More Fun in the Office is Good for Business

All work and no play apparently not only makes Jack a dull boy, it makes him less productive at work as well. A recent on line survey by San Francisco design firm Gensler found that over 65 % of workers feel they are much more efficient when they communicate and collaborate with their colleagues. However, only 30 % said that their workplace promotes interaction with others. The link between informal communication and greater productivity is leading many organizations to rethink their office environments. 

Fostering informal communication might be as simple as adding a quiet enclave or two where people can meet and talk or it could be as elaborate and daring as a basketball court or ping-pong table. Before you laugh, remember Google’s first conference table was also a ping-pong table. 

If you’re thinking about adding an informal collaboration area in your office, a good place to start might be by asking your team for their ideas. If you balance those ideas with a dose of reality, you should be able to come up with a simple and relatively inexpensive way to create a cool looking area for people to talk and test ideas and that could very well lead to more productivity. At the very least, you’ll have more fun doing it. 

Nobody wants to work in a place like Initech. A fun and collaborative space in your office can also be a great recruiting tool and help you attract the kind of high energy, creative people who can help your organization thrive in the new economy.

Team Office Welcomes Nica’s 320 to the Crossroads Arts District

We love working in Kansas City’s Crossroads Arts District. When we moved here in 2001, we were a little ahead of the dozens of small businesses and art galleries that now call the Crossroads home. 

The Crossroads is a perfect fit for Team Office because of the sense of community that’s shared by all the residents and businesses. It’s an eclectic area with older buildings and everyone just seems to be a little friendlier and more relaxed down here. The members of this community go out of their way to support Crossroads businesses which is something I don’t think you’ll find in every area of the Metro. The Crossroads has great energy which makes it a really fun place to work and play. 

We love sharing this area with our clients and friends. If you’ve never visited Team Office before, I’d like to invite you to do so soon and you now have another good excuse to come see us. On Monday, August 8, Nica’s 320 will open its doors. Nica’s building is connected to the Team Office showroom. 

We’re not only excited to get new neighbors, but we’re also looking forward to having another great new place to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. Phil and Bryan have been working hard on remodeling the space (the old Shiraz building) and we hear it’s very cool inside. The 8’ projection screen should come in handy during the basketball season! 

Kansas City has a real gem in the Crossroads Arts District. There’s not another place quite like it in the area. Stop by and see us soon and we’ll show you around.

How to Clean Your Laminate Furniture

Chances are most of the furniture in your office has laminate tops. Laminate is a popular choice in commercial office environments because it’s more durable and affordable than wood veneer (we’ll talk about cleaning wood veneer in the next post). However, even laminate tops can show their age after a few years of regular use. 

A thorough cleaning of your laminate tops can help restore the original glossy finish and eliminate germs that can spread viruses as well. Keeping your laminate worksurfaces clean will make your office look better and your team feel better. 

Be careful when you clean your laminate furniture. While laminate is a durable material, it can still be warped by excessive amounts of water. Harsh cleaning chemicals can dull the glossy finish as well. For the best results, follow the directions below for a better looking, healthier office.

 

Instructions

Things You’ll Need

• 3 soft cleaning cloths
• Non-oily furniture spray
• Baking soda
• Small bowl
• Soft-bristled brush

 

1. Moisten the cleaning cloth until it is damp and wipe down the laminate furniture in the grain’s direction.

2. Spray the non-oily furniture spray onto the cleaning cloth and wipe down the furniture to remove dust.

3. Buff the furniture polish onto the laminate furniture’s surface to fill scratches. Wipe down the surface with a clean cloth to remove excess product.

4. Move the furniture out of direct sunlight, as the light can discolor the furniture.

5. Mix 1 tbsp. of baking soda with 1/4 cup of water, then coat a soft-bristled brush with the mixture. Gently scrub the surface of the furniture if it becomes stained. Wipe the surface with a clean cloth.

 

Are Your Employees Happy?

 Around here, we spend most of our time and energy helping our clients create cool looking, comfortable and productive work environments. We do our best to listen closely to our clients and do everything we can to make sure office workers are happy with their new work space.  

But, according to Mercer’s new What’s Working survey, nearly half of all employees are unhappy with their jobs. Another 32 % of US workers are seriously considering leaving their current job, up a sharp 9 % from 2005. Maybe we should start paying a little less attention to where employees work and a little more on how they feel about their job?

The survey reflects the trend that more employees have become emotionally disconnected from their work during the last 5 years. A less loyal and more apathetic workforce means lower productivity and higher turnover for the organization.  

Leaders can do something about it by talking to their employees and reconnecting with them on a deeper and more emotional basis. By asking questions, leaders can gain an understanding of how they feel which can help build the kind of emotional connection that can create greater job satisfaction, more productivity and lower turnover. 

Learn more about engaging with your employees at the What’s Working survey website.

 

Great Advice from a True Hero

Let’s take a midsummer’s break from office interiors and talk about baseball and life. 

I coach my 8 year old son’s little league baseball team. Our first basemen’s Dad is friends with former major league umpire and American hero, Steve Palermo and last Wednesday, he invited Steve to attend our final regular season game and talk to the boys afterwards. 

Steve arrived early in the second inning and watched from his front row seat. After our little Hawks pulled out another victory, they took a knee just behind the dugout and looked up at the man leaning against his cane. These boys were born 12 years after a mugger’s bullet ended Steve’s career as an umpire and they didn’t know who he was, but they did know he worked in major league baseball at one time and that was a good enough reason for them to quiet down and listen as he began to speak. 

For the first 15 minutes or so, the talk revolved around major league baseball and included the usual questions such as, “do you know Derek Jeter”, and “have you ever been hit by a baseball”? After Steve patiently answered each question, he gracefully shifted the attention from baseball to life and here is what he said: 

“Baseball is not your job and whenever you play it, the most important thing you should always try do is have fun. It’s a game and you should always have fun when you play it. If you concentrate on having fun, you’ll play better and enjoy it more.  

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to do your best, because you should always do your best. If a ball comes and you just watch it go by, then you’re not doing your best and that’s not right. Always do your best and even if you don’t make the play or win the game, no one will be able to criticize you because you gave it your best shot.” 

At that point, the small group of parents and boys got pretty quiet. I looked around at all the faces staring back at this brave man, leaning against his cane and sweating under the hot June sun and thought about what great advice this was and how much it applied to the adults as well. Do your best and always have fun. Think of how much more fun and productive our workplaces would be if everyone simply focused on doing their best and having more fun? 

As I walked to the car, I wondered how difficult it must have been for Steve as he was rehabbing from the gun shot wound to his spine. He could have easily stayed inside the restaurant that night and he might still be a major league umpire to this day, but he couldn’t because that wasn’t his best. He couldn’t sit back and watch that moment roll by. Years of painful rehab followed that decision, but Steve continued to do his best and now he’s having fun again. He still works for Major league baseball and tours the country sharing his story with people of all ages. 

Great advice from a great man and it applies as much to the workplace as it does to baseball.

Improving Furniture Sales a Good Sign

If the office furniture industry is any indication, the economy may finally be headed in the right direction, albeit at a snail’s pace. 

Over 50,000 office furniture buyers and sellers attended NeoCon, the industry’s largest trade show at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago June 13 – 15. Attendance at Neocon was up 6 % over last year, as more employers sent representatives to scout the latest innovations in the office furniture industry. Industry wide, sales are up 16 % for the year, a positive sign the economy might finally be on the upswing. 

Office furniture sales, tied directly to white collar hiring, is generally regarded as a trailing economic indicator. Also closely linked to commercial real estate activity, furniture sales have increased as more organizations look to improve their work environment as they relocate.

 Improving furniture sales might be a good sign for all of us.

The # 1 complaint in Offices is…

The trend continues in office design towards a more open and collaborative work environment and while there’s a lot to be said for the benefits of an office environment that enables employees to share information, there can also be a downside to all that communication as well. 

Unwanted office noise is the number complaint in the workplace. According to a recent article in Building Design & Construction magazine, over 70 % of office workers say a reduction in noise would increase their productivity, while only 19 % of executives surveyed were aware of a noise problem. This lack of understanding often results in a noisy and office environment that can erode employee productivity, morale and retention. 

If you’re in the process of planning a new office space, be sure to consider the acoustics. A balanced approach to planning office acoustics includes office furniture, acoustical ceiling tiles and sound masking as the key components of an acoustically efficient workplace. 

The balanced approach to planning office acoustics is as easy as A, B, C. 

Absorb – Design elements such as carpet, acoustical ceiling tile and furniture partitions absorb sound instead of deflecting it back into the work environment. Hard surfaces like exposed ceilings and concrete floors may look cool, but are hard materials and don’t absorb sound. 

Block – For areas that require privacy, sound can be blocked with full-height hard walls. There are also high performance wall systems that can be moved later as your environment changes. These moveable walls offer accelerated depreciation as well. 

Cover – sound masking systems provide even distribution of sound to prevent workers from easily overhearing conversations. 

An open and collaborative environment can be a very good thing, just be sure you don’t overlook the acoustics.

 

 

 

When Does it Make Sense to Reupholster Your Old Chairs?

If you have chairs in need of a facelift, you may be wondering if it makes sense to have them reupholstered or just replaced. The answer to that question is – it depends. There are times it makes sense to give those chairs a new look by reupholstering and there are other times it’s just not worth it.

There are 10 important issues to consider before you choose between reupholstering and replacing those old chairs at home or in the office: 

1. Is the chair frame still in style? Some chairs “ugly out” long before they wear out. Take an honest look at the style and make sure it’s something you’ll want in your home or office 5 or 10 years from now.
2. Be sure the frame is still solid. A good way to test this is to put one knee on the seat while grabbing each arm on the chair. Now lean in and place pressure on the top of the chair arms with your palms. Alternate this pressure from left to right and see if you feel any give in the “bones” or frame of the chair. Give in the frame is called “racking” and is a sign the chair is likely nearing the end of its life cycle. Racking may also be a sign the chair is unsafe.
3. If your chairs are office or desk chairs, be sure to find out if they were designed to be reupholstered. Steelcase and other popular office furniture manufacturers design chairs with thermally bonded fabric which makes reupholstering virtually impossible.
4. Before you make a final decision, price out new chairs in a similar style. This will give you something to compare with the cost of reupholstering.
5. Determine the amount of fabric you’ll need to recover each chair. If you’re not sure, ask your upholsterer or furniture dealer. If they don’t know, call us.
6. Select a fabric you like for recovering. There are hundreds of fabrics available. An interior designer, commercial furniture dealer or upholsterer should be able to provide you with samples and even assist you in making a selection.
7. Multiply the net cost of your fabric (don’t forget shipping cost to the upholsterer) times the total number of square yards required to recover your chairs.
8. Get a quote from the upholsterer for the labor to recover the chairs. Make sure he includes pick up and re-delivery.
9. If your chairs are in an office environment, but sure to choose a fabric with at least a 30,000 double rub rating. The Wyzenbeek test is a generally accepted method for determining the durability of fabrics. The higher the double rub count, the more durable the fabric will be.  
10. Consider the environment before replacing your old chairs. Very few chairs can be recycled. Consider donating your old chairs to a local organization that redistributes unwanted furniture to those in need. 

We hope the answers to these questions help you make the reupholstering decisions that are best for you. If you need a hand, send us an email or give us a call.

 

Is Your Business Prepared for a Disaster?

The devastating storms this spring in Missouri and Alabama should remind us how quickly tragedy can strike and how important it is to prepare your business for a disaster.

According to the American Red Cross, nearly 40 % of businesses fail following a natural or manmade disaster. Although 94 % of small business owners believe a disaster could seriously disrupt their business within the next two years, nearly 60 % are wholly unprepared for a disaster of any kind. 

To help businesses, organizations and schools prepare for emergencies; The American Red Cross provides a free, self-guided assessment rating program. The American Red Cross Ready Rating Program includes a 123 point self-assessment of the level of preparedness, as well as tips and best practices. The assessment has been aligned with the federal government’s private sector preparedness standards or PS=Prep.

Emergencies are inevitable. Be sure your organization is prepared for a disaster by taking the 123 Assessment today. Please also consider supporting The American Red Cross – where people mobilize to help their neighbors—across the street, across the country, and across the world—in emergencies. An average of 91 cents of every dollar the Red Cross spends is invested in humanitarian services and programs.

Text REDCROSS to 90999 and donate $10.00 now.

5 Keys to Choosing the Right Office Chair

It helps to think of your office chair as a business suit. The only difference is you’re going to wear this suit for 6-8 hours a day, 5 days a week for 5, 10 or more years. If you wore a business suit this often and for this long, you’d never buy it over the Internet and that’s why you should never buy your office chair that way either.

There are hundreds of different office chairs to choose from and no one type is necessarily the best. Choosing the chair that’s right for you is a personal choice. The chair that feels comfortable to you might be uncomfortable for someone else. While there are many choices and options, there are 5 key factors to consider that will help you choose the chair that’s right for you.

- Size  You wouldn’t buy a one size fits all suit and you shouldn’t buy your office chair that way either. The average adjustable office chair was designed for users between 5’2” and 6’3” tall and no more than 250 lbs. If you don’t fit within these parameters, you should take a look at a chair made for people your size. There are several manufacturers that specialize in this type of office seating.

- Adjustability  It’s important your chair is easily adjustable. Those adjustments should at least include; seat height, arm height and lower lumbar support. The seat height should be a minimum range of 16-21 inches. The arms should be height adjustable and preferably width adjustable as well. Your chair should also have excellent support in the lower lumbar region and adjust in both height and depth. The spine is curved inward and as we sit for long periods of time and slouch, that inward curve begins to flatten. This can lead to lower back pain. A chair with inward lower lumbar support will help the spine maintain its natural inward curve.

- Seat Material  The material on the office chair seat and back should have enough padding to be comfortable to sit on for extended periods of time. Having a cloth fabric that breathes is more comfortable than harder surfaces.

- Design  Design does matter. You wouldn’t buy an ugly business suit and you shouldn’t buy an ugly office chair either. While beauty is in the eye of the beholder, some office chairs are better looking than others. Take a look around before you buy and be sure to consider looks.

- Get Fit  This is the most common mistake people make when buying a new office chair. Always be sure to you have a professional “fit” the chair to you before you buy it. This means sitting in the chair while a professional adjusts all the controls to fit your body shape and comfort preferences. Once the chair is properly fit for you, it’s also important you “test drive” that chair in your office for at least one full day. Skip this simple step and chances are very good you’ll end up regretting it.

Most of us spend more time in our office chairs than we do our cars or furniture at home. Follow these key buying tips and you’ll end up with the chair that’s right for you.