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Is Office Furniture As We Know It About To Change Forever?

The introduction of computers into the office as well as tablets, and mobile phones in some cases has helped to change the way everyone works, making work more efficient and easier. What hasn’t changed too much is the traditional office layout but this could soon be transformed as we all get used to not being chained to the desk by the wires that once powered various devices.

Change hasn’t happened yet of course. The average office worker will still be turning up for work at 9am grabbing a coffee and then sitting static at a desk for the best part of eight hours. Yet when you look at how technology has advanced, then it is a mystery why we still stick to the old habits.

The standard office furniture consists of desks, chairs, maybe a sofa or two and a large meeting table. This could however soon be replaced with ‘smart furniture’ which allows you to plug in and charge up mobiles, and tablets or areas that allow us to move around and be more mobile. Furniture for collaborative workspaces is likely to be far more radically designed in the not too distant future.

What will remain however is the office as a place to meet face to face. While technically the need for an office no longer really exists there is still no technological substitute for real human interaction in the workplace.

Supermarket Warehouses Worth More Than Their Stores

September 25, 2015 / admin / 0 Comments

The big supermarkets may well be axing many of their high street convenience stores due to a combination of high costs and low profits, but the supermarket warehouse boom is continuing and attracting the attention of commercial property investors in the process.

According to the Financial Times recently, customers are increasingly shopping online and this is what is driving demand for large warehouse spaces from supermarkets such as Tesco, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Aldi.

Online sales are currently growing at 12% a year and although they still account for only 12% of spending, the convenience of online shopping is likely to see online sales rival those of supermarkets in the years to come. It may also bring an end to the traditional weekly shop. People may be more likely to gather round a tablet or desktop computer to shop rather than venture out in the car.

The expansion of warehousing may be halted temporarily by the lack of space to build and a shortage of available units. This may well act to push up the prices of warehouses across the UK and land that is suitable for the purpose.

Investors are likely to find the prospect of high demand now and in the future a good reason to put more money into what was previously seen as an unglamorous and low yield investment.

Robots Manage Hitachi Warehouse Workers

September 15, 2015 / admin / 0 Comments

Ever get the feeling that your manager is cold and lacks any kind of emotion? This feeling must be all too familiar with workers in Hitachi warehouses in Japan where robots are giving out the orders.

The new machine manager uses artificial intelligence to manage human workers. The intelligence is gathered from learning human techniques and then processing them to continuously improve efficiency according to an article published in the Daily Mail recently.

While true robot intelligence is some way off, production work in warehouses seems to be the ideal environment for this first generation of robot managers. This may make unsettling reading for the average warehouse worker however. While robots are likely to be far more efficient and cheaper than hiring a human manager, they are not going to be sympathetic or empathise if a worker has problems.

Fortunately humans are still in control of the process and robots at the Hitachi warehouses are there purely to increase performance. This is something they are already achieving with productivity boosted by 8% in those warehouses using them.

Warehouse workers will take orders from the robots and then they will be asked to come up with better ways to do things and suggest ways to solve problems. The robot will then choose the best ones and make the necessary improvements. Scary stuff.

Ways Good Office Design Makes Employees Feel Better And Work Harder

June 12, 2015 / admin / 0 Comments

A global study on the influence of office design on employees well-being has produced some important findings that all business owners should be aware of.

The study led by psychologist Sir Cary Cooper looked at biophilic design and the workplace and examined subjects on how they felt about it. The results were significant but really not surprising given that it is merely drawing attention to what we already know – human beings like to work in natural environments and that includes when they are working in an office in front of a computer all day.

Employees who were lucky enough to find themselves working in a more ‘natural’ office space reported that their overall sense of well-being was 15% higher, they were 6% more productive and 15% more creative.

Despite how advanced civilisation has become there is still the need to connect with nature in some way and this is what biophilic design is all about – reconnecting with nature by including natural elements in the design of an office space.

Modifications can be as simple as letting in more natural light. Yet nearly half (47%) of all employees had no natural light in the study.

Trends Influencing Office Design In 2015

May 4, 2015 / admin / 0 Comments

Workforces are becoming more mobile, the production process is speeding up and the demand for employees to think creatively to help companies survive has never been greater. To keep pace in all these areas requires thinking about the latest trends in office design.

The talent pool is shrinking
Demand for talent in some business sectors may reach crisis point in the years to come as the current generation reaches retirement. IT, sales and marketing and management are set to face the biggest skills shortage and people working in these areas will expect to work in environments that satisfy their needs. Collaborative office design will be a key area to focus on to create the kind of company top talent will be happy to work for.

Employee motivation
Keeping employees motivated not only helps staff retention it can also boost a company’s bottom line by 20% according to some studies. Negativity and hostility meanwhile only spreads to other members of staff threatening the business in some cases. The answer is to design the office as a communication tool that helps broadcast the goals of the company and the achievements of the team.

Remote working requires different thinking about the way offices are used
Working from home was virtually unheard of 20 years ago. Now more and more office workers are feeling the benefits of working from home. However this is never a permanent solution when team collaboration remains important. This requires flexible work spaces and areas of the office being designed to make room for technology and business processes to work even when staff are not present.
The one thing you can rely on in 2015 is that the top people will be more choosy about where they decide to work. A booming economy is set to make this the case for the foreseeable future.

5 Common Office Design Mistakes

April 27, 2015 / admin / 0 Comments

Most of us spend years getting our homes to look right even if a large percentage of us spend only a small proportion of our time in them. With the majority of people employed in some kind of office job it’s sad to see so many mistakes made in office design when spending a bit of time with planning could make all the difference to those who work there.

With this in mind, here are 5 office design mistakes and how they can be avoided.

Not spending enough money
Let’s face it, making an office look pretty is often the last thing on the minds of stressed out business owners. Money is often allocated to more profitable areas. But there is in argument that says spending a bit of time on the office environment can help make staff more productive which can boost profits and ease those business worries in the long term.

Buying the wrong size furniture
It’s a common error to buy furniture that is not the right size for a room. It can be either too big and restrict your space or so small the office becomes a space of overwhelming emptiness.

Not bothering to plan the office layout
Another mistake is to not plan the layout of an office. With a new office it is important to find out where to put things like the photocopier or printer and find proper spaces for desks. Nobody will appreciate sitting in front of a baking hot window all day even if they are showered with natural light.

Not asking the opinion of your employees
There is nothing more demotivating than not being informed of important business decisions when you are a member of staff. Office design is one of those decisions, so it is worth asking their opnion before you go ahead, particularly if staff are the ones spending most of their time in the office.

Going ahead and choosing a design without talking to your staff can be a costly mistake. If you want a happy and productive workforce, your space needs to reflect your business needs. For example, open plan offices are a popular choice for creative industries that require a lot of collaboration, but they could be disastrous for jobs that need more privacy. With this in mind, make sure that you ask your employees about their preferred work style before you finalise your design.

Spending too much money on design
You’ll see lots of advice from office designers out there but really designing an office well me designing it so that it feels natural. Only the people who work there will know what works best for them so it is possible to get everyone together and come up with the best solution for your space without breaking the bank.

How To Plan Office Partitioning

February 21, 2015 / admin / 0 Comments

Business operations are getting increasingly smaller as computers remove most of the administration department which once dealt with data inputting and other menial tasks.

With the number of staff needed by companies, the need for large office spaces is steadily shrinking. This leaves a problem for large commercial property owners who are left trying to hunt around for tenants willing to rent and pay the high fees that go along with it.

The solution to this problem is often partitioning the space to accommodate smaller businesses who will find smaller units more affordable.

That said planning to partition an office may not be easy. You will need to ensure that the partitionsare being put in the right place and that create environments people will want to work in. Not only will this mean considering the amount of natural light and access points but also levels of ambient noise.

To ensure that your office partitions are installed in correctly ensure that each space has a window where possible. If the office doesn’t include carpets then it may be a good idea to fit them and add soft furnishings where possible to help absorb noise. There are various materials to choose from in your partitioning, but it is probably worth choosing those that absorb noise rather than going for cheaper options. It is worth paying the extra in the long term to make sure your business tenants are happy.

What Does Your Office Design Say About Your Company?

February 20, 2015 / admin / 0 Comments

The way an office is presented can say a lot about a business which is why keeping the space clean and tidy is a must if you expect to be welcoming new clients.

Businesses can spend large amounts of money developing a corporate image only to have it brought down by a poorly presented office that creates the wrong impression.

To avoid this it is important to pay attention to how much your current office reflects the corporate identity you are trying to create. Paying attention to this important area can even help you impress and win more clients.

How you present your office will be unique to your company. The needs of a tech or digital company will be different from those of a more formal public sector office. The former will probably be aiming for a more relaxed environment rather than one that is too corporate.

Clients will expect a digital company office to be as contemporary as the websites it creates. A public sector office meanwhile might wish to project a more formal image to show that public money isn’t being spent on expensive colourful furniture! If you are set to be welcoming clients into your office soon, then remember to use those first few minutes to create a good impression of your company because those first impressions last.

Google Creates Offices Inspired By Nature

January 17, 2015 / admin / 0 Comments

Office furniture may not be high on the agenda for whoever is responsible at Google for creating workspaces for happy productive employees but wallpaper and light is according to recent news released by the search giant.

If you walk around a Google office today, you will find the usual coders and play areas but you might also notice light meters hanging from their necks as they go about their daily work. This is because the environmental team at Google thinks that natural light is a very important part of keeping the workforce happy and more importantly for this ambitious firm – productive.

Google is one of the more famous companies experimenting with biophilic design or the subtle changes that can make an office space seem more natural. Having a more natural space to work in while you sit at your office desk is said to better for you psychologically because it helps to reduce stress.

With this in mind Google has added extra skylights, and even solar tubes in its conference rooms to brighten things up. Employees of Google are reported to be more deeply focused on their work and more creative as well as productive.

What Makes Employees Happy With Their Office Interior Design?

January 15, 2015 / admin / 0 Comments

It is often the case that office design is firmly at the back of employers’ minds. A desk, chair and acomputer are provided and that is often it.

What surrounds workers are often bare walls, blinds placed across windows to hide the sun and a ban on music just in case it doesn’t suit the tastes of the majority.

Studies have found that far from keeping workers focused, bare quiet offices are likely to result in reduced productivity and a moody workforce. So when it comes to office interior design it may be wise to at least consult workers on how they want the place where they spend most of their waking lives to look.

The new buzzword in office design is ‘biophilic’ design or the architecture of life. In other words workers want to see more of nature so that they can feel at home.

The survey of 3,600 office workers by Human Spaces found that the five things staff most wanted in their office interior design were Natural light (42%) Quiet work spaces (22%) A view of the sea (20%) Live indoor plants (18%) Bright and natural colours (15%).

So letting in natural light should be the number one priority followed by peace and quiet as anyone who has the misfortune to work next to a noisy co-worker will testify. A view of the sea may be a little tricky to achieve for most business owners but a potential solution is artwork or bringing focusing office interior design on more natural shapes and colours.