Tag: Office Planning Solutions (page 4 of 13)

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!

LONG-TERM OFFICE LEASES COULD BE HISTORY

November 2, 2020 / admin / 0 Comments

Those who are considering returning to the office are doing so cautiously due to the uncertainty of lease commitments and health protocols.

The last several months have left workers reeling as many were forced to work from home to stay safe from the ongoing pandemic. Real estate technology firm Yardi recently conducted a survey recently that revealed office users are still skeptical about what the workplace will look like in the future.

“Occupancy is around 86% nationwide,” said Rao. “It was generally flat up until a month and a half ago. In the last month, it dropped 0.3%, which is a large monthly drop. What we are finding is that for many leases that are expiring, generally what’s happening is the tenants are holding onto the space, and they are not wanting to make any rash decisions one way or another.”

The overall theme of the market is uncertainty. The demands of offices have evolved since the beginning of the year. Now, tenants want touchless technology, outdoor areas and air filtrations systems to ensure that their health is protected.

Additionally, the relationship between landlords and tenants is bound to transform as short-term, flexible leases grow in demand.

Workplaces will not return to normal

October 10, 2020 / admin / 0 Comments

A report has suggested that:

The 9-5 is dead but the office is NOT: Workplaces will not ‘return to normal’ after the coronavirus pandemic but most companies will not let employees work from home permanently.

The publication warns workplaces ‘will not return to normal’ after the pandemic is brought under control – with employees having adapted to the ‘new normal’ of working from home during the Covid-19 lockdown.

The study has advised that there has been increased stress levels among employees due to working from home since the lockdown was enforced in May 2020. It suggests workers splitting time between the office and working from home may be the way forward for many companies, even after the pandemic is over.

London-based outsourcing giant Capita have not renewed leases on 25 of their offices, while Lloyds Banking Group was reviewing its office space requirements after deciding most of its 65,000 employees have performed well working from home.

But the report says others, including social media giant Facebook, had turned against working from home models, while American mutlinational IBM had also pulled back from its staff working from home.

However the report concludes that the likely way forward for businesses will be a mixed model, with employees working from home some of the time, and in the office others.

Millenium SI Solutions for Common Warehouse Problems

August 25, 2020 / admin / 0 Comments

Use Your Vertical Space

Look up and make sure you’re using all the vertical space available. Investigate storage media to take advantage of your clear span height. How much cubic feet of vertical space is not being used? Be sure to know how your design might impact your sprinkler design and fire code.

Analyze Your Department Space

Identify functions that do not require high ceilings in areas where lower stacking heights are dictated by the clear height. We often see unused overhead space where large departments like packing and shipping are performed.

Consolidate Locations

If you have multiple locations for storing the same item, consider combining them to create better warehouse space utilisation. This can be done during the putaway process and as a standalone function.

Drop Shipping As An Option

If you store and ship large items, consider utilising some form of drop shipping to reduce your in-house inventory and costs.

Use Off-Site Location for Overstock

If you store a large quantity of excess inventory for a few items, consider some type of offsite storage for the excess, thus freeing up space for supporting the fulfillment operation.

Mezzanine Installation

If your building layout permits, consider the use of a mezzanine to house functions that do not require high-bay storage. These can be expensive and are fairly permanent, but will maximise warehouse space utilisation.

What Is External Racking?

July 10, 2020 / admin / 0 Comments

Are you looking for a way to utilise your yard space that will be completely unaffected by adverse weather conditions? External racking could be the solution for you.

External Warehouse Racking is a storage system that has been galvanised to ensure that the racking will have the longest lifespan possible.

By galvanising the racking you are providing the system with extra protection, ensuring that rust and corrosion are not a problem that you will encounter.

If you have an outdoor space, installing an external racking system will provide useful space for your materials whilst utilising the available space.

Where Could External Racking Be Used?

There are multiple applications that external racking is ideal for:

Outdoor retail storage
Storage yards
Builders Merchants

Advantages of External Racking:

Weather resistant – the racking is galvanised to prevent any rust and corrosion
Ideal for cold or damp locations
Utilising available space in your facility – outdoor space is often under-utilised, outdoor racking allows you to use this space efficiently

Disadvantages of External Racking:

The racking must be galvanised to protect it from the elements – this increases the costs and often lead times
The products stored must also either not be affected by the elements or be protected from them – this may mean protecting the racking with some form of cladding
The floor area must be concreted, flat and level as in an internal warehouse

If you would like more information regarding warehouse racking solutions, call us today on (01942) 603344 or email info@millennium-si.co.uk to arrange a no obligation visit.

5 Critical Pallet Rack Safety Hazards

June 25, 2020 / admin / 0 Comments

Physical damage to the pallet rack

Often this damage occurs from lift truck collisions. Sufficient clearance space and clear aisles are both great ways to prevent this kind of damage. Always encourage employees to promptly report all minor impacts or observable damage.

Misaligned Racking Safety Hazard

This can cause collapse or failure of your pallet racking system. During inspection, use the manufacturer’s instructions to check that racks are properly aligned, plum, and level.

Loose Floor Fittings

OSHA is clear that rack columns are bottom-anchored to the floor with column base plates secured with anchor bolts.

Suitability of forklift truck

Your material handling equipment and pallet jacks should be sized to meet your needs.

Weight of stored goods versus capacity of racking system

To prevent dangerously overloaded racks, ANSI/RMI MH16.1 suggests posting the maximum permissible unit load, average unit load, and maximum total load per bay.

In the end, whether your racks are damaged, overloaded, improperly anchored or misaligned, they’re a serious safety hazard that can result in serious injury. OSHA recommends warehouse managers develop a thorough maintenance and inspection program. Be liberal with safety audits that include everything from pallet rack signage all the way up your material handling equipment.

Millennium Storage Office Refurbishments

June 12, 2020 / admin / 0 Comments

Millennium offers you a full service to provide you with the best possible environment with minimum disruption. We believe in practical solutions and creative office space planning. As a company experienced in office fit out, we offer office partitioning, flooring, decoration, furniture (standard and bespoke). As a result you have one point of contact and dedicated project management to ensure a seamless transformation.

The Benefits of Refurbishing Your Office or Workplace

The average worker spends vast portions of their lives in their office or workplace, so it is important for the surroundings to look and feel welcoming. If your workplace needs a bit of a spruce up, you may want to consider the benefits of an office refurbishment.

Improved efficiency

Refurbishing your workplace can allow you to alter the layout of your establishment, and you may find that by moving certain aspects of your office, you can increase the efficiency of your workplace. You can even take this opportunity to invest in new, high-quality equipment for your office that can increase the speed of functions.

Increased productivity

A new, attractive, updated workplace can boost the morale of your workers, which in turn can increase their productivity.

Attracts new clients or customers

Your office is, in effect, the face of your company, and the quality of your workplace can speak volumes about how your company is run, and even how successful your business is. A high-quality establishment indicates that your company is turning a good profit, which can make other customers or clientele have faith in the success of your company and be more inclined to do business with you.

More room for more staff

When you refurbish, you can alter the size of certain aspects of your establishment – storage, hallways, etc. to create more space, which can fit your expanding workforce more comfortably. You may even find that simply rejigging the furniture into a more organised state can create the extra space you need.

Increased health and safety

If you’ve been using your office for a while, general wear and tear might have caused some damage to the fixtures, which can be a huge health and safety risk to your workers. An entire new office will be completely safe and secure, greatly reducing the risk of workplace accidents.

Millennium Storage and Interiors offer both office and commercial refurbishments, so no matter your workplace, we can provide you with the new look you want. We only use high-quality materials and fully qualified and skilled workers, to ensure that the work we produce is of the utmost quality. No job is too big or too small for our dedicated team, and we’ll be on hand at all times to manage the project, completely eradicating the stress from the procedure.

How to design a disability-friendly office

February 17, 2020 / admin / 0 Comments

An all-inclusive, disability-friendly office design creates a safer, more comfortable and welcoming work environment for all, including disabled employees and visitors to your business.

By law, all businesses should provide an all-inclusive workspace that facilitates a safe and comfortable work environment for all employees, including disabled individuals.

As well as looking after employees by helping them to feel more valued and comfortable, a disability-friendly office design attracts a more diverse workforce and a wider pool of candidates, helping your business to attract more top talent.

Whilst some disabled employees may require specialist equipment, most disabled employees’ requirements can be met by simply taking accessibility into consideration when designing your office.

Here are some key features of inclusive, disability-friendly office design.

Accessible sockets
Adjustable desks
Cable management
Low lever door handles
Low flat panel light switches
Wide doorways and hallways
Task lighting
Quiet workspaces
Computer monitor arms
Large-print equipment controls
Use of ramps instead of stairs where suitable
Climate control

Whilst these design features are all disability-friendly, many of them will make your office a safer and more comfortable workspace for everyone.

Space should be a key consideration when designing a disability-friendly workspace, ensuring that there is always enough room for a wheelchair to manoeuvre.

All trip hazards and obstructions should be removed and tidied away, especially trailing wires and cables. Cable management systems are effective for keeping cables neat and safe.

Inclusive office design by Millennium Storage

Here at Millennium Storage and Interiors we provide office refurbishments and new builds to businesses of all different shapes and sizes. We design practical and inspiring office spaces that find the perfect balance between aesthetics and functionality.

Our designs are practical for all employees, with accessibility and inclusivity always a key consideration in our design process.

For help or advice with designing a disability-friendly office, or to book a free consultation with our team, give us a call on 01942 603 344.

Designing an environmentally friendly office interior

January 25, 2020 / admin / 0 Comments

Look after our planet by incorporating these eco-friendly design features into your office interior.

As the effects of climate change become more obvious, businesses of all shapes and sizes are becoming more conscientious about the impact that they have on the environment.

If you’re looking for ways to make your office more sustainable and energy-efficient, why not give it an eco-friendly refurbishment. Here are four basic elements of an environmentally-friendly office design.

Energy-efficient lighting

Keeping the lights on in your office can use a lot of energy, which is not only detrimental to our planet, but to your business’ budget too. Reduce your office’s energy bill by designing an interior that lets in as much natural light as possible to minimise the need for artificial light. Using energy efficient LED lighting can also reduce the amount of energy you use to light your office by 50% or more!

Sustainable furniture

Make environmentally friendly decisions when it comes to office furniture by only buying high quality, long-lasting furniture made from sustainable materials and preferably sourced locally too. Where possible, try to upcycle, repurpose or reuse existing furniture rather than buying new.

Sustainable flooring

Your office’s flooring should not only be made from a sustainable material, it should be energy efficient too to lower your office’s heating bills and keep employees feeling warm and comfortable. Reclaimed wood flooring and eco-friendly carpet made from recyclable materials are both popular options. More unusual eco-friendly flooring materials include cork, bamboo and concrete.

Recycling bins

Encourage employees to get involved and start thinking about the effects that their actions at work have on the environment. Install central recycling and waste management zones that require employees to separate out recyclables and promote less wasteful ways of working.

For more help designing an environmentally friendly office interior, speak to our team of experts here at Millennium Storage and Interiors about our office refurbishment services by giving our team a call on 01942 603 344.

Office design trends for 2020

January 15, 2020 / admin / 0 Comments

The dawn of the new decade is a good time to give your outdated office interior a makeover.

Here at Millennium Storage and Interiors we expect 2020 to see the rise of eco-friendly, multi-functional office interiors.

Offices are no longer sterile white environments, instead, businesses are seeking sustainable and environmentally-conscious designs that prioritise employee wellbeing as well as productivity.

Here are our top four office design trend predictions for 2020.

Environmentally friendly

Businesses are becoming more conscious about the environmental impact of the materials and products used in their office interiors. In 2020, we expect to see a surge in businesses requesting office interiors that incorporate recyclable and natural materials and practical and cost-effective energy-efficient products and designs.

Privacy

Open plan offices have had their day, and in 2020 we’re expecting to see more businesses embracing office interiors that offer employees quiet and private spaces to work in. Over recent years, numerous studies have found that open plan offices can have a negative effect on both employee productivity and wellbeing as they tend to create a lot of noise and can be very distracting and stressful. Office partitioning, pods, and booths are all expected to make a comeback this year.

Collaborative spaces

Whilst employees often perform better and feel more relaxed when given their own private space to work in, collaborative workspaces that encourage communication and idea sharing are also very important in the workplace. Formal meeting rooms, cosy huddle rooms, and trendy break-out spaces all allow employees the space they need to share ideas, inspire each other, and interact socially when they need it.

Bold colours

In 2020 we’re expecting to see more businesses opting for bold and clashing colours to create daring and contemporary interiors.

For help or advice regarding your office design, speak to our team of experts here at Millennium Storage and Interiors about our office refurbishment services by giving our team a call on 01942 603 344.