Can you believe we are just weeks away from closing out 2019?! No – neither can we! With 2020 approaching rapidly, we’ve taken a look at what’s evolving and what we expect to see more of in the next 12 months! Here are three 2020 office design trends we’re in line with.

1.Increasing Biophilic Design

What is Biophilic design? Biophilic design is the inclusion of outdoors inside our offices. This is things like rocks, dirt, trees, plants, mosses, & more! Where can I include this with Workspace48 product?

Of course, our modular planter wall would be #1! Fill it with a combination of your favorite plants for a bright pop of color where you need it most. Divide up spaces with this touch of life and even contribute to the reduction of ambient noise!

The second option is our tambour storage unit with a planter box! This is an awesome way to include greenery right close to your workstation without consuming valuable space. They look extremely sharp together and are a fantastic combination between perfect practicality and awesome aesthetics!

2. Rising Need for Flexible Office Layouts

At Workspace48, we feel that 2020 will be a good year, however, with every good year comes growth. Many small start-ups grow rapidly and by the time they order furniture and have it installed they’ve outgrown their space! – well not quite but, you know…maybe 6 months or a year down the road. Workspace48 makes this rapid growth easier on you.

Our products are designed to be reconfigured or added to with ease. So, you think 2020 will be a good year too? Workspace48 is waiting to make your office expansion plans a breeze – and of course, with speed! Shipped in 48 hours!

3. ABW (Activity Based Working) and Collaborative Space Rage

Collaboration is the power within an organization. When your team is working together, stuff gets done! So why not include furniture in the office that encourages such activities? With trends like hot-desking becoming more popular, employees without designated workstations must have other spaces to go. Ideally, there is a space for nearly every type of activity. Working solitary? Grab a workstation. Just a quick chat with two or three? Head to our Motion Meeting booth. Lengthy discussion with four or more? Grab a seat around one of our Modulus meeting tables in a Mode chair. Not quite that formal? Wheel up on an Otto stool while stopping by to answer a question! Workspace48 has a product for every need so you can rule these types of environments!

Allowing your employees to return to the office is one of the most important things you can do for your company. Today, offices are the grounds for culture growth and employee interactions. But there are often many questions on how you can do so, safely. Let’s discuss a few things to consider in providing a safe environment for employees to come back to work.

Why is the Office Important?

The office is important to an organization in order to develop and grow a culture that will attract and retain talent. Culture is the fabric formed by the leadership, values, interactions and beliefs that influence the environment and atmosphere of an organization. It is difficult to develop the same culture across the company remotely. However, the protection of our employees seems to be a balancing act with developing culture in the workplace. How can we provide an environment we can confidently welcome our employees back to work?

Back to Work

_{Always ensure you adhere to the local guidelines as your first point of reference as rules and regulations vary by region.}

It can definitely be a little overwhelming when looking at bringing your employees back to work. Many companies don’t have the space or the funds to convert their office into a “Six Foot Office” or other such extremes. So, let’s look at some more practical ways you can make your employees safely welcome.

 

Once regulations permit your office to open, you should begin establishing a return to work policy. What are some things you should include?

Return to Work Policy

• How many employees will be returning at once? Will you use a phased approach? This will largely depend on the size of your office and whether you can maintain social distancing or other local regulations.

 

• What physical changes are required to the space? Do you have protective screens where social distancing can’t be maintained? Also, take a look at our WorkSafe line for more protective products to offer better personal protection.

• Sign-in/temperature taking upon entry. This is recommended to detect high temperatures, a common symptom of COVID-19. Other questions often noted on sign in are things like travel outside the country in the past 2 weeks and any other cough/cold/flu-like symptoms.

 

• Are social distancing or face coverings mandatory? This is often left to the discretion of the employer and is something that needs to be stated in the policy.

 

• Will masks or other PPE be provided? Will you provide masks or other required PPE to your staff?

 

• What cleaning or hygiene measure are in place? Do you have a regular cleaning schedule in place to keep your workplace free of viruses and bacteria? Do you have sanitizer available at common touch points?

• What is your sickness policy? State what your policy on whether staff stay home for a time period when showing symptoms of any sickness.

 

• Once you have this all laid out, it will give your staff much more confidence that there is a plan in place and something to fall back on if anything is ever in doubt.

 

Communicating Your Plan

It is important to communicate the plan to your staff and discuss new policy or expected changes. Remember, you staff likely haven’t been in an environment like this for some time so support them mentally as well. Clarity around your plan will help ease anxiety and enable them to perform at their peaks.

 

Provide your staff with as much peace of mind as possible, and allow them to focus on the work they do best.

You’ve probably done it or at least considered doing it; purchasing furniture from retail giants. At Workspace48, we think differently. We are out to revolutionize the way office furniture is bought and sold. We turn our nose up at lead times with the likes of 6+ weeks, and you probably do to.

Today, lead times are soaring to the likes of 12+ weeks – ouch. So, many turn to online retail giants such as Amazon, Wayfair, and Ikea for solutions. Truth be told, these companies neglect very important aspects of your furniture buying experience.

Here’s why you should never buy furniture from retail giants:

Warranty

Warranty is important when making an investment in new furniture for your office. If you are investing in your talent, what better way to do so than by purchasing furniture that is very high quality and backed by a serious warranty.

You should never have to risk leaving your investment unprotected and have to purchase products more than once. We stand behind what we create and that is why we are able to offer a 10 year warranty on most of our products!

Power and Data

Today, we use electricity for so many things that it is important to consider this when purchasing furniture. You may need to plug in a phone charger, your laptop, or a desk lamp, and this can be nearly impossible in a pod of desks away from the wall in your office. Plugging in an extension cord is a very unsafe option as it is a tripping hazard and worse, provides no protection for your devices in the event of a power surge.

Our workstations come equipped with CSA approved power solutions incorporated into the desks so users can conveniently access outlets at or below the surface. We also provide cable management options to keep cables concealed and tidy. Our data plates include knockouts so your IT provider can connect data ports so users can access phone service or ethernet.

Service and Installation

Installation and service can be difficult, frustrating and even potentially unsafe if you are unfamiliar with installing product. The last thing you should be stuck with is a product you purchased online that you can’t install or contact anyone about resolving it. That is why we partner with elite furniture dealers and installation networks across North America to provide top quality installation and ongoing service.

So, if you’re looking at completing an office project, contact someone who can guide you through the process. We’re here to help and we’ve done it a time or two. Just check out our home page for the numbers of products we’ve delivered.

If you would like to speak to a representative, visit our FAQ page to find you local salesperson for your area. They will be able to direct you to a dealer near you who will provide pricing and further detail!

To get more out of your office, follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Facebook!

Is your workspace organization perhaps a little…shoddy or not quite what you’d like it to be? We’ll, here are a few tips ‘n tricks to get you back on top of your space! Read on to see how you can step your workspace organization up a level!

Stow It

We all know how easy it is to get busy and very quickly our workspace becomes a stockpile of all the things we deal with daily. But all this clutter becomes a reminder of everything we need to do distracting us from our priorities. This is known as ‘switchtasking’, a major productivity inhibitor.

The basic concept of switch-tasking is that our brains can only focus on one task at a time. This is why many people believe that true multitasking is a myth, rather, the brain is rapidly switching between tasks. The issue here is that when we are distracted from a task, our brains take time to restore full focus and thus never achieve optimal performance when constantly switching between tasks.

In short, we need to reduce the switching and distractions around us. A great way to do this is to store everything possible out of sight and in its place. Try using a catch-all (large bin or drawer) and put everything into it throughout the day. Then, schedule 10 minutes once or twice a day to deal with everything that accumulates there. This would be giving it the correct home, completing it if it can be completed in 2 minutes or less (ex. a note to send someone something), or scheduling a time to work on it. In doing this, we allow our minds to focus solely on what’s at hand knowing if anything comes up I can write it down, put it away, and deal with it at a scheduled time.

Need more storage for your workspace? Check out our personal, shared, or overhead storage pages to help you make a home for everything out of sight.

Pin It

Do you have loose papers that you need to keep in front of you throughout the day?

No problem, pin them up with our tackable e-Panel dividers!

These are manufactured by recycling plastic bottle chips, used polyester fabric and
other reused products. Our aim is to protect our future by using recycled material. The material is also water resistant and fire retardant with an ASTM E84 rating. e-Panel also has an NRC 0.8 rating with a cavity.

Tidy It

What’s worse than a birds nest of cables dangling beneath your worksurface? Not much.

We provide full cable management solutions to help you maintain a pristine workspace and to protect your cables from abrasion. Keep your cables straight, tangle-free, and easy to access. Reduce hazards by keeping cords out of the way.

To get more out of your office, follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Facebook!

If you’d like to discuss your needs today, give us a shout at info@workspace48.com!

Do you find you often sit in one spot without moving for the day?

It’s quite likely, because as creatures of habit we like to keep things the same with little change. But what if you could dramatically increase performance by tailoring you workspace to the task at hand?

[ENTER ABW]💡

Activity-Based Working (ABW) is a concept that has been around since the 90’s, which does just that. It provides people with spaces suited for what they’re working on; quiet spaces for focus work, collaborative spaces for group work within teams, and lounge furniture for people to relax and socialize.

However, as obvious as it seems, ABW is still largely underutilized despite its numerous benefits. The idea behind ABW is to create a flexible working environment that adapts to the needs of the worker, rather than the other way around. It allows employees to choose the environment that is most suited to their task, rather than being confined to a single desk or workstation.

One of the primary benefits of ABW is increased productivity. By allowing employees to work in an environment that is tailored to their specific task, they are able to focus more effectively and complete work more efficiently. This is particularly true for tasks that require concentration and focus, where a quiet workspace is essential.

ABW also fosters collaboration and teamwork. By providing a range of different spaces for employees to work in, it encourages them to work together on projects and share ideas. This can lead to increased innovation, as well as a more positive and supportive work environment.

In addition to these benefits, ABW also helps to promote a healthier work-life balance. By allowing employees to choose the environment that is most suitable for their work, they can avoid feeling stressed or burnt out from working in a less-than-ideal workspace.

Despite these clear benefits, ABW is still largely underutilized in many organizations. This is likely due to a number of factors, including a lack of understanding of what ABW is, a lack of investment in the necessary infrastructure, and resistance to change.

However, as our workspaces continues to evolve, it is becoming increasingly clear that ABW is a concept that is well worth exploring. By allowing employees to work in a flexible and adaptable environment, organizations can improve productivity, foster collaboration, and create a healthier work-life balance.

That’s why we created MotionOffice, a collection of products tailored to the needs of a spectrum of activities carried out in any workspace.

Whether it’s focus space, collaborative areas, lounge rooms or beyond, MotionOffice has a product designed for the task. Better yet, it’s in stock ready to ship in 48 hours! ⚡

Ready to move? See how MotionOffice can deliver exponential results in the health and well-being of your workforce. Your mind and body (and results) will thank you!