Tag: Office Design Solutions (page 3 of 16)

Drawbacks of working in the office

Working from home can have certain benefits in terms of time efficiency and mobility. However, there are many other advantages to working in an office that cannot be compared to remote working.

In this blog we look at the drawbacks of working in an office.

Regular distractions. The simple fact of being in an office with more people makes communication more fluent and more fluid, which may result in a noisier working environment. This could possibly interfere in the worker’s concentration and may reduce productivity.

Lack of privacy. Some people are not as extroverted and may not like working in a team as much as others. This is a disadvantage if we work in open spaces and offices, as these more introverted employees can end up feeling uncomfortable.

Your productivity will decrease if you’re feeling stressed at work. And, in an office setting where there’s more pressure from both your superior or fellow employees – it can be hard to stay on task with what needs done when everyone else seems so preoccupied too!

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.

Top Tips to Keep Cool in An Office

Employers should make sure they provide reasonable working conditions to their employees, but the burden of providing extra allowances falls on them. However there are many benefits for both employers and staff in terms or looking after themselves during a heat wave – so long as it doesn’t pose an additional hazard due excessive strain/weariness caused by high temperatures within one’s environment which could lead into illness etcetera . This includes drinking enough water throughout each day along with taking regular breaks outdoors if possible!

Top Tips

  • Relax the dress code. If office wear usually means wearing a suit, relax this rule in hot weather. Allow more informal wear such as no ties or no suit jackets to cope with the heat.
  • Provide refreshments. By law, employees should have access to fresh drinking water, but providing ice and squash will refresh people even further.
  • Offer desk fans, or temporary cooling units to improve air circulation and keep people cool at their desks.
  • Use curtains and blinds to block out sunlight to prevent the office from getting hotter.
  • Avoid over exertion. If you usually go out or exercise at lunch, take care not to do too much, and consider staying out of the sun where possible.

Can It Ever Be Too Hot to Work in the UK?

Can It Ever Be Too Hot to Work in the UK?

There is no legal minimum or maximum working temperature in the UK, but that doesn’t mean it is never too hot to work. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) say that working temperatures should provide ‘reasonable comfort’ to workers, and provide recommendations such as:

The temperature in a workplace should be at least 16 °C, or if the work involves rigorous effort, it should be at least 13 °C.

Other factors such as humidityair flow and worker clothing and movement also play a part in determining if the temperature in a working environment is reasonably comfortable. As there is no recommended office temperature in UK law, it is up to each workplace to determine their own ideal temperature.

If you do find the heat is making you uncomfortable, this can impact on your working ability. You may find you cannot concentrate, your productivity will drop and you may suffer from heat stress.

What is Heat Stress?

When you are too hot, your body will try to cool off by sweating and radiating more energy. Unfortunately this can lead into heat stress if the temperature continues for an extended period of time without relief from water shortage or natural processes that help regulate temperatures in a human being’s environment.

Symptoms of heat stress can include having a red face, excessive sweating, a heat rash, muscle cramps, dehydration and fainting. If allowed to continue, heat stress can cause heat exhaustion, and this is a severe disorder that can lead to death in extreme cases.

Some working environments are more at risk of being too hot to work in than others. For example, those in well-ventilated offices are less likely than those working in a kitchen to feel the effects of a heatwave. However, we all have a responsibility to stay safe and healthy at work, no matter our working environment.

What Are Employer Responsibilities During Hot Weather?

All employers have a duty to protect the health and safety of employees. Whilst there is no legal requirement to provide air con in offices, employees will work better when they are comfortable. It is therefore in everyone’s interests to make the environment as reasonably comfortable as possible.

Employers should also take extra care to protect any vulnerable people in the office. Hot weather can make people feel tired and less energetic than usual, especially for young and elderly people, pregnant women, and people who may be on medication. Vulnerable people in your office may appreciate extra rest breaks or a desk fan to improve air circulation.

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.

The beauty of working from home

The beauty of working from home is you don’t have to bring the office’s cold, clinical feeling desks, wheeled chairs and bulky filing cabinets back into your space with you. You can create a workstation that inspires creativity without having to sacrifice on your current interior style by blending office furniture beautifully into your home.

Make a room with a view

By positioning your desk so you have access to natural light, it will give off an amazing feeling. Not only are there benefits for the quality of work but also how much more productive people can be with some fresh air interacting positively within them! Science has found that it may improve alertness, health and wellness. This can lead to increased productivity overall.

Go green

The air in your room will be cleaner and healthier with plants around. Not only do they add a healthy dose of green to any space, but data shows that plants can remove up toxins from the atmosphere through photosynthesis!

The connection between nature and improved mental health has been well-established for decades. Getting out in the great outdoors can help you feel refreshed, calm down from stressful situations more quickly.

If your work area faces north and doesn’t get much direct sun, consider a snake or ZZ plant—low-maintenance varieties that thrive in minimal indirect light.

Seek higher ground

Keep in mind, your workspace isn’t just the confines of your desk. By utilising the wall above, you can maximise surface area and storage potential.

You can create a functional workstation by installing an office desk in any nook or corner of your home. To save space, use floating shelves to mount the legsless Walldesk and utilise sconces for lamps so you won’t crowd things with light sources!

Frame your space

The best way to organise your office is by using bookcases or shelving units that you can easily move around the room. This will make it easy for people who are working in different areas of their job, as well as visitors coming by without knowing exactly where they should go!

Doing so helps delineate the space and creates room for more decor. This way, the surface of your desk will simply look like it’s part of a cohesive, built-in unit. A few decorative baskets on shelves can hide paperwork in plain sight in between collectibles and curio.

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.

Corporate office design trends you need to know for 2022

Focus on nature through your office space

Whether you have access to an outdoor space or not, every office can embrace biophilic design.

2022 is the time to stray away from rows of desks and artificial lighting. Look to incorporate natural materials like wood, water, and plants into your office space. This can be done by using materials like wood, bamboo, or stone, or including waterfalls, fish tanks, and plants. Even if your space struggles with natural lighting, there are many low maintenance plants that thrive in low light areas like cacti and snake plants.

It doesn’t stop there—increasing natural lighting and improving airflow and air quality are vital to executing biophilic design. Sometimes it’s not possible to put in a few extra windows, so increasing artificial lighting is equally as effective.

Merge the comfort of the home to the office

People have grown accustomed to working from the comfort of their own home, so comfort needs to be a top priority for your 2022 office.

Some on trend ways to bring the comfort if the home to the office include:

  • Plush carpeting

  • Comfortable seating

  • Warm lighting

  • Curtains

  • Indoor plants

  • Outdoor seating (if applicable)

Sustainability will be a priority

Maintaining a healthy planet is just as important as designing a beautiful workplace, which is why we work with eco-conscious manufacturers that use products from sustainable materials and are carbon neutral.

Aside from sustainable materials, an eco-friendly office should focus on energy efficiency. LED lighting and increased access to natural lighting are not only energy efficient, but also increase productivity for employees.

Neutrals aren’t going away anytime soon

Neutrals are tried and true, which is why they continue to be an office design trend for 2022. Off-whites, tans, and beiges instantly make an office feel more comfortable and home-like, which is vital for a successful office space.

When deciding on paint, desks, and other furniture, focus on neutral colors and natural wood tones. For a pop of color, take a look at your company’s brand palette to choose the perfect accent.

Flexible working space

Employees want options when it comes to their work space—they don’t want to feel like they are locked in one room all day. Implement unassigned work stations, cafe areas, casual areas with couches, formal conference rooms, or other gathering spaces for employees to work.

The goal of a flexible workspace is options. One employee may perform better at a dedicated desk while someone else may thrive in a coffee house style setting. Flexible work spaces produce more dedicated, efficient, and productive employees.

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.

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