Meeting Pods Look Out! Traditional Meeting Rooms Could Come Back with a Vengeance!
Once a standard of the office space, traditional meeting rooms seemed to fall behind on appeal with the introduction of open office space designs and the more flexible and modernly designed office meeting pods. However, as “cool” the new meeting pods have become, traditional meeting rooms could still have their place in an office space. With some new improvements and features, traditional meeting rooms could gain some ground and come back with a vengeance!
Some new features that we could see being added to new and improved traditional meeting rooms include the following:
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Going Digital! – From digital door labels to digital attendee sign-ins and calendar bookings, traditional meeting rooms could take full advantage of advanced digital technologies. Applying touch screen models of digital displays could add to the aesthetic appeal of the new traditional meeting room.
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Built-in power supplies – Flexibility won’t only be for meeting pods. Meeting room tables are now being built to have enough built-in power supplies to allow each individual user the option to plug in their tablets or other electronic device and use the meeting table as a co-working space.
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Flexible Glass Wall Systems – Ceiling to floor glass walls, whether permanent or temporary, will likely be the walls of choice to frame the new traditional meeting room as their transparency allows for the emitting of natural light while still offering a level of separation from other office activities. The walls may incorporate a door, or offer more flexible options in the form of folding or sliding walls, thereby allowing a meeting room to either become a part of the office space decor or an office community meeting space while open, or a boardroom/meeting room while closed. In addition, temporary glass partitions could be added to further create break-out meeting rooms out of the original meeting room space when in use.
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E-Paper Display solutions – Along with white-boards and/or blackboards and the use of presentation software, traditional flip chart and presentation paper pads could be replaced with electronic or “E-paper” electronic display devices that reflect light like paper and mimic the appearance of ordinary ink on paper.
Even with a strong come-back of traditional meeting rooms, we can’t say that meeting pods are fading out. Meeting pods will still have a place with businesses that value flexibility in an open-space office environment for team collaboration meetings, informal staff get-togethers or simply to give individuals a place where each can take some time to recharge. They may just have to co-exist to give added flexibility to how an office space could be designed in the near future.
Happy Thanksgiving!
DJ Mcgauley and Associates Inc. is your Office Space Planning, Renovations and Relocation Project Management Company of choice. If a renovation or relocation of your office space is in your plans, please contact us to arrange a no-obligation site meeting. By the end of that meeting, you will know all that would be required to make your office renovation/relocation project a successful reality.
Call 416-239-1931, email [email protected] or visit our website for more information and to complete our contact form.
The Power of “Thank You”
Thank you–It’s a phrase that can easily be taken for granted, especially in business, but when it is said or expressed in a timely and relative fashion to colleagues, employees or even clientele, it creates a wave of positive results for a business:
“Thank you” encourages your best employees to continue being the best…or get even better. Whether they come up with a really innovative idea, or follow through on a project or close a sale, saying or expressing a “thank you” will encourage the recipients to do even better next time, and maybe surrounding employees to achieve the same thus ensuing a positive effect on employee performance.
“Thank you” helps companies keep the best employees. A business that cultivates “thank you” as part of its culture or environment will encourage its best employees to stick with them and not veer towards the competition.
“Thank you” improves business performance. With your employees feeling appreciated, business productivity could easily increase or improve. Deadlines and business opportunities would likely be achieved more often instead of missed.
“Thank you” encourages repeat business, especially if a client’s needs were met or exceeded the first or previous times.
Heck, I’ll even go as far to say that based on all the above, “Thank you” can have a direct positive effect on your bottom line!
Saying or expressing a “thank you” does not need to be expensive, but it does needs to be
- Timely – said at or as close to the time the event or action being thanked for has taken place,
- Specific – expressed in direct relation to the exact event, action or result being thanked for, and
- Relative to the recipient(s) receiving the “Thank you”. There are many ways to say “thank you” — cards, public recognition, gift certificates, awards, luncheons, social media recognition, etc—but not every way works effectively for everyone. Get to know your employees, and you will know how to best say “thanks” to them when they do something that helps achieve your business goals.
Most importantly, saying “Thank you” needs to be a carefully crafted business strategy that when done well, can give a business a competitive edge in the marketplace.
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DJ Mcgauley and Associates Inc. is your Office Space Planning, Renovations and Relocation Project Management Company of choice. If a renovation or relocation of your office space is in your plans, please contact us to arrange a no-obligation site meeting. By the end of that meeting, you will know all that would be required to make your office renovation/relocation project a successful reality.
Call 416-239-1931, email [email protected] or visit our website for more information and to complete our contact form.
References:
Leibow, C., Huffington Post, Feb 15, 2014, “The Power of Thank You”, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cathy-leibow/the-power-of-thank-you_b_4441454.html
Peters R., Standard of Trust, Dec 30, 2015, “5 Key Employee Recognition Trends in 2016”, https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/5-key-employee-recognition-trends-2016-rob-peters
Heathfield, S.M., The Balance, Aug 11, 2016, “The Power of Positive Employee Recognition”, https://www.thebalance.com/the-power-of-positive-employee-recognition-1919054
Key words: Thank you
Tags: thank you, employee recognition, office culture, office environment
The New Face of Office Space Storage
In the new world of office space design and office furniture, the key is flexibility. From flexible walls to mobile office furniture to meeting pods, everything that defines an office space needs to be “subject to change” in location or look with relatively little to no difficulty, time or expense— or at the very least, be able to serve multiple purposes. Office space storage cabinets are no exception.
Office space storage cabinets for 2017 will not only take on a slightly different look but also serve more than one purpose. In terms of looks, the new standard filing cabinet could be customized to incorporate the colour scheme of the office, and have a glass or wooden top surface. The individual storage areas in a cabinet can be a set of horizontal drawers, vertical cabinet doors or a combination of both, allowing for multiple storage systems to be used in one office space storage unit. For example, the horizontal drawer space would be used for letter, legal or A4 filing, while the vertical cabinet door area would be used to hang up coats and store personal belongings. All sections of the office space storage unit would have secure locking systems to keep all contents safe.
And no longer will they necessarily have to be lined up against a wall—they can be the wall! That’s right! Creatively placed in an open office space design, the new office space storage cabinets can be used as a divider to further define or separate a work space from a meeting space. How clever is that?
With the rising popularity of flex hours and desk sharing, and the more simple contemporary designs of actual office desks, the popularity of storage at an actual desk is on the decline. It only makes sense that file storage cabinet units pick up the slack with their new contemporary design and purpose.
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DJ Mcgauley and Associates Inc. is your Office Space Planning, Renovations and Relocation Project Management Company of choice. If a renovation or relocation of your office space is in your plans, please contact us to arrange a no-obligation site meeting. By the end of that meeting, you will know all that would be required to make your office renovation/relocation project a successful reality.
Call 416-239-1931, email [email protected] or visit our website for more information and to complete our contact form.
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References:
Cooper, E., Office Design Advice, Posture People, “Office Furniture Trends for 2017”, http://www.posturepeople.co.uk/office-furniture-trends-2017
Apres, FRD Comb:Store, Cabinet and Drawer Combined Office Storage, www. apresfurniture.co.uk/frd-combi-store
Happy Labour Day Weekend!
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DJ Mcgauley and Associates Inc. is your Office Space Planning, Renovations and Relocation Project Management Company of choice. If a renovation or relocation of your office space is in your plans, please contact us to arrange a no-obligation site meeting. By the end of that meeting, you will know all that would be required to make your office renovation/relocation project a successful reality.
Call 416-239-1931, email [email protected] or visit our website for more information and to complete our contact form.
Could Leasing Office Space in a LEED-CERTIFIED and/or BOMA BESt building be better for your bottom line?
Protecting the environment and “Going Green” have been ongoing fads, particularly within the last decade. Some companies have made it their mission to be environmentally responsible and publicize this intent in order to appeal to current and potential clients that share the same enthusiasm of going green. Government programs like Ontario’s Feed-in Tariff (FIT) program were even established to incentivize the increased use of renewable energy sources (solar, wind, waterpower, biomass, etc.) for home owners, building owners, and businesses in general aiming to use renewable energy sources to power their operations while tying into the grid…the results of which are apparently paying off. But what about organizations that lease office space? Will leasing office space in a building that is LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and/or BOMA BESt (Building Owners and Managers Association Building Environment Standards) certified be better for you, the lessee’s (i.e. tenant’s), bottom line?
Well, a recent investigation reveals that tenants of LEED-CERTIFIED buildings can experience – at least indirectly– some positive effects towards their bottom line in three areas:
Productivity – LEED-CERTIFIED office buildings are generally designed to have larger windows, more open spaces, and significantly better air quality compared to non-certified buildings. For the tenant, this translates to increased comfort, increased brain (innovative and creative) activity, a happier environment and better working spaces for employees, which in turn translates into increased productivity. Ch-Ching!
Marketability & Image Reinforcement – Tenants that market themselves as being socially responsible to the environment would only strengthen their position by being in an LEED-CERTIFIED building. When clientele visiting the office sees that the building they are entering is LEED-CERTIFIED, it will send a subconscious message to their brain that your company is likely to be trustworthy because it is consistent with the image set forth in its marketing strategy, “one that stands by what it says and believes”. More trust means ease in closing of sales leading to potentially more business with existing clients, or referrals leading to growth with new clients. Ch-Ching!
Costs – I would be remiss if I did not address costs. LEED-CERTIFIED office buildings save millions of dollars in energy consumption on an annual basis. For tenants, this could translate into lower utility costs per square foot if utilities are somehow treated separately from the actual lease rates within a lease agreement. As for the lease rates themselves, recent studies have shown that lease rates for office spaces in LEED-certified buildings are currently higher than in similar non-certified buildings simply because their unique sustainability increases the overall market value of the building. However, demand for more green-friendly or sustainable commercial properties means that LEED-CERTIFIED and BOMA BESt certified buildings will eventually become the standard for all commercial office buildings, thus the competition to attract and retain the best tenants may result in lease rates eventually declining.
Leasing an office space that is LEED-CERTIFIED and/or BOMA BESt certified has its benefits. Whether direct or indirect, large or small, even a tenant’s bottom line can experience a positive impact on its bottom line when leasing in an LEED-CERTIFIED building.
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DJ Mcgauley and Associates Inc. is your Office Space Planning, Renovations and Relocation Project Management Company of choice. If a renovation or relocation of your office space is in your plans, please contact us to arrange a no-obligation site meeting. By the end of that meeting, you will know all that would be required to make your office renovation/relocation project a successful reality.
Call 416-239-1931, email [email protected] or visit our website for more information and to complete our contact form
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References:
IESO, Ontario Power Authority, FIT Program, http://fit.powerauthority.on.ca/fit-program
Fergusen, Robert, Multibriefs Exclusive Content, Benefits of LEED certification for Business Headquarters, http://www.multibriefs.com/briefs/exclusive/benefits_of_LEED_certification.htm
Clark, John, Property Biz Canada, August 11, 2016, How Many Red Buildings Do You Have in your Portfolio?, http://renx.ca/many-red-buildings-portfolio/
Bentall Kennedy News and Media, October 6, 2015, Ground-breaking research finds that green office buildings deliver higher income and value, http://www.bentallkennedy.com/news-2015-10-06.php
Enjoy your Civic Holiday Weekend!
DJ Mcgauley and Associates Inc. is your Office Space Planning, Renovations and Relocation Project Management Company of choice. If a renovation or relocation of your office space is in your plans, please contact us to arrange a no-obligation site meeting. By the end of that meeting, you will know all that would be required to make your office renovation/relocation project a successful reality.
Call 416-239-1931, email [email protected] or visit our website for more information and to complete our contact form.
Conventional Broadband or Fibre Optic? That is the Question…
There are many factors to consider when choosing an office space. The most obvious include location and accessibility to public transit, highways or the airport; square footage of the office space; the layout of the office space and its conduciveness to a company’s business needs—just to name a few. However, with more and more businesses utilizing the internet and telecommunications for social media marketing, video conferencing and other day to day online business activities, another factor companies should be taken into consideration when considering a new office space is the location’s communications infrastructure—more specifically, whether the infrastructure is conventional broadband or fibre optic.
The bottomline differences between conventional broadband and fibre optic are in the cost, safety and resulting productivity. Businesses that are heavily dependent on telecommunications and internet usage would want their office space to be wired throughout with fibre optic cabling because of its higher transmitting or carrying capacity (1G vs 200Mb – literally five times faster than conventional broadband), signal reliability (i.e. less signal interference or degradation compared to that of conventional broadband due to dedicated fibre optic strands per signal or data transmission), and it is less of a fire hazard than that of conventional copper-wired broadband. These features translate into lower operational costs in the long term and higher revenues due to more captures (or less missed) of business opportunities.
Of course, companies should not feel at a disadvantage if the office space being considered has a conventional broadband infrastructure. High speed and relatively high carrying capacities are still available with a conventional broadband infrastructure which could still prove sufficient depending on a business’ operational demands. Besides, conventional broadband infrastructures are more readily available in most locations than would be the fibre optic infrastructure, though that could change in the near future.
So, if your company is in the market for a new office space, ask the real estate representative or landlord about the location’s communication infracture. The response, whether fibre optic or conventional broadband, could help determine the competitive edge your company could have in the marketplace.
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DJ Mcgauley and Associates Inc. is your Office Space Planning, Renovations and Relocation Project Management Company of choice. If a renovation or relocation of your office space is in your plans, please contact us to arrange a no-obligation site meeting. By the end of that meeting, you will know all that would be required to make your office renovation/relocation project a successful reality.
Call 416-239-1931, email [email protected] or visit our website for more information and to complete our contact form.
References:
McLean, Steve, Property Biz Canada, june 29, 2016, “Fibre Optic Should Be A factor in Choosing offices” http://renx.ca/fibre-optic-factor-choosing-offices/
Freudenrich, Craig, TECH, Advantages of Fiber Optics, http://computer.howstuffworks.com/fiber-optic4.htm
Braithwaite, Matilda, Broadband Choice, Cable vs Fiber Optic Broadband: What’s th difference?, https://www.broadbandchoices.co.uk/ask-our-expert/cable-vs-fibre
Who says you can’t sleep on the job? Introducing Sleeping Pods
What was once considered a reason to permanently relieve a person from their duties if done at work is now slowly being re-looked at by companies as just one more way to promote well-being and increased productivity amongst staff members. I am referring to sleep. And with the introduction of sleeping pods in an office space, staff catching up on lost sleep during their break or lunch hours, will be much more easily facilitated.
What are sleeping pods? In short, they are self contained units built for one, and designed for the sole purpose of allowing its user a private place to nap. Similar to office pods, sleeping pods are portable, sound proof, and can either be fully or partially enclosed. Some sleeping pods are even stackable, therefore allowing multiple units to be in an office space without taking up a large amount of its real estate.
Inspired by space and submarine sleeping capsules, sleeping pods at minimum include some form of mattress or bed upon which the user can lay down horizontally and rest. Some sleeping pods, however, can be outfitted with shelving for personal items, a radio, CD or DVD player and/or television to keep the individual entertained while in resting position.
Why introduce the option to sleep at work? According to Global Dean of Research, Ashridge Executive Education, Hult International Business School, Vicki Culpi, “Memory, attention, decision making, creativity and innovative thinking, highly relevant skills in the work environment, have all been shown to be affected by poor sleep, and the effects can appear after only a few nights of poor sleep. In addition, chronic sleep restriction, over longer periods of time, have been linked to diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease.” Affording employees the opportunity to “disconnect and recharge” in a sleeping pod, even for just 15 minutes, has shown improvement in all of the above areas as well as promoted an increase in productivity, creativity and innovation amongst staff.
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DJ Mcgauley and Associates Inc. is your Office Space Planning, Renovations and Relocation Project Management Company of choice. If a renovation or relocation of your office space is in your plans, please contact us to arrange a no-obligation site meeting. By the end of that meeting, you will know all that would be required to make your office renovation/relocation project a successful reality.
Call 416-239-1931, email [email protected] or visit our website for more information and to complete our contact form.
References:
Ross, Eleanor, Virgin.com, Feb 1, 2016, “Are sleeping pods about to become commonplace in offices?”, https://www.virgin.com/entrepreneur/are-sleeping-pods-about-become-commonplace-offices
Celebrate Canada Day, July 1, 2016!!
DJ Mcgauley and Associates Inc. is your Office Space Planning, Renovations and Relocation Project Management Company of choice. If a renovation or relocation of your office space is in your plans, please contact us to arrange a no-obligation site meeting. By the end of that meeting, you will know all that would be required to make your office renovation/relocation project a successful reality.
Call 416-239-1931, email [email protected] or visit our website for more information and to complete our contact form.
Corporate Space Planning & Relocation Advice 