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Workplaces will not return to normal

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.

Tips on How to Effectively Plan a Warehouse Layout Design

September 3, 2020 / admin / 0 Comments

Principles of an Efficient Warehouse Layout

Before you start designing your warehouse, you should understand what you’re trying to achieve with your warehouse layout design.

Here are 3 major principles to keep in mind when planning your warehouse:

Space

Consider how to maximise the space you can afford, taking into consideration storage, stock, offices, working areas, empty pallet storage, battery charging, etc.

With a wide variety of vertical racks and freestanding equipment, you should be able to design your warehouse in the way you need it initially, while being flexible enough to change it in the future if desired.

Flow

Warehouse flow can be summarised as the uninterrupted movement of materials, people, and traffic within your building.

Your first goal should be to cut down on any areas of high traffic or potential for cross-flow crashes.

So, each activity that an employee performs must be located as close as possible to the activity that precedes it and proceeds from it.

That also means materials used to perform those activities should be situated as close as possible to each workstation.

Your second goal should be to eliminate as much movement and disruption as possible.

Accessibility

Every product and all products on pallets should be accessible by everyone, usually without the need to move one product to get to another.

That means structuring your pallet racks in rows that are wide enough to accommodate pallet jacks and trucks, and stacking and stocking items strategically for minimal interference with one another.

Creative ideas on how to turn your home office into a stylish haven

May 4, 2020 / admin / 0 Comments

Get a desk with built-in storage

When you have a small home office, storage tends to be an issue. Where on Earth will you store your stacks of sticky notes and cool pens? Before you know it, you’re elbow-deep in loose papers, wires. Invest in a desk that not only serves as a desk but can also be used to store all of those essentials that you don’t want lying around or in reach of your little ones!

Add a rug or cushions

This will give you a cosier feel to your work space, it can also make your workspace feel bigger.

Light it up

As well as ensuring you get as much natural light as possible we recommend turning off the harsh overhead lighting (that you don’t miss from your work office!) and instead using a mix of floor and table lamps or even candles to give off a smoother light that still does it’s job without making you squint!

Just add plants

Given that you’ll be spending a good chunk of your day at your desk, you may as well dress it up so that it’s visually stimulating and gives you a burst of energy when you start losing steam. One way to do this is with small plants. Use easy-to-care plants near your desk.

How to improve your home office

April 25, 2020 / admin / 0 Comments

Working from home may have its benefits like getting up a bit later, wearing comfy clothes and having an oven handy for making lunch.

But you may find working, eating and sleeping in the same place each day gets a bit tiresome after a while.

Here’s a few tips and tricks for making your work environment at home that little bit brighter…

Find a comfy chair

If you have a comfortable chair you can use as your work chair, this will make a big difference if you’re sitting at a desk or table all day.

Clean up your mess (computer, papers, laptops etc)

A clean and tidy working environment can make the world of difference.

Making sure your desk or table is free of clutter so that you have space to work, and that it’s clean and tidy can leave your feeling calmer and more productive.

Make sure you also tidy up at the end of your working day so that you come away from work and enjoying the evening for yourself and the family.

Natural lighting

If possible, choose a place for your workspace environment that has natural lighting. This can be beneficial to your mood and increase productivity. We also recommend you get outside a 20 minutes or so, to give you a break from work and also get much needed fresh air.

Being near a window while working can also up your vitamin D levels, which helps regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body, and these nutrients are needed to keep muscle, teeth and bones healthy.

Separate work and living areas

If it’s possible to do so, your workspace should be in a room or space as far away as possible from the place where you sleep if you want to increase your productivity.

Your brain tends to associate certain spaces with certain tasks, which is why it’s important to keep your work and living areas physically separate if you can.

For more ideas on office space at home or in a city office, contact us today!

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.

How to choose the right racking for your warehouse

November 6, 2019 / admin / 0 Comments

The right racking system can have a significant impact on how efficiently your warehouse operates.

Your warehouse’s storage system is at the heart of its operation. Choosing a storage system that is ideal for your space, the items you are storing, and your picking process, will help your operation to run more efficiently and your team to be more productive.

Factors to consider when choosing warehouse racking

When deciding which type of racking is most suitable for your warehouse you should ask yourself the following questions:

What type of items do I need to store?
How much space do I have? (vertical as well as ground space)
What is the maximum load weight the racking will be required to support?
Is forklift access required?
What are my warehouse layout and product flow requirements?

Popular types of warehouse racking

There are plenty of different racking and shelving options available to choose from, some of the commonest types include:

Drive in/through racking – Maximises storage space in your warehouse by reducing the size of the forklift aisles. Choose from drive in racking with one point of access to each aisle, or drive through racking which has both an entrance and an exit, meaning the first load in is the first one out.
Cantilever racking – Ideal for storing large and bulky items of varying shapes and sizes, particularly very long loads like beams and tubes. Cantilever racking is very strong and can be adapted to your requirements.
Adjustable pallet racking – Pallet racking can be used to store a wide range of products of varying sizes and weights and are the ideal solution for picking. Pallets are lifted onto the racking by forklifts.

At Millennium Storage and Interiors, we stock a wide range of racking and shelving solutions for warehouses. If you require help choosing an option suitable for your requirements, get in touch with our team by calling 0942 603 344.

How To Create A Breakout Space

February 8, 2019 / admin / 0 Comments

If your office doesn’t have a breakout space and you have thee space to create one, then you and your employees will be missing out on all the benefits they can bring. Here’s some guidance on how to create the ideal breakout space in your office.

A breakout space may have a name that suggests something new and exciting but really, it’s simply an area where employees and visitors can sit and relax in an informal space. The breakout area or break room to use the old-fashioned term is simply the modern evolution of an area that would have been a smoking room in factories and offices before it was banned.

Now the breakout room is a place for relaxation away from computer screens which the most people now work on in service industries. They can also be places to eat lunch, hold informal meetings and brainstorm.

Breakout rooms should be furnished with soft furnishings, comfy chairs and sofas and painted using colours that encourage relaxation. Ideally the area should be partitioned to separate it from the main office.

If you are looking for office refurbishment call us today to find out about the services we offer.

Tips on Fitting Out Stockrooms

November 12, 2018 / admin / 0 Comments

If you have a business that holds a lot of stock then you will naturally need to keep that stock in good condition and you will find there are plenty of solutions to achieve just that.

Organising a stock room correctly is of vital importance to the functioning business handling large amounts of stock. If a stockroom isn’t fitted with the right storage aids or is lacking them altogether, then chaos is often the result.

Having a well organised stick room means you can get to the items you need quicker and identify areas where there are low stock levels so new orders can be placed to satisfy demand for particular products.

Shelves and racking
Shelves and racking are mong the more popular storage options. They keep items off the floor and greatly increase storage capacity. Shelves and racking are ideal for use in stock rooms where both large and smaller items may be stored.

Wire shelves
Wire shelves are extremely lightweight and more mobile. They are also robust and ideal for storing medium and lightweight items. They are also easy to assemble and are usually delivered in flatpack form which saves space.

Garment racking and clothes rails
While shelving and standard racking is great for storing most products, clothing presents its own challenges. Garment racking is the ideal solution which allows items to be easily accessed and crease free. Clothes rails with casters are also useful in busy retail outlets where turnover is high.
If you encounter any problems organising your warehouse, feel free to get in touch with our helpful team today.

Getting The Most From Light In The Workplace

October 22, 2018 / admin / 0 Comments

Lighting can have a big impact on employees’ sense of wellbeing in the workplace and also their productivity. This is why planning lighting is as important as anything else in the office fitting process.

Unfortunately, not every office interior is blessed with an abundance of natural light. Depending on the design of the building, natural light may be in short supply and parts of the office will need lighting so that staff have enough of it to do their jobs.

Artificial lighting comes at a significant cost. When the office is lit up 5 or more days a week for 10 hours a day the cost of this can really add up and without any measures incorporated in your planning to reduce the use of artificial light, this could be a missed opportunity.

Then there is the question of the type of lighting and how much of it is needed. Too much brightness from harsh flourescent lighting can cause migraines in some people while too little can be the cause of eye strain. This will also reduce productivity.

Today we can be much smarter about the ways we use lighting in the office including introducing task lighting. This directs light only to areas that need to be lit which saves energy.

3 Ways To Make Workspace A Happier Place

September 10, 2018 / admin / 0 Comments

Returning to work after the summer holidays can be a depressing experience for some people. You get used to all that sunshine and miss all that relaxation. Going back to work needn’t be stress however and there is a lot you can do to cheer up your work environment…

Add some greenery
Office plants are all the rage as people like to see a bit of nature in their workspace. Being amongst plants and trees is supposed to be good for us and it’s easy to bring a bit of that into the office with a few potted plants.

Get a personalised mug
Personalised mugs are great for adding personality and humour to your tea or coffee times. You can have your mugs personalised to your personality so nobody is left in doubt over who it belongs to. They also look a lot nicer on your desk than a plain old mug.

Tidy up those cables
Cables can take up a lot of space unnecessarily. You can banish this issue by purchasing some cable organisers so that they can all be tied up and stored out of sight. You could even invest in a new desk which has holes in giving the cables somewhere to go. So many desks don’t actually have this simple method of keeping cables out of sight.