Recently we published an article about how pressure in the office can affect the way people act and how we sometimes act like children in the office as a result.  One way to help to relieve the pressure, and perhaps an unexpected way, is to bring snacks into the office.  We are not talking about allowing employees to have some sort of snack feast, but instead to bring some sort of snack to the office for the employees to enjoy.

Giving employees corporate snacks is a good, and cost effective, way to show employees that you recognize they did a good job, recognize that they are trying their hardest or perhaps just to show you care.  It gives a good image of the company, employees remember and appreciate it and it does not have to cost the earth. It could be as simple as getting the local bakery or caterers to drop off the odd box of donuts or cream cakes, picking up ice creams from the local supermarket or even warming up a few sausage rolls and leaving a plate in each department.

Corporate snacks could be one small incentive for your staff that can still continue despite the current economic climate.

At times of economic crisis and recession such as now, it can be particularly difficult to run an office.  In particular, keeping your staff happy and motivated is very hard to here is an employer’s guide to helping their office survive the recession.

When times are tough, it is easy to request your staff work harder and longer but sometimes this can have the opposite effect to what was intended.  Make sure that staff do get their breaks and have a lunch, even if they only get away from their office desks for just a few minutes a break is important.

A break is not just for health and safety reasons, but will keep staff’s head clear and fresh, and they will return motivated to continue.  Tired staff just means stressed staff and higher sickness levels, putting increased stress on the staff that remains.

Ensure your staff still feels valued; for many workers that can just mean their boss asking them if they are alright and how their weekend was and for others it means a monthly one to one with an idea of clear goals and objectives.  Make sure that as a boss your door is always open if they need a chat.

At a national office exhibition, one of the leaders in sustainability communicated their thoughts on office furniture.

According to Steelcase’s Vice President of the European Marketing, Research and Development, Allan Smith, when an office furniture manufacture lowers and publicizes the fact that they have lowered their carbon footprint, they can then not only gain savings from a cost perspective but can gain a competitive advantage.
As an example, Mr Smith quoted the history of Steelcase itself which has lowered its own greenhouse gas emissions worldwide by just over 40 per cent since 2000 and as a consequence their office furniture sales have rocketed.

Smith said:

“UAE companies who focus on sustainable practices are responding to growing market opportunities both domestically and globally, creating enhanced product performance and greater competitiveness within their own market and internationally. Companies who stick to outdated design practice will become less competitive over time.”

This is a trend that office furniture manufacturers would do well to note as many companies and customers nowadays are more and more environmentally conscious and like to know that they are sitting on office chairs and using office desks that have as low a carbon footprint as possible.

The minimalist look where ‘less is more’ is still considered highly fashionable in the latest office design and the style, although it may not always look it, gives much comfort to the office worker in the form of ergonomics.

Ergonomically designed office desks and office seating has been a bit of a buzzword for the last couple of decades and is now at the point where most people know to some degree what the word ergonomics actually means.  Ergonomically designed office furniture makes workers more comfortable, more productive and therefore more focused as their muscles are unlikely to be aching from hours sat in one place.

There are a lot of benefits to a minimalist look as it is deemed relaxing to workers and boosts creativity.

To assist with the minimalist look, office equipment should be kept simple or out of the way and accessories such as pieces of art should be kept simple to equal the class of the minimalist office.  It is important to keep such an office clean and clear of clutter for the full effect so a clean desk policy is a must.  This sort of office can be difficult to keep to the minimal look but its effect is dramatic and impressive to both workers and clients alike.

The phrase that men are from Venus and women from Mars indicates how different the two sexes really are, and perhaps surprisingly, the term extends to what men and women specifically look for in their office furniture too.

For instance, men automatically look for practicality and functionality from their office furniture and women tend to look for furniture that expresses their personality and shows style.  Women have a tendency to search for office seating and office desks to complement the entire room.

In addition, women are in general much smaller and slight of frame than their male counterparts and so they look for more petite office furniture in general.  Often, before women took a greater role in the workplace, office furniture was deemed too bulky and heavy, made so no doubt by the heavy influence of the man.  Once women became involved at higher levels in the workplace they searched for customized office furniture to suit their needs.

Nowadays, office furniture manufacturers make office furniture to suit everyone and every workplace, making the wide range of office furniture even more vast; there is a wide choice to suit every taste and budget.

Following our article yesterday about ways to make your office workplace greener, we touched upon the area of office lighting, which really deserves a little focus of its own.

Most offices now use an energy saving LED lighting, which helps to save overall electricity costs and give a good image, not just to the staff working in the office but also to potential clients and customers.

This is not the only benefit though, here are a few more:

•    Less energy is used than other lighting option
•    These lights last much longer
•    They do still provide clear, direct light over the office desks
•    They are very efficient and much more therapeutic than other light sources – they have been shown to reduce stress levels compared to sitting under other light sources at office desks
•    The LED lighting can also look more modern and technically advanced in offices than older, more traditional lighting regardless of whether the office décor and office seating/office furniture is modern or traditional
•    Above all else, it shows a modern, forward thinking company that is considering the environment and locality it works in, which is a positive thing for most people

Yesterday we wrote an article about green office furniture and what to check when you want to purchase eco friendly office furniture, however, there are other ways to change your workplace into a much greener place to be and work.  As being more aware of the impact we have on the environment has increased in demand over recent years, this is something any responsible company should be looking to do.

For example, the office lighting should be green.  Energy saving bulbs save money as well as being eco friendly as they use less electricity and have a longer lift.

Office plants not only look nice and are popular, they also increase motivation in the office.  Keeping an office plant close to the office desks brightens the place up and combats harmful emissions from other office equipment.  Things like printers can have their print quality reduced to save on ink too.

Recycling is also important and most members of staff will not object to separating drinks cans and paper or cardboard from other rubbish.

Naturally, there is also the green office furniture we discussed yesterday, which reduces a company’s carbon footprint if the checks we talked about are followed.  Most of these steps will save a company money as well as improving their image.

The term ‘green’ is big in the media and becoming carbon neutral is an aim by many large companies now and will no doubt become more and more prominent in the future.

Green office furniture is usually furniture made from renewable sustainable resources and recycled materials.  The office furniture manufacturers follow strict guidelines and regulations to ensure the right manufacturing process is adhered to.

If you want to find some green office furniture here are a few things to bear in mind:

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Throughout the working day it can be a good idea to change a few things to make sure you stay at your most productive.  For example, many people have noticed that their neck might start to hurt after a few hours of concentrating on their PC monitor or that they experience lower back pain or other muscle and joints aches and pains.

Just having and sitting on ergonomic office seating or at ergonomically designed office desks will not fix these problems in themselves as you need to ensure you use them correctly.  Here are a few things to check:

•    Make sure the PC monitor is at eye level
•    Adjust the height of your office desk so your forearms are straight and level
•    Adjust the office chairs heights so that everyone’s upper legs are at right angles to the floor
•    Try not to let office furniture block natural daylight from a window
•    Avoid screen glare
•    Make sure printers are not too close to anyone as there are concerns they may pollute the air so position them in a corner of the room
•    Consult a professional on the best way to position the office furniture for your workplace and work duties to get the most from your staff

Space saving is always a key issue for many companies and as a result, it is an area that many office furniture manufacturers have focused on over the last few years to think of and innovate new space saving solutions.

Office equipment exhibitions, although not of interest to everyone, are a great place for office furniture manufacturers and market leaders to highlight new items, and space saving is always high on the agenda.
Space saving office seating or office desks need to have more than just the space saving factor.  They also need to be stylish, affordable and eco-friendly as well as functional.  Being eco-friendly is another area that is high on most firm’s agendas as companies look to show their staff and the general public that they are as carbon neutral as possible.

As our workplace needs and conditions continue to change, as they have done drastically over the last decade, so many office furniture manufacturers and designers have committed to adapting their office equipment and suppliers to match our needs.  Already, there is a vast range of office furniture and items available on the market at competitive prices and this is a trend that will no doubt continue.