Archive for February, 2012

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Good Design Awards for Office Furniture 1

Saturday, February 25th, 2012

Teknion isn’t the only office furniture company that received recognition at the 2011 Good Design competition. This series will explore a few other notable brands/products that received awards:

Moteo

This ergonomic chair design from Germany has some very interesting features. In addition to the procomfort-synchromechanism (the seat and back moving together for maximum support), the chair also has adjustable seat pressure. Users can change the amount of air in the seat pad to match their preferred comfort level and body type. The “air mattress” style seat can conform to shifting pressure points on the seat’s surface. The goal is to keep the user comfortable – and promote a healthy, upright sitting posture. At the same time, the Moteo seat is slightly mobile from side to side to create a dynamic, responsive seating experience. Wait, there’s more! You can read a full ergonomics testing report here.

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What Price Would You Pay for Office Privacy?

Thursday, February 23rd, 2012

The hits just keep on coming with government officials being criticized for office expenditures. This time, the price tag and relative value of a sound masking system is being called into question. Sacramento County administrator Brad Hudson chose to purchase and install a $15,000 privacy system on two floors of the county’s office building. The areas covered with this blanket of white noise are the Labor Relations and Human Resources departments. This is where some of the most sensitive discussions take place. If the wrong person overhears a conversation, it could lead to anything from morale disasters to fines for HIPAA violations.

Detractors point out that single-room sound masking systems are much less expensive (about $200 a pop). The problem is that not all important conversations happen behind closed doors. From a risk management strategy, having more comprehensive white noise coverage may be the smart thing to do. What do you think? What prices tag do you think is reasonable for preventing prying ears from overhearing private conversations?

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Getting the Most from Your Sit-to-Stand Workstation

Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012

Do you have a sit-to-stand workstation? Are you thinking about buying these ergonomic solutions for your employees? Height adjustable worktables, desks, and cubicle worksurfaces are all the rage right now. But for this trend to stay relevant, employees need to know how to make this ergonomic technology really work for them. We’ve seen what happens when you buy a high-end task chair but workers don’t get any education or training in how to adjust it properly. They only get a tiny bit of the real benefit available. The same thing could happen with sit-to-stand workstations. Fortunately, this doesn’t have to happen if you’ve got the right information.

Note: This week’s post includes insights from special guest Michelle Judd, Sr. Marketing Manager at Ergotron, Inc. and a big supporter of the wellness uprising at JustStand.org.

Easy Does It

Adjustable worksurfaces are only useful if they are convenient and easy to move. Manual adjustment with an old fashioned crank may be less enjoyable than electric adjustment. However, there are additional options like Constant Force technology and counterbalanced designs that can make manual adjustment just as effortless as pushing a remote control button. This is one reason to try before you buy. If you can’t picture yourself adjusting the height of a workstation several times a day, it’s probably not user-friendly enough.

Set the Height Right

Proper ergonomic adjustment reduces the risk of computer-related repetitive motion injuries over time. There is no magic “correct height” that works for everyone. So, each employee needs to understand the principles behind finding the right fit for them. This is true for both sitting and standing work. Here’s a useful tool to calculate the right measurements for each individual user: http://planner.ergotron.com.

Choose Shoes with Care

If you aren’t used to standing at work, you may not realize just how uncomfortable your business dress shoes are. However, your office dress code may not permit you to wear athletic shoes. This means you need to compromise. Look for professional shoes that have lots of support and a low (but not non-existent) heel. Shoes that are popular in the healthcare industry are a good place to start. You can find plenty of loafer styles that are perfectly office-appropriate without looking too geriatric. If you want to wear heels for a meeting, bring them along and store them at your desk.

Don’t Stay Static

Standing for 8 hours at a stretch isn’t much healthier than sitting for that long. For many workers, it’s a recipe for varicose veins, back pain, and foot problems. The whole point of having an adjustable height workstation is that you can vary your posture throughout the day. That being said, there’s no set rule for how often you should switch between sitting and standing. You really do have to start listening to your body. If you are squirming in your chair, it might be time to stand. If your legs are getting tired, take a seat. If you aren’t sure, try switching positions every 30 minutes or so until you gain more body awareness. You may find that some tasks are easier to do sitting and others are better to do standing. That’s another good way to determine when to adjust your sit-to-stand workstation.

How do you like to use your sit-to-stand desk? Let us know in the comments.

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Good News for Teknion’s “Good Designs”

Saturday, February 18th, 2012

2011 ended well for Teknion Corporation. They received recognition in the Good Design Competition (sponsored by major US and European museums) for a couple of product lines: Dossier and MAST. The jury for this competition handed out about 500 awards. But there were thousands of entries which still makes the distinction of being a winner meaningful. Over the past 8 years, Teknion has been the recipient of Good Design Awards for innovation, creativity, and sustainability 15 times. Here’s a brief look at the company’s most recent winning designs:

Dossier

This collection of private office furniture is built around casegoods. This makes it flexible enough to fill any size of office and provide plenty of storage room in the process.

Instead of having a standalone desk that dominates the room, the worksurface blends with the casegoods for a single, cohesive look. At the same time, the wood laminate finish and sleek hardware details still give the office an impressive sense of style. If you walk into an office outfitted with Dossier, you get the sense that this is a space where real work gets done.

MAST

This monitor arm is a far cry from the clunky models that first entered the marketplace. The shiny, futuristic central post or mast can support one or two full sized flat screen computer monitors. Users can adjust the screen up or down, left and right, angled in or out, and near or far for ideal ergonomic viewing. There’s no need to bring a toolkit to make these changes – every adjustment feature is built in for ease of use.

The MAST collection could be ideal for picky workers who demand the best. At the same time, Teknion doesn’t discriminate about what type of monitor the MAST can hold. Its universal design apparently meshes with all of today’s popular flat screen brands. Even better, these arms aren’t just for traditional monitors. They can also hold more current technology such as tablets.

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How Do Your Employees Decorate Their Cubicles?

Friday, February 17th, 2012

It’s unlikely they get quite as creative as one data manager in NC. Bill Taylor spends a few minutes each day over a period of about 6 weeks replicating famous paintings on a whiteboard in his cubicle. It’s good to know he’s not working on these for too long at a stretch. Otherwise, he might have ended up with marker fume-induced delusions during his recreation of Van Gogh’s Starry Night.

Check out Bill’s gallery of finished works at Cubicleism. The detail and technical skill is really amazing. Sadly, these photos are the only record. Like a Buddhist monk destroying a beautiful piece of sand art. Bill erases his works when he’s finished.

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Alternatives to a Treadmill Desk

Thursday, February 16th, 2012

Arnold’s Office Furniture has put together another great roundup post. This time, the topic is products that can turn your cubicle into a fitness center. I blogged about the Sit-to-Walkstation treadmill desk back in 2010. It hasn’t become a fixture in very many offices – and the steep price tag is probably one big reason. But sjennings has located a couple of alternatives that are much more cost-effective. One is the Stamina Elliptical Trainer. It costs less than $100. This tiny training device can be used during breaks or at an adjustable height worktable. Plus, since it’s readily portable (less than 30 pounds), it can be shared between workers throughout the day. That way, it could pay for itself in a very short period of time. To see more fitness options (including a cycle that you can use while seated, read the full post over at Arnold’s.

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Contract Brand Report for Cubicles

Saturday, February 11th, 2012

It’s not just TV that gets Nielsen ratings. Cubicles get their turn in the spotlight as well. The Contract brand report awareness survey for November 2011 looks at office furniture through the eyes of design and architectural firms. The top 5 winners in the furniture systems category reads like a “who’s who” of the biggest names in the industry. Here’s a quick peek at what the people hired to design today’s office environments think of as the best recognized brands.

  1. Herman Miller

This isn’t surprising since Herman Miller does more to publicize its brand than any other office furniture firm. They also have some of the most unusual designs like the standalone screen and canopy Resolve system.

  1. Steelcase

In contrast to the average business leader, professionals in the architecture and design fields are very familiar with Steelcase. The products aren’t quite as flashy as Herman Miller, but they fully match HM when it comes to high quality and versatility. For example, the Avenir system is based on a 6” module for extensive flexibility (plus, it can be used with or without panels).

  1. Knoll

Here’s another product line noted for agility and ease of planning. Most of the designs, like Dividends Horizon, are heavy on the concept of straight lines and sharp corners. But there’s still plenty of wiggle room for creating a softer look with the many surface options Knoll provides.

  1. Haworth

This company is a frequent winner of awards for sustainability and design innovation. Some of Haworth’s most attractive cubicles are those finished with wood veneer. Each veneer and furniture style is perfectly matched to evoke a different era – while still offering timeless beauty.

  1. Allsteel

There’s nothing wrong with coming in at #5 when you’re still outranking other major players like HON and Teknion. This firm certainly has worked hard to develop an edge in the speed department. The Concensys line of cubicles is part of Allsteel’s 5-Day Express Solutions® program.

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Where Does Old Office Furniture Go To Die?

Friday, February 10th, 2012

The sign says recycling is easy, but that’s not always true. Consider this 2007 article from Metropolismag.com that takes a peek at the programs office furniture manufacturers offer for recycling old office furniture. It’s all very well to say “Our company will take back and recycle any component from our furniture”. The problem seems to be in making this a truly convenient choice for customers. For example, the Haworth Take Back program depends on the customer to foot transportation costs back to the plant. That’s a disincentive for most companies and individual users to participate.

There’s some talk of setting up collection centers across the US (like the ones already available for consumer electronics). These convenient locations would make reclaiming used office furniture for recycling purposes easier. But for now, most companies rely on office furniture dealers to liquidate their used items. These firms are most likely to have a direct pipeline to local recyclers who want materials from furniture that is no longer useful. Sometimes, you can even get money back for your used office furniture. At Cubicles Office Environments, we buy old furniture and make it look and feel like new again.

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How’s Your Penmanship?

Thursday, February 9th, 2012

In July of 2011, I blogged about a vertical mouse that looks like a penguin. Today’s ergonomic upright mouse looks more like an old-fashioned quill pen. This “Penclic Mouse™” product takes you back to the days of writing longhand – without the writer’s cramp. The angled pen shaft allows you to rest your wrist in a natural position during mouse use. The feel of the pen in your hand is designed to make navigation intuitive. Anyone who has ever doodled on a legal pad can get the hang of this mouse. You gain precision control over the cursor easily with the fine movements of your fingertips. The brochure for this product says that it’s almost as if the mouse is anticipating your next move. Mind-reading claims aside, there’s no denying that the days of innovation for the mouse are far from over.

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Space Redistribution in the Office

Saturday, February 4th, 2012

Are you intrigued by the idea of making do with less office space but unsure what radical space re-allocation looks like in practice? Allsteel walks readers through the process with the example of real-life customer Deloitte & Touche. This firm had many private offices that averaged 300 square feet (half the size of an efficiency apartment). Firm leaders made the decision that these offices needed a much smaller footprint and that fewer workers actually needed private offices. However, they didn’t just take a slash and burn approach to making changes. Their primary objectives were reducing real estate costs and making more efficient use of space in ways that improved employee productivity and satisfaction. That’s the secret to any successful program to shrink office space.

One ingenious approach was the repositioning of individually enclosed office spaces to the center of the floor plan. The bigwigs still got private offices in the core of the building. But the next level of management down the corporate ladder got workstations positioned nearest the windows for a great view. The idea of a corner office was done away with entirely, allowing two groups of employees to have some favorite perks. To get some more great ideas on reorganizing your office for better efficiency, check out the full case study. Then, contact us for a free, no-obligation office space planning consultation.

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