The Right Stuff

Happy Monday and welcome back from the holiday!

We’ve been focused a lot lately on the idea of newer, more modern workspaces that fit the growing needs of companies and their different work styles. Collaboration is still trending, as are open settings and touchdown spots wired for convenient technology usage.

Everything we do now is internet based with sharing vehicles like Email and the Cloud and Dropbox. Our work is mobile. Why not create a mobile-centric office space as well? With height adjustable surfaces and semi-private enclaves to briefly connect and collaborate, offices everywhere are shifting from traditional to modern just as baby boomers have now adapted to Facebook. You can, too – you just need the right stuff!

Some things to keep in mind while designing or revamping
your office space for the new year…

• Remember the importance of brainstorming in college? It’s still big. The key to success these days is having a diverse and abundant amount of ideas to keep the flow current and appeal to a variety of needs. Your office should support this effort. Create an inviting environment to share ideas with whiteboards and mobile tablets for an easier, hands-on way to share within the office as well as transfer information seamlessly to clients.

• Select furniture that can adapt easily to new technologies as they become available. Pick tables with power modules and use monitor arms that can support multiple screens for greater productivity. Keep lines clean with a smaller footprint and select fresh finish colors to allow for that modern look that feels less like an office and more like a place your employees might actually want to spend time in. It doesn’t have to be crazy, it just needs to be current.

• Create an open plan for your office but keep in mind some semi-private areas for personal teleconferencing, impromptu meetings, and touchdown spots for those who come and go but still need easy access to all their technologies while they’re in.

• While considering different work preferences, be sure to also consider ergonomics. Increase productivity by 17% with a sit/stand workstation while appealing to the mobile-centric worker who enjoys that change of scenery and posture throughout their day. By offering these height adjustable options, you’ll improve workers’ comfort in the office by 26% and decrease work injury/illness by 28%. Encourage their consistent work ethic by providing that extra mobility and you’ll cut the time wasted by 82%…isn’t that enough to make the switch?

The possibilities for your new space are endless. If you’d like to check out more options and see what an open environment looks like in action, make an appointment to stop by our working showroom and start learning.

info from Neutral Posture, Knoll, and CCIM
photos from Kimball and OFS