Open Office Space

Tips For Entrepreneurs & Small Businesses On How To Furnish The "Optimal" Office Space For Their Company

   
  
In Part 1 of a two part interview on Officebytes TV, Jenny-Lynn Georgiades, Director of Architectural and Design Support Services at Waldners Business Environments, offers entrepreneurs & small businesses some very sound advice on choosing the right office furniture to create the optimal working environment for their company.

 

A few good quotes from the interview:  

"When and entrepreneur or a small business is planning to do a new space, I think its really important to examine closely where your company is now, and where you want to be in the future. It's important to examine your work processes..."

"Something as simple as walking through the space, and looking at some of the work arounds that people do to their environments to make it work for them. Are their pads on the chairs? Maybe they need a new chair. Are their monitors up on a bunch of books because the there not at the right height? Are their storage components empty and filled with just their shoes and their purses. These are the type of things that can help you look at how to design a new space, and to design it in a way that's functional for your employees."

"For instance, the younger generation, Generation-Y, there not going to want to work in the typical cubicle, they want to work in these different office environments, they want to work in the lounge areas in the cafes...so you want design your space accordingly if you want to attract and retain that type of employee."  

"What we're really finding is the most important workplace issue for employees these days is access. Access to people that they work with, access to technology and access to information, and that's what's really driving the trends."  

About Waldners Waldner’s Business Environments Inc. markets office furniture of brands such as OFS, Metro, Kimball, Steelcase, KI, and Hon. The company also offers furniture storage and refurbishing services. Its clientele include SAP, Ernst & Young, PrimeMedia, Readers’ Digest, MTV, HomeLoanBank, PepsiCo. Random House, GE Capital, Canon, and Sony. The company has strategic alliances with Adden, Buro, Falcon, Golden Oak, ISE, Jofcon, Lucia Group, and Vitra. Waldner’s Business Environments was founded in 1939 and is based in New York City.

Related Posts

10 Inexpensive Ways To Spruce Up a Small/Shared Office Space

Shared Office Space Part 1 | An Entrepreneurs Perspective

Small Biz/Entrepreneurs - Estimating The Right Amount of Office Space For Your Company

 

If you or your company has a knowledge that would help entrepreneurs or small businesses to improve the quality of their workplace, openofficespace.com would love to interview you.

 

Topics might include:

- Commercial Real Estate Expertise

- Workplace Wellness

- How To...(any topic related to improving the workplace)

- Creating an Eco-Friendly Office

- Office Products and Office Furniture

- Workplace Interior Design

- Streamlining Office Expenses

- Property Marketing Solutions  

How Do You Encourage Collaboration in Your Shared Office/Coworking Space?

    
The following is a re-post from an article I came across a few weeks ago on Fastcompany.com entitled: 11 Ways You Can Make Your Space as Collaborative as the Stanford d.school. The article gives some very good suggestions for creating a collaborative workspace within an organization. (all 11 suggestions are below)

But what about environments such as coworking spaces or shared office spaces where many different companies are residing in the same space?  As we continue to tour/interview founders and residents of coworking/shared office spaces, here are a few of the questions we will consistently seek answers to.

Is collaboration actively encouraged or does it happen naturally on its own? 

Was the layout of your space specifically designed to encourage collaboration?

Have you made changes to the original design of your space to improve the interaction between your residents?

Does your space offer any special type of furniture/equipment that has increased the collaboration within your space?

We will compile all of our findings and release them as part of a future article as well as a new section on our interactive guide to leasing office space for entrepreneurs and startups. If have founded or worked in a coworking/shared office space, and can speak on behalf of the questions above, please email us: info at openofficespace.com . Of course we will give full credit for any participation. 

Later this week we will be interviewing one of the top office furniture dealers on the east coast to discuss (affordable) new advances in workstation design, specifically as they pertain to maximizing interaction/collaboration in the office.

Here are the 11 suggestions from the Fast Company article:

1. Start with what you have. "We started in a trailer," Kembel points out, "with the 'd.school' as a sign on the table." Kembel's advice: Claim a space and label it.

2. Go to the people who are interested first. Form a crack team of true believers to spearhead your campaign. Revolutions start from the bottom up.

3. Empower your team to change their space. Somebody high enough up the food chain needs to defend this activity against facilities managers who may not be amused. Then, be willing to keep changing things. Try out different ways to configure space to see what works best.

4. Watch the behavior of the group and take notes. Have somebody in your band of innovators own this task. What's working, what isn't? "Try, reflect, modify," says Kembel.

5. Develop group-sized artifacts. Whaa? In short, forget the spreadsheets with the tiny type. "Get your ideas up in big enough form so that others can see and add to them."

6. Keep any prototypes, sketches, or idea-jam artifacts low-rez and not precious. "Don't get too formal too fast," says Kembel. Making things precious locks them in too soon, short-circuiting potential improvements.

7. Show your work in progress. "Put your underwear up on the line and let people comment. But keep it safe," Kembel says. No rude comments allowed.

8. Do something simple to surprise people. At the d.school, they painted the women's restroom lipstick pink, and hung disco balls. "That makes people realize that somebody cares about your experience," Kembel says.

9. Invest more in "we" spaces than in "I" spaces. Cozy nooks for teams, not plush corner offices for the alpha dogs.

10. Mix up seating options. Take the table out of the room and sit on the floor. Vary seat heights. Change customary positions at meetings. For example, put the group leader in the middle, instead of at the head of the table. Try holding a meeting where only standing is allowed. In general, work to lower status markers.

11. Make idea generation and capture easy. Any non-porous surface can be a whiteboard, says Kembel. Buy a sheet of sheer acrylic at Home Depot and mount it on a wall as a writing space. Keep markers handy. Put prototyping tools out where people can grab them when an idea strikes.

"Creativity follows context," says Kembel. The main idea, he says, is not to segregate creativity from other activities. "You don't need to be fancy to do it," he says.

Content Source: Fast Company

Related Posts

10 Inexpensive Ways To Spruce Up a Small/Shared Office Space

Shared Office Space Part 1 | An Entrepreneurs Perspective

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Officebytes TV - 3 Common Mistakes Made By Many Entrepreneurs Looking for Office Space

On today's episode of Officebytes TV, Patrick Braswell, Founder of MOSAtlanta.com and Assistant Vice President with Colliers Spectrum Cauble discusses 3 of the top 10 mistakes made by many entrepreneurs and small businesses when looking for office space.

A few good quotes from the interview:  

"Companies that come out of executive suites or that are looking for traditional office space for the first time, they tend to fail to look at their current and future priorities. They don't list them out and make sure they have those ducks in a row before they actually go out and look for space."

"Going to an office suite or an office space based solely off of price. This one for entrepreneurs, people coming out of executive suites, looking for office space and traditional office space for the first time, make this mistake all the time."

"Determining the amount of square footage you need up-front. Get an architect involved if you can afford one, if you can't afford one, here's a general rule that you want to keep in your head. For every employee that you have, you need to think that it's going to be about 250 rentable square feet of office space that you need for them."  

About MOSAtlanta.com

MOSatlanta.com, short for My Office Search Atlanta, was designed to be a single point of reference for companies looking for office space in Metro Atlanta.

The goal of MOSatlanta.com is to provide their clients with a web based application that will simplify the office leasing process from start to finish, therefore, saving their clients time and money. Ultimately, their approach will align your business initiatives and financial objectives with the right real estate strategy to meet both.

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10 Inexpensive Ways To Spruce Up a Small/Shared Office Space

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Small Biz/Entrepreneurs - Estimating The Right Amount of Office Space For Your Company

If you or your company has a knowledge that would help entrepreneurs or small businesses to improve the quality of their workplace, openofficespace.com would love to interview you.

 

Topics might include:

- Commercial Real Estate Expertise

- Workplace Wellness

- How To...(any topic related to improving the workplace)

- Creating an Eco-Friendly Office

- Office Products and Office Furniture

- Workplace Interior Design

- Streamlining Office Expenses

- Property Marketing Solutions

Entrepreneurs - Why do we ignore ergonomic best practices in/out of the office?

 
Disclaimer: This blog post is an admission of guilt as much as an observation of other folks in my office space. 

As an entrepreneur, I spend an exorbitant amount of time in front of my desktop, laptop and on my blackberry. Throughout a typical work day, I am constantly massaging a dull pain in my forearm, neck, back and hand on my right side. 

Now, before anyone tells me that I probably need to adjust the angle of my monitor, the height of my office chair or the incline of my keyboard, here is my admission:

I KNOW BETTER! I have been a personal trainer for over 17 years and have worked in the corporate fitness departments of several Fortune 100 companies.

Regardless, until today I have ignored my own advice and mistakingly have focused on treating the symptom of dull aches and pains as opposed to the root of the problem. Just in case you missed it, I said until today.

Below you will find a brief article from Gaebler.com regarding proper office ergonomics as well as some resources to help ensure you create an ergonomically correct office space.

Lets make a deal. I will stick to the program if you will.

Content Source: Gaebler.com

Office Ergonomics

If office ergonomics isn't a focus of somebody in your small business, odds are you may find that your health care costs are higher than you'd like and that sick days are on the rise. Over time, the aches and pains of sitting behind a desk can add up.

Sometimes the pain can become so bad that it impedes your employees' ability to do their work - or even show up for work at all. That's bad news for your business, but it can be avoided with a little preventative remedy known as ergonomics.

Ergonomics is the application of tools and resources to prevent job-related injuries due to repetitive motion, uncomfortable positions, and other factors.

If this sounds like much ado about nothing, think again. The cost of work-related injuries like carpal tunnel and other avoidable problems is staggering when you take into account not only the price of health care, but also lost profits due to decreased productivity and sick days.

Since small businesses are hit hardest by the loss of even a single employee, ergonomics is a topic that you can't afford to ignore.

Getting on board with ergonomics takes time and effort, but not nearly as much time and effort as an unhealthy workforce. If you aren't sure where to begin just remember that any step you take is a step in the right direction. Here are a few other tips to help you guide you along the way.

Get Educated

If you are like most business owners, you probably don't know a lot about things like repetitive motion injuries and ergonomic design. However, don't let your ignorance stand in the way of a healthier workplace. As an employer, it's your responsibility to get educated in the area of occupational health. Since occupational health is a hot topic there is no shortage of books and websites at your disposal.

Seek Input from Your Employees

After you've acquired some general information, you'll need to start thinking about the problems that exist in your workplace and begin to explore possible ergonomic solutions. Your employees are your best source of information about what hurts at work so it makes sense to involve them in the process. Solicit their input before you make any decisions!

Training, Training, Training

The most ingenious ergonomic solutions won't do a bit of good if your employees don't know how to use them. Like you, many employees aren't up to speed on occupational health issues. They need to receive training about how to use the preventative remedies you implement as well as other things they can do to stay healthy. Ergonomic product vendors may even be willing to do some of the training themselves.

Stay Committed

It's important to remember that ergonomics is a long-term, preventative solution. After a brief foray into ergonomic design, some employers lose interest and their commitment to a healthy workplace suffers. Don't fall into this trap! Instead, make a long-term commitment to finding comfortable and healthy ergonomic solutions for the people who work hard to make your business a success.

A few additional resources for information on creating a ergonomically correct office space: 

ErgoWeb

OSHA

Ergonomics Made Easy   

Cornell University Ergonomics Web

UCLA Ergonomics

If you or your company has a knowledge that would help entrepreneurs or small businesses to improve the quality of their workplace, openofficespace.com would love to interview you on Officebytes TV. 

Topics might include:

- Commercial Real Estate Expertise

- Workplace Wellness

- How To...(any topic related to improving the workplace)

- Creating an Eco-Friendly Office

- Office Products and Office Furniture

- Workplace Interior Design

- Streamlining Office Expenses

- Property Marketing Solutions

 

Please DM on Twitter if you are interested @openofficespace

 

 

An Inspirational Story + Why Entrepreneurs MUST Bring Health and Fitness Into Their Office

Officebytes TV had the pleasure of interviewing Rahsheen Slaugter and Greg Kalafatic of Breakthroughs to Fitness, a successful personal training company located in Long Island, New York.

Rahsheen Slaughter shares the inspirational story of how he "never let his disability become a liability" on the road to becoming a college All American freestyle wrestler, and eventually founding Breakthroughs To Fitness.  (Rahsheen was born without a quadricep or hamstring on his right leg) 

During the interview, Rahsheen and Greg also give some VERY good reasons why entrepreneurs MUST adopt health and fitness as part of their business/life plan.   

A few good quotes from the interview:

"The #1 excuse entrepreneurs will tell me is that they do not have enough time to workout."

"Stress is something we all encounter, especially for entrepreneurs. You need a way for you body to cope and deal with this stress."

"Some of my best ideas come from when I am just spacing out on the treadmill, elliptical or I just get into a real deep metabolic training session. After I'm done with that, I can go on and solve the problems or challenges I am having in my business that day."

"You have to make sure that you have those 5-6 meals, spread throughout the day so that you do not have those energy woes."

"Can you honestly say that you are in better shape today than 6 weeks ago? How about 6 months ago? How about an entire year? If you can't raise your hand and say yes I am, then your health is on a decline."

About Breakthroughs To Fitness   Breakthroughs to Fitness provides a unique collaborative relationship that provides structure, accountability, and inspiration to enable clients to reach their goals.

The B2F health coaches guide, motivate, provide customized fitness programs, and assist each client to set achievable and challenging goals. They will not diagnose, prescribe, or come up with answers to your challenges but they will facilitate and guide you in the right direction to create the outcome you deserve.

Related Posts

Entrepreneurs - 10 Reasons Why You MUST Bring "Health and Fitness" Into Your Office

Entrepreneurs - Are your thumbs the most fit part of your body? 

If you or your company has a knowledge that would help entrepreneurs or small businesses to improve the quality of their workplace, openofficespace.com would love to interview you.

 

Topics might include:

- Commercial Real Estate Expertise

- Workplace Wellness

- How To...(any topic related to improving the workplace)

- Creating an Eco-Friendly Office

- Office Products and Office Furniture

- Workplace Interior Design

- Streamlining Office Expenses

- Property Marketing Solutions

iPad = A Great Weapon For Real Estate Agents To Put In Their Holster

 
When I first launched my other company, 3Dwalkthroughs.com, I spent a lot of time presenting my company's capabilities on my laptop. While I was extremely confident in my product offering, I was anything but confident in my ability to present it.

3Dwalkthroughs.com specialized in producing several types of 3D assets: 3D renderings, 3D walkthroughs, 3D floor plans, 3D interactive tools and even the type of 3D technology used in the movie Avatar. Depending on our clients needs, the end product was always rendered in a variety of different formats. (jpeg, mov, mpeg, swf, wmv, and more)

...and therein lied the problem.

While I tried my best to prepare samples based on the client I was pitching, they often requested to see examples of projects that were not included in my presentation. Clicking in and out of folders, opening various types of media players and launching different browsers was often a pain-stakingly slow process. (more than once my computer froze altogether) Needless to say, delays in my ability to show our "stuff" probably prevented me from closing a lot more projects than I should have.

Enter the Ipad.

On Friday I finally had an opportunity to spend a few hours test driving the iPad. In my humble opinion - the iPad will be a game changer for entrepreneurs, real estate agents or any other business professional that needs to pitch their goods, services or listings while they're on the go...it certainly would have helped me pitch 3Dwalkthroughs.com more effectively.

The quality of the display coupled with the ability to quickly open and navigate through photos and videos makes the Ipad the perfect device for real estate agents to WOW their clients. Being able to flip through photos, videos and property information as well as tap into the internet to get local statistics and other information will offer real estate agents an ability to provide a new level of service to their clients.

I also believe the touch screen technology will make reviewing listings on real estate sites a much more palatable experience for those who prefer to do a little searching on their own before speaking with an agent.

The one small (probably short term) issue I noticed is the iPad currently does not play Flash. Many virtual tour platforms as well as many video platforms utilize Flash as their core technology. Just yesterday though I read an article about a company that developed some sort of plug-in to get around this issue and I am sure this is just the first of many.  

Here are a few good articles I came across that describe in more detail some specific ways that the Ipad can be utilized by real estate agents. 

Just A Few Ways To Use The iPad For Real Estate - Geek Estate Blog

Apple’s iPad means big changes ahead for real estate - 1000 Watt Blog

More iPad for Real Estate - Property Flyer in Pages - About.com

The Apple iPad for Real Estate Agents - Real Estate Express.com

5 Ways iPad Will Reinvent Real Estate for Agents in the Next 5 Years - The Exit Pro

Apple iPad Real Estate Apps Are Here! - Housing Watch

If you are a real estate agent and are currently utilizing the iPad as a tool in your arsenal, openofficespace.com would love to interview you on Officebytes TV. Please DM us @openofficespace or reach out to us via email info at openofficespace.com.

A VERY COMPREHENSIVE List of Resources To Recycle Your Used/Old Office Electronics

 
Donating/recycling your used office electronics (computers, monitors, laptops, flash drives, cell phones, televisions, scanners, printers, hard drives, keyboards, speakers, cables, cords, ink and toner cartridges, appliance, cameras) can not only go a long way to help the environment, it can also aid many people in remote and underprivileged communities, schools and organizations by providing them with access to technologies they could otherwise not afford.

Below is a VERY COMPREHENSIVE list of resources to help you sell or donate your used office equipment:

Goodwill partnered with Dell Computer to create RECONNECT, a comprehensive electronics recovery, reuse and environmentally responsible recycling opportunity for consumers in participating communities. RECONNECT offers FREE drop-off recycling and reuse options for unwanted electronics.

CollectiveGood collects used cell phones and donates refurbished phones to both the developing world and organizations in the US, such as Planned Parenthood, United Way, Center for Domestic Violence Prevention, etc.

Inveneo, a non-profit social enterprise whose mission is to empower people in remote and underserved communities and the organizations who serve them through access to computing and communications will take old flash drives (otherwise known as USB Memory Sticks) and get them into the hands of students, aid workers and small business entrepreneurs in the developing world.

Close the Gap makes reused and refurbished computers available to underprivileged individuals in Africa and other developing countries.

Digital Linkshas provided more than 65,000 computers to schools, hospitals and NGOs across Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe. Your business can help provide technology solutions for development.

World Computer Exchange helps to bridge the global digital divide for youth all over the world by expanding local capacity for the educational use and responsible disposal of computers.

Interconnection'smission is to make information technology accessible to underserved communities around the world.

Source: Digital Tips

Find a Local Program

Earth 911
Earth 911 is a comprehensive communication medium for the environment. Earth 911 has taken environmental hotlines, web sites and other information sources nationwide, and consolidated them into one network. Once you contact the Earth 911 network, you will find community-specific information on eCycling and much more.

My Green Electronics
Provided by the Consumer Electronics Association, this site is a resource for consumers wishing to purchase green products and/or searching for local opportunities to recycle or donate used electronics.

Electronic Industries Alliance's Consumer Education Initiative
The Electronic Industries Alliance's eCycling Central Web site helps you find reuse, recycling and donation programs for electronics products in your state.

TechSoup
TechSoup has compiled a comprehensive body of information to promote computer recycling and reuse. This site provides resources for those who would like to donate hardware, those who would like to acquire recycled hardware, and refurbishers.

Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC)
RBRC can help you recycle portable rechargeable batteries commonly found in cordless power tools, cellular and cordless phones, laptop computers, camcorders, digital cameras, and remote control toys. Search for collection sites by zip code.   

Manufacturer and Retailer Programs

Manufacturers and retailers take different approaches to give you several options to donate or recycle your electronics. The following programs developed by EPA's Plug-In To eCycling partners may be national or regional in scope and may:

• Offer takeback, mail-in, or trade-in programs;
• Support local organizations that collect equipment;
• Host collection events at retail locations; or
• Support local recycling events with cities and municipalities.

Government-Supported Donation and Recycling Programs 

e-cycle St. Louis: Electronics Recycling for the Region
This consumer electronics collection program has been developed by the St. Louis Regional Partnership for Electronics Recovery to encourage reuse and recycling of unwanted electronics in the St. Louis region.

eRecycle.org
This Web site provides guidance and information to consumers in California about recycling electronics.

Federal Electronic Challenge
If you are a government agency or a business, check out the Federal Electronics Challenge for tools on how a large institution can donate or recycle its used electronics.

www.ecyclingtools.com
This resource kit provides information on the entire lifecycle of electronics and contains useful information to help you address your e-waste concerns.

Source: Environmental Protection Agency

Some More:

E-cycling Central

PC disposal

Gazelle

You Renew

Electronic Recycylers

Turtle Wings

FREE GEEK

Recycle Spot

Green Citizen

Freecycle.org

Buymytronics.com

My Bone Yard

Green Phone

Cell for Cash

If you know of other resources to help recycle your used/old office electronics, openofficespace.com would love to hear about them so we can share with our audience.