Monthly Archives: December 2021

The new way of working, what is that?

The new work is like this

Have you ever heard of the new way of working, but have no idea what it exactly entails and what you can do as a company to make it possible? Read all about this vision below and apply it yourself.

The new way of working, what is it actually?

The goal of the new way of working is to make everyone’s work more effective, efficient and enjoyable. Employees will have more freedom to choose how, where and when they work. This can be at the office, but also on the train or at home. The work is also result-oriented, instead of employees just sitting out their time. Freedom and flexibility are also important in the office. For example, there are no fixed workplaces and there are different rooms for different types of work.

How can you furnish your office according to the new way of working?

First of all, it is important that employees see the office as a kind of home base. A meeting place where they feel inspired and connected to each other. According to the new way of working, this can be achieved by organizing workplaces according to the type of task that is performed. For example, it is important to distinguish between communication work and concentration work. Brainstorming, relaxing, concentrating or meeting. These are all other tasks, which are best performed in places that are equipped for it. Places where things like light, color and design have been taken into account.

The benefits for employees

The new way of working has benefits for both employees and companies. Employees are given more freedom to decide for themselves where and when they work. This is great for anyone without a 9-to-5 mentality and people who like to focus on other important things in life besides work. Furthermore, the new design and working atmosphere will make the office feel like a place where inspiration and ideas can be shared. Employees therefore enjoy their work more and are more motivated and involved. This is of course reflected in productivity. And that’s good for everyone.

The benefits for companies

First of all, happy employees make for happy employers. Because when an employee feels that he is in the right place, this is reflected in the results. But there are even more benefits for companies that embrace the new way of working. Workplaces are set up more efficiently and effectively, as certain tasks that will be performed are taken into account. More attention will be paid to the working environment and empty spaces will be filled in. This can save square meters and therefore also costs.

Modern Office Design

Forget Google about the slides and ski lifts and bean bags. For the sake of convenience, also ignore Microsoft for the ultramodern meeting places that everyone can use. (Yep, also people who don’t work there or aren’t customers at all). Every company wants a modern office design and you can arrange that quite easily. In this article we give you some tips and inspiration to get ahead with your office design. No overturned boats. Or scooters transformed into a stool.

The more daylight, the better

Light makes everyone happy and productive. That should not be missing in your office design. A modern office has many high and large windows. Daylight not only improves work performance, but also gives an office a modern look. You know that saying: ‘As romantic as a fluorescent tube?’ It’s there for a reason. Good lighting is also important in a modern office design. The following applies: the more unique the better. From round and convex shapes to tight and straight shapes. Choose mood and work lighting that is both beautiful and efficient!

The more transparent, the better

Dark, cluttered offices are passé. An office should be a place where you find inspiration and where you come into contact with people. Why should we still shield our office spaces, meeting rooms and other areas with closed walls? Openness is a must-have in your new modern office design. But how do you create a space that is both open and shielded? Simple: with glass. Glass doors, glass walls. This also improves the amount of daylight in your office. Win win!

The more flexible, the better

Flexible workplaces have become an integral part of modern corporate culture. And therefore, not from your modern office design. Flexible workplaces are workplaces where everyone sits down with his or her laptop. Fixed places and desks are therefore a thing of the past. Be creative with the places and try to set up the layout as freely as possible. Try to set up cozy corners and secluded areas for consultation, telephone calls and relaxation.

The more sustainable, the better

Secretly we have all become sustainability freaks. We like to eat organic; we separate our waste and we buy sustainable clothing. A modern office design can therefore not lag behind in terms of sustainability and environmental friendliness. So, choose sustainable office furniture, for example. But energy-efficient electronics should also not be missing in your ultramodern office design. As icing on the cake, you finish your interior with greenery. Green, green and greener. Plants in the office provide more oxygen in the room. They purify the air and provide a relaxed feeling. Can’t beat a beanbag.

The more relaxing, the better

Creativity should flow naturally in the office. But an uninspired and uncomfortable environment make that a bit more difficult. Therefore, create interactive spaces with various seating and relaxation options. For example, create a nice sitting area with a really comfortable living room chair. Or place a table football or table tennis table in the room. The more relaxing, the better! Free tip: discuss this with your employees. What do they like to do? This way you can be sure that the new acquisitions are actually used.

An inspiring office design: these 4 ideas bring creativity and balance

The workplace, a place where many thousands of people in the Netherlands are every day. A place where you like to be inspired to carry out your work. A place where peace and creativity should come together and be well balanced. These ideas contribute to an inspiring and creative office design.

  1. Order in the chaos

In a workplace where a lot of paper is used, it is difficult to keep order and overview of your documents and to keep the office tidy. Fortunately, there are several storage options. For example, you can place a cupboard that, in addition to storage, also immediately functions as a partition from the room. Handy for when you want to create several open offices within one large space. In any case, everything you can store won’t be lying around on the desk.

  1. A colorful acoustic

The acoustics of a workplace are very important. At first you may not think about the importance of office acoustics, but noise nuisance in the workplace causes a lot of frustration. To prevent this, several systems have been designed, including desk walls, suspended ceilings, wall panels and design objects that optimize the office acoustics of the room. These systems not only have a practical effect, but also immediately provide a fun and creative addition to the interior.

  1. Green in the workplace

An inspiring workplace contributes to productivity in the workplace. The presence of plants on the work floor ensures good humidity, it absorbs polluting gases such as cleaning agents and the oxygen supply ensures that plants reduce stress. Providing the workplace with plants therefore benefits the health of employees, which in turn has a positive effect on productivity.

  1. Lounge area

Also create spaces in the office where employees can relax during the break or where customers can wait for their appointment. Something other than sitting behind a desk can be very inspiring for the brain. Creating an opportunity to bring people into contact with each other and have them brainstorm has a positive effect on labor productivity. The arrangement of such a room does not have to be complicated at all. A few nice chairs or a sofa, a nice rug and some paintings on the wall can do a lot.

Office Desk

OFFICE TRENDS FOR 2022

The end of 2021 is being a time of transition, little by little the offices begin to recover their usual activity, or to define their new way of working, which in many cases goes through a hybrid work system.

In the midst of all these transformations, the office trends for 2022 are committed to open spaces, versatility, and the conception of the office as a place not only destined for strict work, but also designed to offer its workers the spaces they need. to interact, exchange, and continue training. The objective is to increase their productivity in all aspects, and provide well-being and engagement with the company, updating the spaces and services of the offices.

Let’s see what exactly those office trends take shape for 2022:

OPEN SPACES

Open spaces continue to be the main protagonists of change. Individual offices seem like a thing of the past, but we must warn that not everything goes in terms of open spaces. Although it is true that the elimination of architectural barriers such as walls is a trend, completely open spaces are not recommended if we want them to be efficient. The solution is to have smaller dividing elements -which also allow easy reconfiguration-, they do not obstruct the vision, they can be sound absorbing, and they also bring warmth to open spaces.

VERSATILE FURNITURE

Open spaces are accompanied by the need to carry out several tasks in the same space, and for this, having versatile furniture, easy to move and adapt to the express needs of the moment, is essential. For example, this reconfigurable waiting sofa can also become a fundamental element for a soft seating area in which to hold informal meetings.

LEISURE AND LIGHT WORK SPACES

In addition to the versatile spaces, the soft seating, or the work-café, which we have already talked about in previous articles, the areas specifically designed for the rest of the workers are one of the trends for this 2022. These types of spaces improve the employee welfare, enhance interpersonal relationships and encourage creativity.

SUSTAINABILITY AND COMFORT

Comfort is not incompatible with sustainability! In 2022, caring for the environment is an upward trend in office design, from reducing waste to choosing sustainable materials such as wood, it is a transversal trend. Our advice: bet on the introduction of natural elements within the design of the spaces, such as water fountains, plants, or a vertical garden.

EFFICIENT LIGHTING

LED lighting has been a great revolution, saving costs and allowing the generation of different environments. Despite the fact that most lighting systems are dimmable in intensity and even in tone, it should be remembered that different types of lamps are necessary to achieve optimal lighting depending on the tasks. So, bet on light in all its variants for this 2022.

What’s your favorite office trend for next year?

COMMON SPACES IN THE OFFICE: WHICH ONES ARE ESSENTIAL?

Modern offices have very different needs to those of a few years ago, and it is that not only have the ways of working and the strategies changed to be competitive; Covid-19 and the popularization of hybrid work are also transforming workspaces.

Having a creative team, generating engagement and promoting lateral thinking were already enough reasons to bet on common spaces in the office. Now that semi-presence has become the most common in companies, common spaces are even more necessary than before to respond to the true needs of employees.

In this article we are going to see what common spaces should not be missing in your office, why you should have them in your design and what function they should fulfill.

COLLABORATION AND TEAMWORK AREAS

Face-to-face work in the office will increasingly be focused on sharing, collaboration, coordination, and all those tasks that are more complex to perform through teleworking.

Meeting rooms, which have always been important, now acquire a greater prominence, and a more intensive use. The ideal is to have several common areas where it is easy to collaborate, although it is not always necessary that they be completely separate rooms. The dividing elements with plants or sound-absorbing furniture are a great option, which also allows a quick reconfiguration of the spaces to adapt them to the different needs of each moment.

LEARNING AND TRAINING AREAS

Training, meetings with the entire staff, meetings, holding events… these are needs that will become more and more frequent. We are in a time of profound changes in which maintaining cohesion and coherence is one of the main challenges. For this, it is necessary to have adequate spaces within the offices.

A spacious and versatile space, which can be used both for training and for conferences and company events, is now much more useful than individual offices.

INFORMAL MEETING AREAS

Have a coffee, eat something in the middle of the morning, talk in a relaxed way with colleagues, exchange opinions … Socialize! Although it may seem contradictory, spaces for socialization and relaxation at work not only increase productivity, but also its quality.

Human beings are social by nature, and it is in those moments that we learn more fluidly from each other, we accompany each other in challenges, we avoid making mistakes that others have suffered, we generate camaraderie, and, ultimately, we multiply our intelligence to carry out the work in the best possible way thanks to the exchange.

RELAXATION AREAS

A small relaxation area in which to be able to disconnect in order to connect with more enthusiasm is the best investment you can make for your employees. Not only will your productivity increase, you will also be able to retain talent and generate commitment to your company.