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As companies continue to grow, and commercial real estate costs continue to rise, cubicles are the logical solution to get the most utility from the open space you have. We can custom tailor each cubicle to the occupant's specific needs, work habits, and function within the company.
As you get closer to the target move/installation date, you'll have less flexibility. This makes it important to start early. For example, some office furniture, especially new office furniture, may not be available on deadlines less than 4 weeks. There are also people problems that can come up on a very short deadline--if you go with the fastest options for a particular piece of office furniture and it isn't doesn't match the aesthetic of the space you're moving into, you might find your coworkers upset.
If you're new to cubicles, it is helpful to understand the parts and pieces so you know what you want to order to make a complete cubicle. The basic building blocks of any cubicle are as follows.
As sustainability becomes an increasingly important consideration in today's business landscape, organizations are actively seeking ways to reduce their environmental footprint. Two prominent initiatives in California that promote sustainability in procurement and building practices are the California State Agency Buy Recycled Campaign and the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.
As a provider of refurbished and recycled office furniture, Eco Office is compliant and able to help you meet certifications for both the LEED and SABRC programs
Office furniture and design in the Bay Area have continually evolved to attract and retain young Millennial and Generation Z talent. It started with open office workstations in the mid-2000s. Several Bay Area tech giants implemented the layout despite mixed reviews from workers of all ages. Standing desks grew in popularity through the first decade of the 21st century too. Most offices use them as flex-seating for workers who want variety throughout the day. They may spend half a day sitting at unassigned cubicles, and the second half standing, perhaps to fending off after-lunch fatigue.
My high school guidance counselor once told me to fake it until I make it. That advice was immediately put to the test. The $300 bottle of perfume that had been on my radar for months was finally mine, sort of. The designer imposter version of it cost only $35 and smelled exactly the same. The scent was so distinct that everyone really thought I was wearing a fragrance that was clearly out of my price range. I ended up going back to the same shop and buying a knock off Gucci bag and some earrings to boot.
The average American slept 6.8 hours per day in 2019, according to StartSleeping.org. That's down from eight hours of sleep per day in 1942. Meanwhile only 1 in 5 jobs today require physical activity, according to Johns Hopkins University. That down from nearly half of jobs being physical in 1960. The morals of the story - statistics are fun, and your beds and office chairs better be comfortable.
The 21st century is the age of meetings in the workplace. A 2014 Wall Street Journal report found that time spent in meetings increased by 10% every year from 2000 to 2014. Part of that is due to technology providing multiple platforms that facilitate meetings with personnel in multiple locations. The same WSJ report found that 73% of meetings involve fewer than four people.
Office furniture and design is unique to a company's brand and culture. It's never a good idea to incorporate a specific style for the sake of being trendy. These circumstances played out at one of the world's largest corporations, headquartered right here in the Bay Area.
Owl Labs debuted the Meeting Owl in the summer of 2017. The device is a standalone smart speaker with a 360-degree camera on top. It integrates with Zoom, Skype and other videoconferencing services, and places the person speaking in a meeting front-and-center on everyone's screen. Mark Schnittman, chief technology officer for Owl Labs, told Venture Beat that the first edition of Meeting Owl is light on features because the company doesn't yet know what users want. But the data is trickling in quickly.
The San Francisco Bay Area was home to 18 Fortune 500 companies in 2018, according to 24/7 Wall Street. San Francisco was named the hottest startup city by Inc. magazine in 2019, boasting three-year revenue growth rate of 413%. But there’s only so much space available in the Bay Area. Companies must team with the right office designer to maximize productivity within their walls and budget.
Humans are animals at the core. That’s why nature is so fascinating to us all. A hot spring in Wyoming, the seasonal migration of bison in Tanzania, a beautiful sunset, the smell of rain…all these things invoke some combination of awe, relaxation and joy in everyone.
It’s no secret that the Bay Area is one of the most pricey cities to live and work in the United States. San Francisco is second only to Manhattan on Kiplinger’s 2019 list of most expensive cities to live in the United States. The median home value in the city is $927,400, and average rent for apartments is a cool $3,821. Oakland is seventh on the list, with a cost of living nearly 55% higher than the U.S. average.
Statistics can say anything the author wants them too say, and that definitely holds true with a 2016 study by the Bureau Of Labor Statistics. Data compiled by the agency that year found that the average U.S. worker spent 39% of their days sitting and 61% standing. But when you take a closer look at the numbers, you'll find that in most occupations, workers either sit or stand a vast majority of their days. Waiters and welders, for instance, are on their feet more than 90% of the time. Accountants and software developers sit 80% or more of the time.
There is a clear age gap when it comes to concerns about environmental issues, and it could have detrimental effects on your recruiting efforts. A 2018 Gallup poll found that 75% of young Millennials and Generation Z (people age 18-34) believe that global warming is caused by human activity. That number dropped to 56% when the 55 and older age group was asked the same question.
Silicon Valley and San Francisco are still the technology meccas of the United States. But data released by commercial real estate firm Cushman and Wakefield earlier this year indicates that Salt Lake City and Boston are vying for that title. Salt Lake City has a combination of a large Millennial population and cheap rent, while Boston has easy access to venture capital and of course Harvard and MIT. But the Bay Area is not in imminent danger of losing its status, at least not as of today.
A 2018 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) analyzed data from the Centers for Disease Control and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Thirty-six percent (36%) of American adults reported sitting for eight or more hours per day. Nearly half of those individuals said they did little to no exercise on a weekly basis either.
Bay Area office space has always been pricey. But premiums today have reached levels not seen since the dot-com boom at the turn of the millennium. Renting office space in San Francisco’s central business district will set you back $81.25 per square foot as of Q3 2018, according to data compiled by brokerage house Cushman & Wakefield. That number surpassed the previous record high of $80.16 per square foot in Q4 2000.
People who love their work tend to be happier overall in life. Unfortunately most Americans do not fit this mold.
The 2019 workplace is a potpourri of humanity with everything from 18-year-old entry-level employees to 60-year-olds putting in those final years to maximize Social Security payouts. But when it comes to the open office layout, the differences in generations begins to show themselves.
The United States was once a hub for manufacturing, which meant many workers made a living in that sector. Federal Reserve data show that 30% of American non-farm jobs were in the manufacturing sector in 1949. When you combined those workers with retail, mining, construction and hospitality, that meant more than 60% of American workers were on their feet, moving around for most of their workdays. Manufacturing jobs account for only about 8% of all jobs today, the lowest ever. More than 86% of Americans sit all day for their jobs in 2019.
It’s likely you’re one of those office managers or business owners who have clicked through hundreds of Pinterest photos showing some really cool office spaces. Granted most of these photos are doing to exceed the budgets of most companies. But there are numerous used office furniture options that can greatly mitigate costs, while helping you create the office perfect for your brand and culture.
The average full-time adult worker sits for about 10.5 hours per day, including the drives to and from work, according to a study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Construction workers, movers and others who work on their feet all day may feel envious of their sedentary counterparts. But once the science is considered, the physical laborers will appreciate their jobs more.
Office furniture not only provides workplace aesthetics, but also must be functional from both comfort and productivity standpoints. Employees require high-quality furniture to ensure efficient use of their hours, while storage cabinets must be adequate for proper organization of supplies and documents.
A 2017 study by the Brookings Institute found that the use of digital tools, particularly laptop computers, has increased dramatically in 517 of 545 surveyed occupations since 2002. Construction laborers, personal aides, security guards and even cooks now need adequate, if not substantial, digital knowledge to do their everyday jobs.
The concept of spring cleaning is said to originate from a tradition related to the Iranian New Year, which is the first day of spring. Everything in the home is thoroughly cleaned, from the curtains to the carpet. Spring has also traditionally been the season for businesses to renovate, redecorate, and move to completely different spaces as the weather warms up and the days get longer.
Time is money in the business world. Every moment your office is in flux due to an impending or actual move from one space to another is lowering profit margins and productivity. Relocating an office is a multifaceted process that not only involves the physical movement of furniture and equipment, but also potential reorganization and adjustments to keep employees happy.
The term "go green" is typically associated with renewable energy and environmental activism. But it also describes an office model that savvy business owners and managers are incorporating to gain an edge over the competition.
Interest in the standing desk alternative to traditional desks has been growing in recent years. According to the BBC, standing desks have already become commonplace in Sweden, Finland and Norway (why do those Nordic countries always seem to be ahead of the game?), with some estimates putting the adoption rate at 80 percent of office workers. In 2014, Denmark became the first country to mandate that businesses offer a standing desk option to all employees. But while spending less time sitting hunched in front of a computer might seem intuitively like a good idea, is there really any science supporting the increased interest? Turns out, the answer is yes.
Businesses around the world use technology to get work done. Between phone lines, computer set ups, printers, fax machines, and other electronics, every office needs to keep their power supply needs in check. Each device requires another cable or wire to be plugged in. Even if each desk only has one computer and a phone line, that can equal a large amount of cables to manage.
If you work for a company that holds many documents and files, then you may want to consider purchasing a fireproof cabinet. In fact, some insurance agencies may require that your company purchase one for safety or liability purposes, depending on what industry you work in.
Will your company be moving to a new location or rearranging its layout? You may be busy coordinating the relocation of your employees and office equipment, but have you decided how to handle the office furniture?
Residents around San Francisco pay a big price to live in this gorgeous city on the water. They often pay high rent to enjoy the bay, delicious food, nightlife, and the view of the Golden Gate Bridge. If you own an office in or around the city, you know that the costs associated with doing business can be extensive. In an effort to save some money, many business owners decide to purchase used or refurbished furniture to outfit their offices.
No matter what industry you are in, chances are that your company needs some storage. The business world is starting to put more documents and files online, but that doesn’t mean that they are gone yet. Fortunately, there are several options these days for office managers and employees to organize their documents the way that works best for them. Gone are the days of plain boring filing cabinets. (Sure, these are still available, but this is no longer your only option!)
Among the large software companies in Silicon Valley and cities across the nation, software developers enjoy a wealth of amenities, from in-house coffee bars to ping pong tables to free massages. While these luxuries may be great in the short term, they don’t address the main problem facing professionals in this industry — long-term effects of time spent sitting at a computer.
Access to your own private office can be a luxury in the marketplace. Although they are usually reserved for higher paid positions, independent offices can be given to other workers if it is deemed necessary. If you are moving in to your first office, or you want to re-design your existing space, you may be wondering what things you should be including.
Office conferences and business meetings have come a long way from the quaint beginnings of the American economy. After positive feedback from new modes of delivering information and emerging technologies have helped employers to realize that there is a benefit to keeping employees engaged during meetings.
It is time for an office makeover and there are a lot of things to consider before buying new office furniture. What size space do you have? Who will be using the furniture? Will you choose an open office layout? The final question is this: Where will I buy my office furniture?
Now more than ever, large parts of the population are spending over 8 hours sitting at their computer desk for work. As technology advances, many service jobs are becoming automated or computerized, making computers a daily necessity in any industry. The problem here is that sitting for a long period of time has been shown to cause numerous health issues, including back and heart problems, as well as joint issues and other related symptoms.
The office break room is one spot in the office made for getting away from work. As an employer, it important to create a warm space for employees to re-energize between long working streaks. Workers who take regular breaks during their shift are more likely to sustain a productive workflow throughout the day.
Despite the emergence of e-friendly initiatives to shed waste and reduce paper use within businesses, there is still a need for storage space. Whether it is backup files of key client accounts or physical space for larger items, designing an office space with storage in mind will help keep the office clutter free in the future.
Ever since the minimalist open office movement of the 1950s, the open office set up has become popular amongst American businesses. Adopted from the German design, these layouts were meant to spur interaction and creativity between co-workers. What was once a perceived ‘fad’ has exploded in popularity after big companies in Silicon Valley began using the style.
When businesses move, their used office furniture often finds itself unwanted. This can be for a variety of reasons - a dated style, poorly suited for the new space, a desire to change it up, etc. At the exact same time, there are thousands of customers looking to buy new office furniture. These customers have their own requirements - it must be this size, this height, this color, this fabric.
As the main piece of furniture in your office, the desk performs a multitude of functions -- from organizing your files in drawers, to making a statement with the design, and of course, providing a sturdy work space for the busy day.
Did you know that the average office chair can come with over thirty customizable options? You can change everything from the color, seat height, lumbar support, base material, and more.
Your employees are the backbone of the business. They deserve the best you can give them. Sure they want the usual additions—salary, benefits, etc., but it’s the creature comforts that make a workplace feel more comfortable.
You finally took the plunge and purchased new office furniture. The office will get a makeover and productivity is set to increase with the more efficient workspaces. You can hardly wait to see the new layout. How can you ensure that your furniture installation goes as smooth as possible during delivery day?
Its 3:00pm on a Thursday and you can feel it—that aching soreness down your back and legs. While sitting may seem more comfortable in the short term, staying seated for long hours at work can lead to devastating health conditions. That is why it is important to use a set of office furniture tailored to your daily needs. A standing desk is one furniture option that can help reduce negative health effects by allowing users to stand, or sit on a high stool, while working.
When Google and other corporate giants decided to implement an open office setting, instead of traditional private offices and cubicles, 70% of the American workforce followed the trend, according to experts. However, some people believe this trend is an epic fail. The Washington Post published that “Google got it wrong. The open-office trend is destroying the workplace. Workplaces need more walls, not fewer.”
Were you aware that the average American worker is productive for only 3 hours daily? In a study of 2,000 full-time workers, it was revealed that many workers are not working for the majority of the time they’re on the job. The average person works approximately 8.8 hours daily, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Whether you are purchasing new office furniture to replace old furniture, or you are expanding and need to accommodate new employees, the type of furniture you choose will have a significant impact on your company’s bottom line. It has been proven that employees that have access to furniture that is ergonomically correct and visually appealing can actually increase their productivity.
Considering an open office layout for your new office?
