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Avoiding The Expenses Of Constantly Buying New Business Furniture

StrategyDriven Risk Management Article |Business Furniture|Avoiding The Expenses Of Constantly Buying New Business FurnitureYou want to ensure that you’re providing the maintenance and care that your workplace needs to ensure that your employees, as well as any clients, customers, or partners that visit, are able to do their thing safely and without concern. At some point, replacing old furniture might be a necessary step to take. However, if you find yourself having to buy a lot of furniture, whether it’s for the office or more industrial spaces, it can quickly become expensive. As such, here are a few steps you can take to reduce the expense of it all.

Give them the preventative maintenance they need

As with every other part of your office, your furniture is going to require preventative maintenance as well. If you spot some problems early, then you might be able to stop them from becoming bigger issues with a replacement part or, in many cases with chairs and the like, a drop of oil. Furniture that might be used in open-air spaces can require a little more work. For instance, wood furniture might need to be refinished and re-sealed to ensure that it doesn’t succumb to environmental pressures like moisture and sunlight. Fit your furniture into your maintenance schedule alongside the rest of the property to protect it for much longer.

Know when you can make the fixes they need

Prevention is the key, but even if you’re starting to see problems with your furniture, that doesn’t mean that it’s necessary to replace the entire piece of furniture just yet. Loose rungs on the share can be fixed by regluing them in place, while you can add braces to chairs that might be getting a little wobbly as their joints come loose. Even metal furniture can be protected, with the help of things like industrial grinders to smooth down and restore the surface of metal objects that are getting dull or showing the signs of age. Having the ability to show a little care to your furniture can help you keep it looking and feeling perfectly fine for years to come, instead of having to replace it at the first sign of trouble.

Don’t buy first-hand when you don’t need to

Sometimes, you simply are going to need a replacement and there’s nothing else to be said about the matter. When that happens, going to your local manufacturer or supplier might not always be the right decision. There are plenty of places to buy second-hand furniture for the office and many of these providers will even offer then refurbished, meaning that they have taken care to ensure that they are safe and working, and might have even fixed some of the surface-level signs of wear and tear that they have accumulated. Of course, if you buy second-hand furniture and it doesn’t match your quality standards, then you shouldn’t buy from that place again.

With the tips above, hopefully, you can help everything in the office last just a bit longer and, when it can’t, maybe you can find more sensible replacements that are better for your bottom line.

Workplace Improvements for Your Office

StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |Workplace Improvements|Workplace Improvements for Your OfficeWhen you run a business, you have all sorts of areas to focus on. You’re going to have to accept helping hands at some point or another. Sure, outsourcing can work for one off and occasional tasks, but when it comes to the day to day running of things, you’re going to need to build a team to keep up with your consumers’ demand. If you’re going to have a team, you’re going to have to provide them with a workplace. Now, over the course of the past couple of years, many people have been working from home wherever possible, slowing and reducing the spread of coronavirus around the world. However, now that hospitalisations are reducing, many people are preparing for a return to the office. You may be wondering how you can make the office as positive and productive an environment as possible for your staff. Here are a few options that you might want to take into consideration.

Make the Space Covid Secure

Some people will still be nervous about returning to the office. You should make sure that the space is Covid secure to make people feel as comfortable as possible heading back. There are a number of measures you can take to make the space better. Hire a professional cleaner to carry out in-depth cleaning and you may even want to consider anti-viral fogging. Implement social distancing measures by separating desks or installing perspex barriers between each workspace. You may also want to implement a one way system and limits to numbers of people in smaller spaces.

Provide Lockers

People may want to be able to leave their personal belongings in a secure and safe space, as opposed to just shoving their bags and other items under their desks, where they can get in the way and even cause a trip hazard. Consider investing in lockers, each with a locker door, for your team, so they each have a locked, private space to store personal belongings during the work day.

Make Sure There’s Plenty of Natural Light

Believe it or not, natural light does so much more than making an office space look better. It can also help to maximise staff members’ productivity. Our body’s circadian rhythms control our sleep wake cycle and this cycle determines when we’re feeling productive and when we’re not. If your workspace is flooded with natural light, your team’s bodies will recognise that it’s daytime and they will perk up.

Consider Hybrid Working

Sure, fully remote working isn’t ideal for every company. But many staff members have found themselves enjoying working from home. So, you may want to reach a compromise by providing hybrid working contracts. This will require staff to work in office on set days and will allow them to work from home some days. This can help with staff retention rates.

Each of these steps can make all the difference when it comes to making your workplace a more pleasant and productive for your staff to spend time in. Implement a few to see improvements!

How to Create an Impressive Office

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A potential client or employee will make their mind up within a few seconds of laying eyes on your office. If you want to prove you are a professional business with a great company culture, you should find out how to create an impressive office.

Eye-Catching Wall Wraps

Give your office the wow factor by adding striking wall wraps, which will add a little color and personality into the space, and will exude professionalism and a great company culture. Pick a design that complements both your branding and office layout, so your guests will remember a visit long after a meeting or interview is over.

Branded Sweets

Clients want to work with companies that have exceptional attention to detail – and branded sweets can prove just that. It’s a fun, welcoming and professional treat for guests to enjoy when they visit, so they’re bound to be impressed by the effort you have made to create a warm welcome, while reinforcing your brand recognition.

A Friendly Welcome

A receptionist will provide a first impression of your staff and company culture. Only hire friendly, warm and welcoming receptionists, who are willing to go above and beyond to make guests feel welcome. For instance, they should smile at every guest, offer them a seat and a drink, and keep them updated on their meeting to avoid frustration. You should also ensure the phone is not left ringing, as a client will believe your company will ignore their call, too.

Welcome Natural Lighting

Exposure to natural lighting will not only make your staff feel both happier and healthier, but it can also make a space appear more open. As a result, it can increase your employees’ morale and productivity levels, which can help your business to both flourish and grow.

24-Hour News on TV

24-hour news on TV will not only allow your team to stay up-to-date on the latest happenings from across the world, but it will also prove to your guests that you’re keeping updated with the latest trends. As a result, they’ll view your brand as a forward-thinking business that is worthy of their time and money.

Display Artwork

Artwork can add a burst of color to your office space, and it can also convey intelligence and professionalism. Choose a work of art that not only adds a pop of color into a room, but complements your company’s image.

Big & Bold Potted Plants

There are many reasons to incorporate big and bold potted plants into your office. Not only are they a beautiful addition to an interior design, but they can also reportedly increase employee happiness and reduce stress levels. It will also provide a natural contrast to your décor and can prove you can take care of multiple things across the business with ease.

Offer Branded Pens

Branded pens are an ideal stationery item for your business, as you can hand them to guests during a meeting. You should then encourage them to take the pen with them, so they’ll have a subtle reminder of your brand once they leave your office. As a result, you’ll remain firmly in their minds, and a client might be more likely to hire your services.

Strategize Your Work Environment And Ensure That It’s Working For You

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Interior Design And Layout

If your organization has a dark, dull, and gloomy appearance; it will affect the atmosphere and the mood and motivation of your team. Therefore, you’ll need to put together a plan of action regarding your offices or workspace, and how you’re going to design and decorate them. Natural light is the best way to boost moods and will impact the momentum and productivity of your staff; so let as much window light into the space as possible. You can learn more about the psychology of light and how it affects productivity here and gain some inspiration.Take down tired looking vertical and roller blinds and step out of the 80s and 90s to expose the light and any sun that may creep through. Your staff will appreciate the lift in the mood and feel of the office environment which will push them to work harder.

Keep paint colors as fresh and light as possible; it will help to enhance the natural light you’ve encouraged into the space and help to keep busy brains focused and clear-thinking. Don’t over clutter an environment with too much on the walls; motivational artwork, quotes, and targets are a great idea. However, an overly-crowded wall space will affect the clarity and thought processes of workers.

The layout of the desks, chairs, equipment, and other office furniture should allow the room to feel open and filled with air. Cramped and claustrophobic office environments, from furniture that’s too close together, will only stunt the abilities of your organization and your staff’s willingness to work hard. If a person wants to leave their desk the whole day due to feeling uncomfortable and squashed; their focus will not be on the task at hand, which will slow down your productivity and any results that you need. You don’t need to create a totally open-plan environment for your team; but bear in mind the size of surfaces, people’s storage solutions, and gauge the mood of the space before making any changes.

Exterior Maintenance And Refurbs

Alongside the interior space where your team keep your organization in full swing; your exterior will have a major role to play in the comfort, happiness, and productivity of anyone that walks through your doors. If buildings are left shabby, damaged, and unkempt, they can begin to cause damage to the inside of the property. Ensuring that your building is weatherproof will help to protect it from the element and any damage in the long run. Therefore, it’s worth seeking the help of commercial builders and industrial roofing contractors who will make sure the property is watertight and windproof; preventing damp, structural damage, and interior mold from affecting the smooth running of your business.

Maintaining the outside of the building will also help to improve its aesthetic appeal as people enter and leave the space. First impressions are crucial in the successful running of an organization, so make sure that as any potential clients enter your doors, they see quality and begin to grow confident in your business. Your team will also get a boost if they’re walking into a space they feel proud of; your organization needs to show that it cares about the details, so a tired looking exterior will never be good for business.

Make sure that you hire a commercial service to clean your windows regularly so that the light can continue to penetrate the inside space and the outside of your building will feel clean and tidy. Little touches, like your branding on new signage and hardy plants at the entrance, will also make a difference to the appeal of the building’s exterior. Make your company’s building a space that’s inviting and people will want to enter; invest in professional services where needed and carry out regular checks on the appearance so that you can fix what’s been changed as soon as possible.

Accessibility And Utilization

You will want your staff, customers, and clients to be able to reach the entrance of your building with ease so that nobody feels frustrated before the working day has even begun. Therefore, you’ll need to ensure that all of your paving, parking, and pathways remain tidy, clean, and safe. Make sure that outside surfaces are as flat and smooth as possible, and replace any wobbly slabs, stone, or brickwork. It will affect the aesthetics of your building as mentioned before, and will also ensure that everyone walks through your doors content and they won’t feel disheveled. You don’t want to risk a lawsuit either; you’ll be the one liable for accidents caused by potholes, broken walls and pathways, and badly maintained pathways, so invest wisely before you end up paying out.

Facilities, like bins and any parking meters and dividers, not only need to be provided but also need to be kept an eye on. If your exterior bins are overflowing, it can cause a health hazard and will upset visitors to your organization, so make sure they are emptied regularly. If you do have onsite parking with a meter; ensure that it works properly, so as not to frustrate and add stress to anybody’s day. If there are any problems; call the relevant help immediately and deal with the issue. Make sure that the maintenance and safety of the access and parking areas of your building are a priority; once these are up to a high standard, you can begin to think about the decorative aspects of the exterior space.

Harmony vs Chaos: Keep Employees on the Same Page

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Making sure everyone in your business is on the page shouldn’t be seen as mere courtesy. When everyone is on the same page, then it becomes much easier for business to go smoothly! You want everyone working in some sort of harmony, in order to fight off the chaos that big business projects can often bring.

Employees are your strongest asset, but you’re doing them a disservice if communication and collaboration isn’t that strong in your business. Here are a few tips you should keep in mind.

Contribution

If employees don’t feel all that involved in certain aspects of the business, then it’s going to be more difficult for them to really engage as deeply as you want them to. One of the best ways to encourage professional harmony in the workplace is to get more employees involved in the planning process of a particular project, or even in its inception. Of course, you have to balance this with the risk of having too many cooks in the kitchen – this approach may stretch out the planning process. It could benefit the project in the long run, though.

Collaboration

The easier it is to collaborate, the more people you’re going to get on the same page. Thankfully, there’s a bunch of software and web applications you can use to facilitate this. SharePoint, a Microsoft Office feature, is currently gaining popularity in this area. It’s relatively new to many people, however, so consider working with a consultancy business such as HingePoint to help people get used to things. There’s also suites such as Google Drive, communication programs such as Skype and Google Hangouts, and project management web apps such as Trello and Basecamp that are all recommended.

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Documentation

Whether it be documents detailing the goals of the project or notes taken from meetings, keeping strong documentation of the project is pretty essential. When people get a little lost, they can refer to a central piece of information – such as a project bible – to help them get back on track and see what the particular aims and expectations are. This is also very useful for instances in which employees are late, have to take a sick day, and return from vacation. You should make sure that these documents are kept up-to-date, too; they shouldn’t be static texts. After all, things are probably going to change a few times on a given project!

Sociability

A lot of business owners see encouraging sociability to be something quite peripheral to work. They want to keep things friendly in the office, though they also know that these good vibes can also increase satisfaction, which helps drive productivity and focus. But encouraging sociability really helps in a very direct way when it comes to people being on the same page at the workplace. When bonds grow between employees, they don’t only talk about private or trivial matters – they also begin to talk about work more frankly, and become more enthusiastic to offer each other help. So arranging after-work social events, as well as allowing employees a bit of space to talk casually from time to time, can help your business more than you might think.