Tag Archives: contemporary office furniture

Do You Know What Your Office Furniture is Made of?

The average office worker in the USA spends up to 15 hours a day sitting in an office chair at a desk or cubicle, whether that office furniture is at home or in a workplace. And while the issue of how sitting affects our health is a very important one, few people are aware of the health risks associated with what we’re sitting on. What are our chairs, desks and flooring made of? How are they fixed together? What chemicals have been used in their construction? And are they creating opportunities for COVID-19 and other viruses to live and transfer onto other individuals? What we’re really asking is, is our office furniture safe?

Why do Office Furniture Materials Matter?

When we’re looking at office furniture quality, it used to be that we’d look at construction quality, ergonomics, and cost. Now, those factors haven’t fallen by the wayside – they’re just as important as ever – but you need to add one more to the mix: materials.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted how easy it is to transfer bacteria and viruses to other people in our environment in a way that hasn’t really resonated with the public before. After all, we all read the report saying that our computer keyboards are covered with more bacteria than the average toilet seat, but exactly how many of us have really taken steps to properly clean and sanitize everyday office items? That’s what I thought.

COVID-19 is a completely different beast, one that has changed our lives in ways we could not imagine before, and that includes making our offices and workplaces exceptionally hygienic. Office furniture materials play a vital role in creating a safe and healthy workspace. This is because the virus can live on surfaces for a long time, with some materials like stainless steel and plastic preserving the virus for up to 72 hours, and cardboard and porous fabrics for up to 24 hours.

And we’re just talking about one virus here. Substandard office furniture also carried other health risks, including toxic oil-based finishes, formaldehyde and lead paint. Chrome furniture can release chromium VI, a recognized carcinogen that impacted workers during the manufacturing process, also pollutes groundwater and contaminates soil. These chemicals and products may sound frightening, but the reality is that they are everywhere, especially in the particleboard, medium-density fiberboard, cheap dyes, paints and plastics in low-quality office furniture, dividing walls and ceilings.

Healthy Offices Need Quality Office Furniture and Regular Sanitization

The answer to a healthy office means bringing three elements together:

High-Quality Office Furniture – Choosing office furniture of high quality, specifically investing in non-toxic office furniture that meets ANSI and BIFMA standards, immediately eliminates certain toxic elements from your workspace.
Green Office Installation – Think past your office furniture to your walls, carpeting and ceilings. Choose low-VOC, eco-friendly paints, non-toxic wall systems, structural elements that can be thoroughly and easily sanitized, and air purification systems to help remove viruses, allergens and pollutants from the air.
Regular sanitization – It’s also best to consider items that are easy to clean and sanitize on a daily basis. Some items are already made from antibacterial materials to help support your clean, healthy environment. Everything in your workplace, from your walls and flooring to reception surfaces, desks, chairs and communal spaces, needs to be able to withstand regular sanitization – and still look great!

BE Furniture – Making Office Spaces Healthy and Productive

At BE, we’ve always been passionate about empowering our clients and helping them to make the best decisions for their office space and their budget. Our goal is to create a space that is as healthy and functional as it is productive, placing an emphasis on office furniture quality to ensure your furnishings are both safe and durable. Contact us today about our office furniture installation services, and find out how our team will go the extra mile to create a post-COVID workspace that helps your business grow and thrive. Don’t settle for less – we don’t!

To learn more about BE’s office furniture installation services in New Jersey , visit our website at: https://www.befurniture.com/services/office-furniture-installation/

Sources:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22682948/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/expert-answers/sitting/faq-20058005
https://www.center4research.org/bacteria-computer-keyboards-toilet-seats/
https://www.npr.org/2020/03/13/815307842/research-coronavirus-can-live-for-a-long-time-in-air-on-surfaces
https://geca.eco/news-and-events/how-hazardous-is-the-chrome-on-your-furniture/
https://www.oprah.com/health/are-toxins-in-your-furniture-making-you-sick

The Benefits Resimercial Design In The Workplace

Resimercial is a growing trend in forward-thinking businesses, especially in industries that value talent retention and want to bring employees back to the office to experience a comfortable yet productivity-driven space. Here’s how this modern office design idea, which seeks to balance commercial needs with the comfort of home, offers practical benefits to the workplace.

Features of Resimercial Design

Before we look at the benefits of this modern office design idea, it’s good to get an ideal of what this type of design looks like. Good resimercial design can be made to fit any work environment, formal or informal, and generally focuses on the following elements:

Natural lighting – No harsh fluorescents or intrusive lighting. Natural light is maximized and supported with warm LED ambient lighting and individual task lighting. Light fittings are used to create visual focal points and add style to space.
Comfort – Comfortable seating on chairs, couches and office seating similar to high-end homes and hotels. Multiple seating areas for guests, collaborative events and meetings. Seating is part of the design, often using durable but striking upholstery along with pillows and throws.
Accessories – Home-like accessories like art, lamps and rugs are part of the overall design, creating visually-interesting and warm space.
Amenities – High-end amenities add to the atmosphere of comfort and wellness while supporting productivity. This includes café spaces, catering options and onsite coffee facilities.

Alignment with a Flexible Working Environment

Today’s employees want to be – and are expected to be – far more flexible with their work hours and work environment. This is something that has been drastically accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

With employees being allowed to work from home or from environments of their choice comes the realization that home comforts can help support wellness and productivity while creating a supportive and positive space.

Resimercial design is one of the greatest modern office design ideas because it takes the best things about working at home (comfort, informality and amenities) or working at the office (great tech, Wi-Fi and quiet spaces) while leaving all the negatives behind, creating an ideal work environment that is both comfortable and productive – perfect for today’s flexible employees.

Easy Zoning

One of the reasons that the open plan office design has fallen by the wayside is that this design leaves little room for effective zoning. Sure, you want your employees to be able to communicate, collaborate and brainstorm easily – but not in a way that interrupts or frustrates other people who are trying to focus on their tasks.

Resimercial design mimics the zoning we gravitate to in our homes; a combination of communal gathering spaces (especially in eating and seating spaces) and quiet, private spaces where you can relax and focus on a task or individual meetings without risk of interruption.

Clever resimercial designs use subtle strategies to create a natural flow of collaborative groups to certain spaces, separating them neatly from task-driven spaces without creating a sense of isolation or exclusion. Movable walls, glass walls, raised floors and more are all used to create subtle zoning throughout the office space that designates different spaces by function using effective but not intrusive boundaries.

Employee Wellness

Supporting employee wellness is an increasingly important trend for businesses that want to reduce absenteeism, increase employee engagement and ensure that they can retain loyal, high-value employees.

Resimercial design helps support this by creating a space that employees want to be in, that is easy to work in (whatever their task) and creates a sense of pride in their organization. This design trend is not about throwing some beanbags on the floor, baking cookies in the cafeteria or making it look like the average American home – it’s an aspirational design that marries the benefits of high-end, comfortable living to the high-tech, productive office space. With features like comfortable seating areas, art, warm lighting, rugs, noise control, wellness features and great catering, your employees are uplifted, supported and highly-motivated to keep their spot.

Take Your Office into the Future with Resimercial Design

BE Furniture is a leading provider of contemporary office furniture and contemporary office interiors in New Jersey.

Our contemporary office interiors team will assist you in creating a space that is aligned with your industry and brand, while supporting productivity, employee wellness and COVID-19 protection. In addition to office fit outs, furniture and COVID-19 protective equipment, we also offer recycling for old office furniture and equipment that is no longer needed.

Reconfiguration vs. Redesign vs. Remodel

Even the best-designed office space will become dated and tired over time, and changing it is all about keeping your brand current and relevant. If you aren’t moving to a new location, then your main options are to reconfigure your space, redesign your office or remodel. Here’s how each option measures up, from our contemporary office furniture specialists.

Option #1 – The Office Reconfiguration

This is the most budget-friendly and simplest way to refresh your office space, as it generally involves replacing worn out office furniture, changing your layout, and repurposing existing pieces.

It’s the best option for offices where everything is in fairly good condition and only a few changes are needed to bring out the best in the space. It’s more about replacing items that are nearing the end of their lifespan or are damaged and trying out new layouts to improve workflow than it is about transforming the look of the office completely. With just a couple of affordable contemporary office ideas from design specialists and some key items, you can make a real difference to how your office works and feels.

Depending on the scope of your project, a reconfiguration can take just a day or two with minimal inconvenience to staff.

Option #2 – The Office Redesign

This is a more in-depth transformation that’s driven by a need to refresh the aesthetics of the office space. If your office looks bland, dated or shabby, then this is usually the best option to choose.

Typical projects in an office redesign include reconfiguring the space and replacing worn items as well as bigger projects like upgrading the lighting system, installing video conferencing equipment, repainting, redoing the flooring, and installing modern workstation options like ergonomic furniture and sit stand desks.

This is a great option if you want to improve staff morale and retention, and want to create contemporary office interiors that prioritize wellness have a real wow-factor – but without spending too much of your budget.

It’s also a popular option for organizations seeking solutions to the challenges of COVID-19, who need to create ways that employees can socially distance at work, maintain strict hygiene protocols and keep the workplace clean. Common projects include installing privacy or clear acrylic screens at workstations and reception desks, installing hygienic HEPA air filtration units and replacing furniture that easily gets dirty with options that can quickly and easily be sanitized.

Depending on the scope of your project, a reconfiguration can take a few days or a work week with moderate inconvenience to staff.

Option #3 – The Office Remodel

This is the most intensive and thorough transformation your workspace can undergo while remaining in the same space. In addition to the types of projects covered in a redesign and reconfiguration, a remodeling can completely transform your space from the floors to the ceiling and everything in between.

Typical remodeling projects involve new flooring, the installation of new walls and glass architectural walls to create new space, installation of new tech systems, new ceilings, and entirely new spaces like office kitchens, cafeterias and restrooms. This is the most costly option, but the results are worth it when you work with a professional team. It is a complete reimagining of your space in line with your vision and brand, and should last many years to come.

As you can imagine, these are fairly extensive and noisy projects that generally require organizations to fully move out of the space temporarily, and employees often work from home for the week or two that the remodel requires.

Reconfigurations, Redesigns and Remodels – We Do It All

BE Furniture in New Jersey is a leading provider of office design and furniture solutions. Our team has worked extensively with a wide range of clients across different industries to design and deliver cost-effective, high-quality office reconfigurations, redesigns and remodels.

In addition, we work closely with organizations to create spaces and implement measures to prevent and control the spread of COVID-19, including supplying Perspex and acrylic screens, privacy desk dividers and much more. We have the contemporary office furniture ideas to create a safe, productive workplace.

How to Increase Privacy in Your Office Space

Open plan offices were once seen as the best layout to optimize productivity and use of space – but this design comes with its own challenges. The lack of privacy made work that required confidentiality a big issue and, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, these spaces are now a safety hazard too. Here are some modern office design ideas that help improve safety and productivity through the introduction of critical privacy measures.

3 Elements of Privacy in the Workplace and How to Achieve Them

In order to create a more private workplace, three elements need to be present.

Acoustic – Open offices are known to be loud spaces, since there are no walls to black and absorb the sound of conversations, brainstorming sessions, electronics, telephone calls and more. Fortunately, there are several things you can do to dampen sound and increase acoustic privacy in your office space.

You can try including introducing soft furnishings that absorb sound, like couches, upholstered seating and even paintings.You can replace loud wooden, laminate or concrete flooring with acoustic vinyl or carpeted flooring that absorbs sound rather than adding to it. You can also zone office space more effectively to set social and collaborative spaces far away from task-focused areas, allowing employees to choose their workspace according to their immediate needs.

Spatial – The space in which office workers have been allocated has been shrinking over the decades, from 225 feet in 2010 to just 151 square feet in 2017, with hot-desking and shared workstations becoming the norm. This makes privacy a huge challenge, and one way of combatting that is to create more spaces where people can work in privacy when needed – for example, utilizing boardroom space or creating smaller meeting rooms around the open, collaborative space.

Of course, due to COVID-19 it has become more essential than ever to give employees enough space to preserve their health. Implementing flexible working hours and work-from-home policies will allow employees that are in the office both to socially distance and work privately.

Visual – Working in an open plan, collaborative office space can make you feel like you’re living under the microscope, where everyone can see everything you do, all the time. This creates a negative space for productivity where employees feel policed and micromanaged.

There are ways to deliver personal visual privacy while balancing the organizational need to control costs and maximize the use of space. You can invest in screen privacy protectors, add clip-on desk dividers to wall off each workplace, and change the configuration of your contemporary office furniture to maximize individual privacy.

Again, these are vital measures to take not only for employee privacy, but to add additional protection against the transmission of COVID-19. These physical barriers effectively help prevent the transmission of the virus through coughing and sneezing, and are a useful measure in addition to sanitizers and masks.

Implement an Office Design That Prioritizes Privacy and Safety

BE Furniture is a leading supplier of office design services as well as contemporary office furniture in New Jersey, helping our clients to maximize productivity and safety through the delivery of budget-friendly, high-impact designs and furniture solutions.

We also help organizations adapt to the new normal by supplying an end-to-end service to design and implement a healthy workplace in line with social distancing criteria. From protective screens, acrylic barriers and workstation dividers to easy-to-sanitize chairs, protective reception screens and HEPA-filtered air solutions, we provide comprehensive assistance to tackle this challenge.

Contact us today to talk about modern office design ideas that improve privacy, support collaboration, and protect your employees from COVID-19.

Tips for Surviving Your Office Remodel

After great consideration, the time has finally come for an office renovation. There is big excitement in the air and you can’t wait to start working in your new office space. But the excitement is soon short-lived as you realize you’re going to have to work with noise, dust and the confusion.

We’ve put together a few tips to help you manage this exciting yet frustrating time.

Craft a renovation strategy.

To get the best return on your investment you have to create a well thought out strategy for creating a new and improved office space. The first part of your strategy should be creating an estimated renovation budget. Add up the costs of construction, needed materials, new furniture, labor, etc., and make sure to leave some room for unexpected costs. Next, you are going to have to plan what you’ll do with employees during the renovation. Can they continue working in the construction area or do you have a vacant space you can relocate them to? Lastly, plan your office space design, keep in mind the current number of employees, future growth, technology, functionality, how employees prefer to work and office design trends. To reduce unplanned costs work closely with your contractor and designer to create a timeline and plan of action for a trouble-free renovation project.

Communication.

Conveying a positive perception of the office renovation is one of the most vital parts of an office renovation. Make sure to keep your employees informed of what you are planning to do and why it is important. Changes when renovating your office space can create some concerns, especially when the staff feels like they are left out. Disclosing your visions using sample boards is a good way to avoid concerns and keep employees informed. Remind your staff and clients although the noise and debris may seem endless, it’s temporary!

Contain the Dust.

It will be hard to get away from dust from sanders, electric saws, and chemicals from spray paint. To help minimize the amount of pollution that may come from remodeling, make sure that it is stated in your contract with the contractor that barriers such as heavy plastic sheeting or compression-fit temporary walls must be in use for the period of the project. If it is possible to consider for you and your personnel to temporarily work from home. This would be a good option for those members of your company who suffer from breathing issues.

To try to minimize the impact of pollution in your office:

Be sure your contract requires that the contractor is responsible for the final cleanup
Consider hiring an additional cleaning company to clean as the project progresses.
Use compressed air to occasionally blow dust from your computers and keyboards.

Maintain good productivity levels.

An office renovation can have an impact on employees’ productivity unless you take care of a few things. Make sure to keep productivity levels high in the office throughout the project. Try your best to keep the clutter, noise, and dust to a minimum. Unusual noises are distracting can have a negative impact on employees. If you notice that the office light is being affected by the remodeling consider alternative lighting options. A study found that lighting is a key factor affecting employee productivity, so make sure windows aren’t covered and artificial lighting is available to provide enough energy and good moods for productive employees. If possible try scheduling contractors to work in the late afternoon/evening hours when employees are gone or letting your employees work from home for a while.

Modern Reception Desks that Enhance Your Workspace

At BE Furniture, we assist our clients in achieving an optimal workspace for their business. Whether you are looking to remodel your current reception area completely or replace your furniture with modern reception desks, our experienced team can handle it all.

For more information about our design services for office reception areas, which includes glass partition wall units, desks furniture and more, please contact us today or visit our website at https://www.befurniture.com/

Setting Up Your New Home Work Space.

As COVID-19 continues to be a threat, more and more people are now working from home, many for the first time. One of the first things you have to do if you are going to work from home is to set up a work-from-home space that’s as functional and comfortable as possible. Whether you are self-employed or working for a company, take time to formalize a professional working space that divides your office from your personal spaces. Working from home offers many advantages, including the flexibility of setting your schedule and saving time and money by eliminating your daily commute. However, that said, setting up a home office requires a significant change if you’re used to working in a formal office setting. It takes a bit of planning and effort to make sure this space boosts your efficiency and productivity.

Pick the right spot.

Identify your WFH spot where you think you will be the most productive. Living in a tiny apartment or sharing a space might limit your options but in a large home designate an area away from distractions (whether that’s a TV or all the snacks). Also, make sure that you get enough natural light coming through. Get some modern office design ideas and transform your space into your work sanctuary.

Set up proper lighting.

If you are going to spend most of your day in the office set up sufficient lighting to reduce eyestrain. Choosing a sunny spot near a window would help but if you need more lighting consider a floor or desk lamp. If after some time you feel that your eyes are irritated, you need to try adding another source of light or adjust the position of the current lighting. Improper lighting can cause eye fatigue and drowsiness, which leads to less productivity. The hue of light is also a factor to take into consideration. Warm color temperatures are calming, while cool color temperatures stimulate productivity so take into consideration the hue of your lighting. Most furniture companies sell Contemporary office furniture where you can get an LED task light that allows you to change color temperature settings.

Invest in a proper office chair.

We have a misperception that having your desk at the correct height and hands at the proper position for typing that we can disregard the importance of a proper chair in our home office. So what is the link between a good office chair and health? Well, it’s all about the back support. A good chair provides proper lumbar and pelvic support and in return puts less stress on your back muscles.Sitting for long periods at a time on a chair that doesn’t have sufficient back support can cause long term back problems. The more we sit, the higher our risk of herniated discs and other back troubles.

Get connected.

Make sure your workspace is located in such a way that it is near a power outlet If you can’t be close to an outlet make use of a multi-plug extension cord so you can plug in everything you’ll need. If you’re going to be doing a lot of video calls, do a test call with family or a friend to see if you are positioned correctly in front of the camera. A plain wall can be a good backdrop, and with proper lighting, you will be all set up. Also, test out the WiFi signal in that area of the house to make sure it is strong.

Improve Your Home’s Air Quality.

According to a study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and SUNY-Upstate Medical School, those who work in environments with better air quality have higher cognitive functioning scores, compared to those working in conventional airtight environments with poorer air quality. There are small things you can do to improve your air quality like the use of indoor plants also try to keep your environment clean from dust by frequent vacuuming. Furthermore, letting in fresh air by opening windows and using fans can improve air circulation and can also be beneficial.

Multi-Generational, Agile, Inclusive Office Design from Commercial Office Furniture Specialists

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