways to help get started with making changes today! Have you tried any of these productivity tips yet? If not, contact us for more information on how we can help turn your company into one of the most profitable in town by helping it operate at peak efficiency. We would love to hear about which ones have helped you feel like things were easier or made life flow better so far.

The 5 things that every business owner should consider when starting a new office space

Are you thinking of starting a new office for your business? If so, there are a few things you should consider before making the big move. In this blog post, we will outline five things that every business owner should think about before starting a new office. Keep reading to learn more!

  • Location, location, location
  • What type of business are you starting?
  • How much money do you have to start your business off with?
  • Do you have the time and resources to start a business on your own, or do you need help from others?
  • What are your long-term goals for your business and how will it achieve them

Starting a new office can be an exciting and daunting time; we’ve laid out five things you should consider before opening your doors. Whether it’s finding the right building or setting up the perfect furnishings, every business owner has to make many decisions when starting a new venture. We know that this is not easy! If you need help with any of these steps, contact our team today – we would love to partner with you as well as provide one-on-one assistance throughout the process.

Why Office Carpets are a great choice

Office carpets are on top of the list for many businesses when choosing what kind of flooring the office should have. With brilliant design selections, great acoustic qualities and an abundance of other advantages that check all the right boxes, carpets for offices are always a solid choice for commercial flooring.

Why Office Carpeting Is a Great Choice for Office Spaces

Allowing you more freedom and flexibility in creativity and design than any other flooring material, office carpeting is the perfect pick for any office design project. With new high-velocity dye-technologies, custom carpet manufacturers provide you with the tools to create virtually anything on high-quality material at an appropriate price.

Flooring is such an important part of any design project, encompassing a massive percentage of an office space. Great office carpets enable you to use this space to your advantage by creating a design that defines the brand you are working for, and a carpet for office use is the most practical flooring choice for an everyday work environment due to its ability to absorb and improve sound in an open office layout.

How to Choose the Best Office Carpets

Designing an office space can be a long process, part of which includes picking the perfect carpeting for the office. Choosing the right carpet for your next office-project requires you to assess the workspace and consider the multiple factors that can affect commercial carpet types. Here are a few questions to ask yourself when picking a carpet for office use.

How long does the office carpet need to last?

First things first. Figure out what the office carpet’s life expectancy should be. A basic rule of thumb: the longer the lease, the higher quality of carpet required.

How will the different spaces in the office be used?

Next, determine how much each office area will be used in terms of foot traffic and furniture movement. Private offices and conference rooms may require lower levels of carpet resilience due to moderate use, while corridors and common areas typically receive heavy use. These are important things to consider when choosing the best office carpet for your office.

How well can a commercial office carpet handle stains such as coffee spills?

It’s essential to select different carpeting for different areas, such as cafeterias and corridors, which foster heavy foot traffic and coffee drinkers. When someone inevitably spills their cup of coffee or carries in dirt on their shoes, it’s best to have colour choices that fall in the medium range, which are able to mute out the daily build-up of soil and stains on the office carpets.

What will this carpet look like in an actual office space?

Lighting can impact your office carpets in more ways than one, changing the look and feel of your design completely. Taking office carpet samples on-site allows you to view the carpet under the office lighting, as well as bring your vision to life in the space it will operate. Your client is putting faith in you to design something spectacular, so why not give them a taste of your creative talent by bringing some office carpet samples to show in person.

Partitioning Systems Solutions

Create the right environment for your business with defined spaces.

Whether you want to create privacy for meeting rooms, build efficient teams with zoned spaces or simply find a new office or storage space, creating the right environment can dramatically transform your business.

Partitioning systems allow you to structure your space to suit your current business needs. If you’ve considered moving premises to find the space you need, partitioning systems could be a much easier and more cost-effective solution than buying or renting a building at a high cost.

Efficient and space-saving

One way of effectively utilising your office space is through the use of partitions. These can be beneficial for a number of reasons as they can be used as a tool to increase employee’s productivity, as well as promoting efficiency at work; your employees will be more productive when working at a comfortable and welcoming environment.

Choice of materials

There is a wide variety of partitions to choose from such as silicon glaze partitioning, steel partitioning and glass partitioning. Each design has its unique benefits compared to the others but all can be blended to improve the appearance of an office. Every partition can be custom-made to fit the user’s personal tastes such as colour, material and size, hence improving comfort and style. For example, glass partitions can be very beneficial in offices that aim to increase exposure to natural lighting whilst being able to maintain the required privacy. They also create an impression of an open space for visitors, therefore providing a positive environment.

Air conditioning

Air conditioning is also highly effective in partitioned offices. This is because the workstations are subdivided into smaller areas where doors can be closed to retain heat or opened when it is too hot. Each workstation can also have its own air conditioning system hence reducing air conditioning wars at a workplace. In addition, partitions that are raised from the floor provide a gap for air movement within different workstations.

Less distractions

Another benefit of using office partitions is less distraction at work. Partitions create a barrier between individual’s hence improving privacy and concentration scope of workers but can be easily removed when there is a need for collaboration. These barriers will also be beneficial to visitors because they enable proper subdivision of departments and make it easier for visitors to locate offices. In addition to providing ease of access, partitions can give a good impression to your visitors – as a clear design will give a modern and professional impression.

The importance of getting your Home Office right

Getting your home office storage spot on is key to creating a space that’s functional, inspiring and that will help support your productivity when working from home.

Whether you’ve a whole room, a corner in the living room or nook in the hallway, ensuring you have the best storage solutions to keep this space tidy and well organised is crucial.

INVEST IN A DUAL-PURPOSE COFFEE TABLE

Remote working has unearthed ways to work in different rooms in the home. While the bedroom offers a quiet space, the temptation to slide under the covers may be too risky for some.

Instead lounge areas probably provide the closest thing to a ‘normal’ working environment. And, while not great for your posture, coffee tables are commonly used for laptop perching and coffee nestling.

KEEP YOUR DESK TIDY BY USING WALL SPACE

Working with a tiny workspace under the stairs or using an alcove? Keep clutter at bay by making use of wall decor. Think wire boards, fairy lights to hang things off, and of course, some floating shelves.

REPURPOSE AN OLD DRESSING OR HALLWAY CONSOLE TABLE

Getting full use out of dressing and console tables by letting yours double up as a home office storage space is a wise move. And, there are lots of fine design tweaks that can make these tables easier on the eye. Consider painting yours the same color as your office interiors, or place inserts inside so that your stationery doesn’t roll about inside.

This is one of many cost-effective budget home office ideas to save you forking out on expensive furniture. Now all you need is a good office chair to accompany it.

CHOOSE MODULAR HOME OFFICE STORAGE

A great home office storage idea is to build an adaptable storage wall with floor-to-ceiling supports and brackets. Open storage systems like this Elfa storage system really do offer total control over the storage space. Not only can you get shelves of every depth, but handy pegboard-style panels, or drawers can be added too for stationery.

TURN YOUR HOME OFFICE STORAGE INTO A FEATURE

Make the necessity of home office storage into something beautiful with an accent wall of shelving or pinned pictures. This is the perfect solution for those integrating a home office in to a living room or communal space. Remember to leave plenty of space to display treasured items keeping it as aesthetically pleasing as it is functional.

Virtual Christmas party: ideas and games for hosting an online office party

The last thing we wanted to be doing during the Christmas season was sitting on Zoom, Skype, Houseparty or Google Hangouts instead of being able to meet up with friends and family in the flesh.

Despite a four nations agreement that allows families to meet in “bubbles” between 23 and 27 December, normal rules will stay in place for the rest of the holidays.

This means that festive parties and work celebrations are completely off the table this year, so it’s looking like a return to virtual hangouts is inevitable.

After spending nearly a whole year on Zoom, instead of meeting people face-to-face, many of us are feeling sick of the extra screen time.

Here’s a list of simple ideas that could be really fun and festive:

Cocktail making

In the same vein, virtual cocktail making is a fun activity – and who can say no to a cocktail?

Choose a tasty, but easy, cocktail recipe that participants will be able to mix, step-by-step on-screen, such as strawberry daiquiris, mojitos or espresso martinis.

Make it a competition to see who can produce the best-looking cocktail – and who makes the worst.

Christmas quiz

Zoom quizzes may be overdone, but you’ll only get one chance to organise a festive quiz so you may as well go all out.

Christmas jumper attire is encouraged, and make sure all the rounds are suitably seasonal – we’re talking classic Christmas movies and songs and festive trivia.

Virtual bingo

Bingo nights are a total crowd-pleaser, and it’s really easy to set one up virtually via Zoom or Skype.

The best part is there is no limit to the number of people who can join in, whether you have three friends or 30.

All you need to do is send bingo cards to all participants for them to print – there are plenty of free online resources.

Then, find a number generator and share your screen with everyone so they can see the numbers as they are selected.

Great Ways to Engage Your Employees This Christmas!

Decorate the office!

Surely a few Christmas decorations can’t make an entire office feel happier?

You’d be surprised how much a few bits of tinsel here, and a couple of baubles there can really pick up the atmosphere and get staff feeling excited about the holidays!

Even better… you could make Christmas decorating an annual tradition, getting the team working together and bonding over a mutual love for the festive season.

Host an Award Ceremony

Awards can be a great way to engage staff and let them know that you value their hard work.

And they don’t have to be based on targets – you don’t want to leave a proportion of your loyal workforce out – consider things like…

– The most encouraging person in the office.
– The most organised.
– The best at keeping your customers happy.
…split your awards up across teams and make sure your perceived ‘favourites’ (if there are any) don’t get more praise and credit than others.

Secret Santa

A slightly more obvious Christmas tradition, Secret Santa is an amazing way to bring your employees, across different teams, together.

Just decide on a £5-£10 limit and then pick a day for the ‘big reveal’ and you’re sorted!

Let Your Staff Leave Early

A great incentive and reward scheme that works specifically well for salespeople is allowing them to finish work early for the Christmas holiday if they hit an (achievable) target.

Whether it’s on 1st December (you’d hope not…) or 23rd, when they’ve hit the target, let them go home until January!

Older posts Newer posts