Category Archives: Blog

What is Stressing out your Employees?

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Stress may be a normal part of working life, but too much can lead to employees burning out, disengaging and becoming less productive – as well as affecting wellness and job satisfaction. According to the American Institute of Stress, constant stress can also contribute to high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes. So, what are the most important sources of stress that businesses need to deal with to help staff lead healthier, more productive lives?

The Most Common Sources of Stress in the Workplace

According to research by CareerCast.com, the top 4 sources of workplace stress were:

Unpredictability – A lack of workplace routine, lack of schedule or routine tasks and deliverables each month. Inconsistency in daily routines where the workflow is constantly changing makes for a stressful workday where you can never seem to get ahead or settle in.

Workplace environment – This refers to workplace relationships between an employee and co-workers, clients, customers, superiors and leadership. Workplace conflicts, constant pressure to perform delivered in every conversation, incomplete information and poor interpersonal/communication skills all lead to increased stress.

Deadlines – Constant, overwhelming or short/demanding deadlines are an immediate trigger for stress.

Safety of others – This is significant in roles where people are responsible for the physical or mental safety of others, for example, as doctors and healthcare professionals or firefighters and police officers.

As you can see, stress factors can be linked to the role or industry, but there are many common triggers for stress that any workplace can try to minimize as far as possible. Combatting stress by improving communication, encouraging a more open and supportive workplace culture and even by redesigning your workplace to be more peaceful, healthy and welcoming can all help employees fight stress effectively and optimize their productivity.

Create a Welcoming and Productive Workplace with Modern Office Design Ideas 

At BE Furniture, we offer end-to-end office furniture solutions, from designing an office remodel to fitting it out and furnishing it with the latest contemporary office furniture. As a full-service furniture dealer, we can supply you with a wide range of value-added and environmentally-sensitive products, including reception desks, standing desks, co-share or collaborate furniture, ergonomic furniture and glass partition wall systems.

For more information on our modern office design services or contemporary office furniture, please contact us today or visit our website at https://www.befurniture.com/

 

Making The Workplace Your Happy Place

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When most people think of their so-called happy place, they don’t think of their office – but is there a way that these spaces in which we spend so much of our lives can become a positive space? Here are some insights from our team of corporate office furniture specialists.

Principles for a happier workplace 

Extensive research from YourStudio found that there are five principles each workplace should embody in order to become a progressive, happy and effective workplace – purpose, health, freedom, growth, and community. Combined with your company’s unique culture and vision, committing to these principles works to transform the drudgery of work into a positive part of daily life.

This is especially essential for incoming generations to the workplace, as work culture has seen a significant shift from the traditional “work for a pay check” culture towards working for a purpose – being part of something bigger.

Introverts can come to the table 

Traditionally, the workplace has suited extroverted personalities, which has resulted in introverts being left behind – and a failure of businesses to properly capitalize on this talent and potential. Adapting the modern workplace to ensure both introverts and extroverts can thrive makes sense, boosting efficiency, increasing performance and impacting that essential bottom line. Key to this is creating an environment where people have far more flexible work options, from flextime initiatives to a variety of more private and more open work environments.

Healthier people means happier employees 

Health and wellbeing in the workplace is becoming a more and more important focus – not only because employees are increasingly demanding it, but because employers are seeing the positive impact on their employees and their bottom line. Creating a sense of purpose and a sense of belonging is significantly beneficial to mental health and developing that drive and passion needed for exceptional performance. Showing employees that their health is important by investing in complimentary health initiatives, ergonomic spaces, nature and wellness initiatives creates a more comfortable, healthier team where employees know that they are valued.

Create a workplace of the future with a leading partner in contemporary office furniture 

BE Furniture is a full-service contemporary office furniture company, offering a wide range of environmentally-sensitive and innovative products and services for innovative office interiors. In addition to design and fitment services, we also offer Earth-friendly recycling of old office interiors. For more information on our contemporary office furniture, architectural office partitions and services, please contact us today or visit our website at https://www.befurniture.com/

What Neuroscience Can Teach Us About Office Design

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Neuroscience is a fascinating area of study, focusing on how the human nervous system (including the brain) is structured, how it develops and how it works. While this is a very specific and advanced area of study, it has a huge range of practical, everyday applications that can even apply to how we use – and can improve – the workplace.

Office life and the Circadian Rhythm 

The Circadian Rhythm is the name given to our internal clock – a cycle that drives our mental, physical, and behavioral changes through the 24-hour day, governed primarily by responses to light and darkness. We develop this rhythm as infants, and recent Nobel prize-winning studies have demonstrated how this rhythm, controlled by a gene in each of us, controls vital parts of our day by releasing sleep hormones, determining when we are most alert and able to focus, and even controlling body temperature. It also showed that misaligning this rhythm with our lifestyle can result in higher risks of certain diseases and mental health conditions.

So how should this impact workplace design? The key here is “light”. Cutting-edge office design is using this knowledge of Circadian Rhythms to adapt offices to ensure there is more access to natural lighting to create a stronger alignment with this natural cycle. Studies showed the benefits of natural light over artificial lighting, as participants with better access to natural light showed better sleep habits, lower stress rates and less tiredness in the workplace – all the better for productivity and general wellness.

Mirror neurons help develop team potential 

Mirror neurons are located in the brain and become active when we perform an action as well as when we see someone else perform that action. Neuroscience studies have shown a similar effect to both emotional reactions as well as physical ones – for example, when we see someone get injured, we flinch in “pain”. This isn’t just about reactions, however, it shows how social beings, like humans, are able to build bonds with one another and share a sense of empathy.

In the workplace, this translates to that ever-important goal of developing a strong and successful team. For this to happen, individuals need to learn to work together, to motivate one another and help each other. So how can office design and office furniture help enhance this through optimizing mirror neuron response? By creating easy access to one another and clear lines of sight throughout the space, through glass partitions and open working spaces, for example.

Design, fit and furnish a cutting-edge workspace 

BE Furniture is a New Jersey-located company that strives to meet all your corporate office furniture and office design needs. We can assist you with everything from contemporary office furniture, architectural walls and interiors to office design, fitting and furniture recycling. For more information on the latest modern office design ideas and corporate office furniture, please contact us today or visit our website at https://www.befurniture.com/

Office Design Trends That Are Taking Off In 2018!

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The New Year is about fresh starts and embracing new innovations, and our workplaces are no exception! Here are some of the latest trends that are making splash in the world of office design this year.

  • Unconventional workspaces: There’s a strong global trend to think outside the rules and ideas of a traditional office and make spaces more creative, inspiring and functional. Casual meeting rooms, collaborative spaces and breakout areas are common, as are unique features like yoga spaces, wellness areas, outdoor spaces and snack bars.
  • Dynamic spaces: Office square footage is still at a premium in many parts of the country, so companies are increasingly thinking about how to use the space they have for multiple functions. With flexible furniture like sit stand desks, hot desking and movable walls, employees have a wider range of working options – and companies don’t have space sitting idle.
  • The home office space: This encapsulates two trends – firstly, where workplace flexibility is king and employees are encouraged to work from home or outside traditional working hours in accordance with what works best for them. The second part of this trend is making the office feel more like a home – a welcoming, comfortable space where employees feel relaxed as well as productive.
  • Cost-saving and smarter spending: Companies are placing an increasing emphasis not only on saving money, but on spending office budgets more efficiently. Why pay for space and transport for office workers who can work from home? Why pay for individual office cubicles if your employees are more productive in a collaborative space?
  • Wellness: There’s also an increasing trend of making office spaces and policies more conducive to employee health and wellness. This can be seen in the increasing demand for adjustable height desks, standing office desks and ergonomic chairs, as well as preference for natural lighting and policies that encourage healthy physical activity and food choices.

Have a fresh start in 2018 with sit stand desks and other ergonomic office furniture 

Interested in transforming your workplace? Inspired by the latest modern office design ideas? BE Furniture is a New Jersey-located company that strives to meet all your corporate office furniture and office design needs. We can assist you with everything from contemporary office furniture, architectural walls and interiors to office design, fitting and furniture recycling. For more information, please contact us today or visit our website at https://www.befurniture.com/

Inside One Of The Most Eco-Friendly Office Buildings On Earth

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As contemporary office furniture specialists`, we know that eco-friendly design has become a significant part of the modern workplace, from energy-efficiency and office furniture right to the very architecture and construction process of the buildings themselves. Recently, Bloomberg has revealed its new European Headquarters – known as The Edge – and is setting the standard for sustainable workplaces of the future.

Designed by renowned architect Norman Foster, the building offers a massive 1.1 million square feet of office space, including three public plazas, a transportation entrance to the Bank tube station, and a dining arcade featuring bars and restaurants.

What makes this building such a landmark for environmental sustainability? 

Throughout the design and building process, low carbon, energy, water and resource intensity goals were kept at a priority level. Some features that demonstrate this conscientious approach include:

  • Integrated lighting panels incorporating 500,000 energy-efficient LED bulbs.
  • Natural ventilation systems through the striking movable bronze blades on the outside of the building to reduce air conditioner dependency.
  • Rainwater capture and treatment systems on the rooftop that recycle water to serve the vacuum flush toilets in the building, saving 25 million liters of water a year.
  • A smart airflow system that senses CO2 levels and circulates air automatically according to the number of people in each zone of the building, reducing emissions by 500-750 metric tons and saving 600-750MWhr of power each year.
  • An on-site combined heat and power facility that reduced heat wastage for energy savings of 500-750 metric tons of CO2 each year.

These features and others have earned an Outstanding rating from BREEAM assessors (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) with a score of 98.5% – the highest design-stage score ever achieved by a large-scale office development project.

This vision didn’t stop with the building either, as Bloomberg’s employees are encouraged through a range of initiatives to adopt “active working” strategies that promote wellness and good health, including sit-stand work stations, on-site gyms and a wellness center.

Help your business create a sustainable future with contemporary office interiors 

At BE Furniture, we’re committed to providing our clients with the latest in affordable contemporary office furniture and interior design. We offer a wide range of eco-friendly and ergonomic workplace solutions, and offer an earth-friendly recycling option for your old furniture.

For more information on our products and services or to find out more about the latest contemporary office furniture ideas, please contact us today and visit our website at https://www.befurniture.com/

Customizing Your Office Remodel Gets The Best Results At The Best Price!

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Office remodels are an expensive project, and the latest modern office designs can quickly push your budget over the edge – but that doesn’t mean you have to say goodbye to your renovation. By customizing your project, working with what you have and bringing on an experienced partner, you can get the results you want at an affordable rate.

Think outside the box for bargains

Bargain-hunting is something that can really elevate an office design, adding character and depth to your company image. For example, cladding an unsightly wall in reclaimed pallet wood gives a warm and rustic feel. Retro art and photographs give a vintage, quality touch, and keeping brick walls exposed saves on paint.

Think long-term savings

A quality renovation will bring in more than just a new look for your business, it should deliver long-term gains. Using glass architectural walls, for example, allows natural light to penetrate through your office space to create energy savings as well as a boost to employee wellness. Ergonomic chairs and desks mean healthier, more comfortable employees – and that means an increase in productivity. Open plan office spaces reduce equipment costs, energy costs and overheads while allowing you to hire more staff, and a variety of hot-desking options will allow your employees to work where they like, when they like – boosting talent retention, productivity and positivity.

Find a partner who works with your budget, in your vision

Your company is unique, so no cookie-cutter solution is going to bring you all the benefits you’d like to see. A tailored solution that looks at what your business is about and what it’s trying to achieve will result in the perfect fit, from a solution within your budget.

BE Furniture is a full-service corporate office design and contemporary office furniture company, offering a wide range of environmentally-sensitive and innovative products and services for innovative boardrooms and contemporary office interiors. For more information, please contact us today or visit our website at https://www.befurniture.com/