Office Guild News

August 3, 2011

Two Office Configurations Passed Down to Me from My Interior Designer/Mom

My mom’s an interior designer.  After graduating from Stanford University she teamed up with Bill  Hewlett and Dave Packard drafting their ideas and helping craft what has become HP’s logo.  As a child I was able to watch her work in our house designing home offices for herself, my father, myself, and my two older brothers.  Now that I have three children of my own I am borrowing from her ideas to design my company office and home office as well.   Here are two ideas I observed over the years:

Home Office Idea # 1 (My Favorite which I use today in my company office) - For my brother’s home office my mom simply took a large rectangular work surface finished with laminate and secured it two to steel file, file pedestals.  My brother was able to organize his school and personal life in four file drawers that sat just below his work surface on his right and left.  I liked this idea because the work surface was very large and the storage was close and convenient.

Home Office Idea # 2 - My mom installed an L-Desk and then created a U-desk type work area by installing a two drawer lateral file at the end of the L.  Although this configuration can look awkward in some spaces it worked for us.  I use this design for my administrative assistants and they love it.

These are two ideas that you may want to consider if/when you address the ideal work environment for your office at work or home.

Project Management Continues to Increase at QOL Office Furniture

Congratulations business owners on making it past the first two calendar quarters of 2011.  As we wrap up the books on the first half of 2011 one interesting development here at QOL Office Furniture is a noticeable increase in project management requests from existing and new clients.  We’ve seen this trend for a number of years at QOL Office Furniture. After liquidating tens of millions of pounds of furniture we are recognized regionally and nationally as the reliable source for completing large, complicated liquidations.  Our local crew has been very busy with smaller scale office furniture installation and removal as well.  Thanks for your partnership.  We look forward to serving you diligently throughout the rest of 2011.

July 29, 2011

The Importance of Office Furniture Sustainability - Part 2

On June 27th, Bill Leach posted an editorial that suggested that a strong green policy necessitates that manufacturers use high quality materials to maintain a long life cycle with office furniture.  The opinion is simply that durability is a very green objective.  A long life cycle diminishes the environmental toll involved with  liquidating and replacing obsolete office furniture.

Interestingly, yesterday, Mike De Souza, of the Times Colnist in Victoria, Canada  expresses this same opinion as he argues that the Canadian government should shift their focus to re-manufactured office furniture from purchasing new furniture.  You can read his article by clicking on the link at the bottom of this post.

http://www.timescolonist.com/technology/Environment+Canada+spurns+office+furniture+recycling/5173976/story.html

July 22, 2011

Office Furniture Sales Update from the QOL Office Furniture Warehouse

This July at QOL Office Furniture we are seeing strong interest in Workstations, Seating, and Desks.   During the month of June storage solutions and book cases were on many of our clients’ purchase orders.  The recent shipment of Aeron chairs to our warehouse  and our existing inventory of Humanscale Freedom chairs are driving the July purchases at QOL Office Furniture.   Call (209) 464-4388 to place your order with the warehouse sales team today.

July 21, 2011

Office Furniture Design and You - What Your Local Bank Tells You About Current Furniture Design Trends.

If you want to determine what the predominant office furniture design trend is right now, then look no further than the recent evolution of your local bank.

Here’s what most folks today would say about their local bank. “My Bank is an ATM Machine or A Small Kiosk at a Supermarket.  My bank used to be akin to a church, a conspicsously large fortress in the center of the town or city.”

What does your bank tell you about office furniture design today?  It signals that designers expect the modern office to be smaller and more remote.   Designers expect the modern office to be a station where workers come to refuel through collaborative ideas with their colleagues and then take off to conduct their business through remote connectivity.

As you meet with your QOL Office Furniture Designer to plan your next project.  Make sure that you discuss with them current office furniture design trends and how they may or may not affect your company’s furniture standards in the future.

July 20, 2011

Technology and the Office Furniture Industry

I recently spent a day touring the facilities of two large agriculture companies.  Both CEO’s commented to me repeatedly that innovating higher quality with improved efficiency through technology is key to surviving and thriving in modern agriculture business.

Just two days later I opened up the June 2011 Insight Newsletter from the Office Furniture Dealers Alliance and the cover had these words “Finding the Technology to Drive a Dealership.”

Whether you are liquidating furniture, installing furniture, retailing new or used furniture, the market place today demands that you maintain a posture of continuous improvement through technology.  As the OFDA puts it, “Making an ongoing investment in technology is one of the best things you can do for your dealership to secure its long term prosperity and profitability.”

For those who seek to remain competitive in today’s office furniture market, technology remains a key part to optimizing the efforts of your team and your facility.

July 5, 2011

Office Furniture Manufacturer Knoll, Inc. Expected to Report Revenue and Earnings Growth Next Monday

Filed under: Cubicles, Office Furniture, Used Office Furniture — steve @ 5:13 pm

Knoll will be announcing its earnings results next Monday.  Like Herman Miller and Steelcase, Knoll’s results are expected to show sales growth and earnings growth.  For the last three quarters Knoll has seen revenue growth and growth in net operating income.

Knoll is another example that the office furniture industry remains in a growth phase.

June 30, 2011

The Health Benefits of Standing at Work

Filed under: Architecture and Office Design, Cubicles, Office Furniture — steve @ 11:02 am

The economy is tough and employees are asked to work more hours and are under more stress than in the past. Yes,you know exercise is important, but it’s really hard to make time in your busy schedule to visit a fitness center. Don’t despair. There are a number of easy ways to get exercise right now at your workplace.

Stop using the elevator in multi-level buildings. Making the climb or decent will burn calories; get the heart pumping to improve cardiovascular health; and tone the calves, glutes, and thighs. Whenever time allows, walk information to co-workers instead of calling, emailing, or faxing. Forgo the drive and walk to lunch. The coffee, snack, soda or smoking breaks can be traded in for a brisk walk and a visit to the water fountain. Even workers with their ear stuck to the phone all day can get in some extra steps by getting a headset that will allow them to stand and move around at least a little. By the end of the day, the steps can really add up. Try wearing a pedometer to measure the added steps.

Restaurants, vending machines, and fast food establishments are simple choices for people who work. However, their products are normally laden with empty calories. Be strategic and bring a nutritious lunch that you can carry to a recreational spot or other peaceful locale to enjoy.

Workers with an office space or cubicle can store some simple resistance bands, a one to two pound toning ball, hand weights, and ankle weights in their desk. They can get in a few upper and lower body exercises, such as bicep curls and leg lifts, while doing paperwork or making a phone call. The toning ball is great for workers doing a lot of typing; just do several sets of wrist curls and wrist rotations with the ball. Sitting on a larger fitness ball can provide some core body exercises during desk work, but the employer will need to approve such a seating change. Even if the above isn’t an option, workers should keep in mind that their body weight can be used as a resistance force. A quick set of dips and push-ups off the end of office furniture such as a desk or chair is an option.

Once in while parts of our body need to stop snoozing! These are our hard working muscles, tendons and ligaments. Squeeze the toes for ten to fifteen seconds. Next, move up the calf to contract the muscles for another ten to fifteen seconds. This reminder for your body should continue all the way up to the neck and shoulders.

In conclusion, each employment situation will not be appropriate for all forms of exercising at work. When brainstorming for ideas, include things that allow for natural movement to incorporate into a regular workday whenever possible. Something to keep in mind is that when you are standing up, you burn more calories than when you are sitting down, and when you walk, you burn more calories than when you are standing. There are many good ways to be more mobile while at work even though very few can enjoy a treadmill while they are at their desk.

Work and Exercise - The Elliptical Office Desk

Filed under: Cubicles, Office Furniture, Used Office Furniture — steve @ 10:32 am

We posted recently about the reported benefits of standing while at the office to improve your cardio vascular health. Hammacher Schlemmer has taken office furniture fitness to a new level with its Elliptical Machine Office Desk. The design of the office allows for the user to stand at their work station. If you choose to sit, your work station seating is an elliptical machine. The equipment allow you to exercise while working. The machine is priced at $8,000. If your tight on budget, we will post again the reported benefits of standing at work. Office furniture only works as well as you do so consider again today how you can interrupt long sedentary periods at your office space.

June 29, 2011

5 Simple Criteria for a Quality Office Furniture Project

Filed under: Cubicles, Office Furniture, Used Office Furniture — steve @ 3:01 pm

1. The office furniture has the look that you want.
2. The office furniture ties into the existing company requirements for furniture.
3. The office furniture, i.e. cubicles, though pre-owned or re-manufactured, matches the existing furniture.
4. The design team, sales team, project manager, and installation crew all completed their tasks with your interest at heart.
5. The design team and sales team creatively optimized your budget by using pre-owned, re-manufactured, and new furniture to complete your project.

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