Tag : workplace culture

Should you turn your office space into an arboretum? It might be a very good idea. According to an article by Dr. Leonard Perry at the University of Vermont, there’s plenty of evidence supporting the use of plants in the office. Benefits include stress relief, better air quality, and a more well-adjusted workforce. Here are a few highlights form the studies cited by Dr. Perry:

• Visual exposure to plants reduces blood pressure in a matter of minutes
• A shield of plants around a workspace can reduce noise by about 5 decibels
• Absenteeism goes down when more plants are introduced
• Plants release moisture into the air, creating the right humidity in the workplace for human comfort
• Attractive plants cost a lot less than pricey artwork, and people enjoy them more
• Contrary to what you might assume, introducing plants and soil is associated with lower mold and bacteria counts

Plants That Clean the Air

Apparently, many plants can remove airborne toxins such as VOCs, potentially relieving symptoms such as sore throat, headache, and fatigue. This reduction of toxins in the air is measurable, and NASA has created a list of plants that seem to be particularly effective. You can see a slideshow on that topic by Mother Nature Network here. A few you of the plants you might recognize include:

• Golden Pothos (this one is incredibly hardy and does very well indoors even with little or no natural light)
• Spider plant (excellent for hanging near exterior windows)
• Elephant ear philodendron (this one’s pretty big and good for shared spaces)
• Snake plant (thrives in humid areas like the restroom and can live with little light)
• Cornstalk dracaena (a resilient shrub that can be used as a space divider)

How to Care for Office Plants

Keeping plants alive in the office can be a bit of a challenge at first. Make it part of the facility management or janitorial routine and ensure workers know how to handle the plants in their space.

• Overwatering is worse than underwatering. If an employee is in charge of watering plants, ensure others know not to do additional watering. Coarse soil dries out faster than dense soil and requires more frequent watering.
• Supply a watering can to avoid drips and spills on the way from the break room or bathroom to the plants.
• Add fertilizer to plant pots on a regular basis to keep plants healthy.
• Have a plan in place to transplant office plants to larger pots as they grow. Some plants can be cloned or divided to create new plants in smaller pots.

Going green in the office is pretty simple once you make it a habit. What steps can you take to create a more plant-friendly office?

It’s the end of the month, and that’s a good excuse to enjoy some fun office furniture blogs. Here are a few favorites that should be on your list to read or watch before we say goodbye to August.

Sit or Stand, You’re Still Doomed to Work!

Nikil Saval at n+1 magazine offers no mercy in this satirical review of the current sit-to-stand trend. He touts the well-known statistics about the harm of prolonged sitting and comes to a grim conclusion. “Over months or years spent in a chair, robust human substance dissipates into muck, and the longer you sit, the sooner you die.” At the same time, he ridicules the cult of the standing desk, poking fun at the tendency to glamorize it. “…people regularly invoke the examples of Hemingway, Churchill, Nabokov: figures who famously tended to stand while they wrote or read. None of them was an especially healthy individual; more to the point, none was an office worker.”

Don’t Put in a Work Order to Fix That Chair…

Enjoy the Darwin Awards of office furniture repair at “thereifixedit”. These DIY jobs are proof that anything can be put back together with duct tape and a little wishful thinking. Castors seem to be a favorite fixer upper, but one inventive worker actually repurposed the bucket seat from a car as a task chair. Sadly, the cup holder wasn’t left intact.

The Virtual Conference Room

This popular YouTube video reposted at neousa.com is a reenactment of what a tele-conference call would be like if it took place in an actual conference room with everyone present. Perhaps you’ve learned to tune out all these annoyances in the past. Be warned, now you will start noticing all the things you hate about conference calls again. On the plus side, you may get some ideas for how to get out of the next call without anyone being the wiser.

Office Furniture Motivational Speaker

Jack McCracken gives a crackerjack presentation about how office furniture can change your life. Watch him mesmerize a room full of first graders with his flow charts and graphs. He inspires with words of wisdom about how “office chairs raise you up to a higher plane.” If you don’t think this is the kind of motivational speech that kids need to hear, think again. In the immortal words of Jack, “If a kid doesn’t care about a credenza now, what happens when she’s 35 and stuck in a soul-sucking middle management job?” What indeed.

How is it possible that some IT workers are ten times more productive than others? Is it because they are more highly educated? Does higher performance correlate to more years of experience? Are top performers simply born smarter? Is a person’s ability to turn in great work linked to a generous salary? According to office productivity research from PdK Consulting, none of these factors are as critical as you might suppose. The day-to-day work environment has a huge impact on software developers’ ability to churn out error free, high quality code.

What Makes the Best So Much Better Than the Worst?

If you haven’t read about the famous “Coding war games”, this study measured the productivity of 600 programmers in over 90 different companies. Then, the participants in the top 25% were surveyed and their answers compared to those in the bottom 25% to detect any relevant variables. Having an acceptably quiet and private workspace were very significant factors, as was the ability to avoid taking phone calls or being interrupted by coworkers. In other words, being left alone to do the job they were hired to do was the ideal working situation. The same likely holds true outside the software development arena for other jobs that require dedicated focus.

Achieving Better Working Conditions Shouldn’t Be a Fight

The best and fastest programmers outworked the least productive by 10:1. However, even the average performers were more than twice as productive as those who were least productive. It isn’t difficult to imagine that even incremental improvements in noise control and privacy could have a substantial effect on helping knowledge workers be more efficient.

Are You Creating or Attracting Highly Productive Workers?

There are obvious limitations to this study given its subjective nature. For example, actual noise levels were not measured—participants simply reported whether they felt distracted by workplace noise. However, others studies that have objectively measured office noise confirm that certain types of sound (particularly human conversation) are highly disruptive and make it difficult for workers to concentrate.

In any event, the conclusion provided by the research team is worthy of contemplation: “The data presented above does not exactly prove that a better workplace will help people to perform better. It may only indicate that people who perform better tend to gravitate toward organizations that provide a better workplace. Does that really matter to you? In the long run, what difference does it make whether quiet, space, and privacy help your current people to do better work or help you to attract and keep better people?”

Susan Cain, a self-professed introvert, is not exactly the person you’d expect to see giving a TED talk. But her book “QUIET: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking” brought Cain into the public eye in unexpected ways. She gave a voice to everyone who has ever wished for more peace and quiet at work. While collaboration and socialization at the office can be wonderful, at least 30% of the population wishes for a workplace where these activities weren’t given so much importance.

Introverts Are Stymied in Their Efforts to Be Effective

Many of the greatest ideas arise and most workplace productivity occurs when people are given space and time to really concentrate. For introverts, being required to perform “on demand” in a group setting can lead to anxiety over excessive scrutiny or criticism. But given a few hours alone, they can come up with amazing solutions or work at lightning speed to get critical tasks done on time. It’s not that they hate their coworkers. Introverts simply want to be able to choose their interactions with care to avoid depleting themselves. When they are part of a culture that overemphasizes what Susan calls “The New Groupthink”, their work suffers.

What Type of Workspace Do Introverts Crave?

A private office at work would probably be a dream come true—and working remotely from a quiet location like a home office is another favorite option. The worst possible workspace is an open office plan with no walls and no privacy. That’s not surprising since even extroverts can feel overwhelmed and stressed when there is constant noise. Introverts would usually prefer to have a cubicle rather than the type of open desk with low or no dividers that is prevalent in today’s office environments.

Introverts Need Oases

Cain recognizes that the economics of the open office design make it too tempting for most companies to forego. But she believes there is a way to find some middle ground. Jim Hackett, recent Steelcase CEO and fellow introvert, agrees that it’s time to make a change. Cain is now collaborating with this leading office furniture company on solutions. “We’ve formed a partnership with Steelcase to create quiet oases of focus and respite for open plan offices, so that workers can move freely between social and private spaces.” Design ideas are due to be released sometime in 2014.

Do your employees really care about the latest “eco-friendly” initiative at work? Are they on board with the idea of a mission statement that includes caring for the planet? Would they like to have a say in sustainability in the office? Evidence suggests that the answer to all of these questions is “Yes!”

Workers Love a Giving Attitude

Rena M. Klein at the American Institute of Architects explores a 2008 SHRM study in her article about “Greening the Workplace”. In the study, a strong commitment to sustainable practices was linked to improved worker productivity and higher morale. Energy and resource conservation programs were popular practices, as was support for cycling and other fuel-efficient commuting methods. However, the #1 practice that garnered the most support was reuse of old furnishings.

“Employees were asked which environmentally responsible practices they thought were most important for organizations to carry out. They reported that donating/discounting used office furniture/supplies to employees or local charity was the top environmentally responsible practice.” It’s always nice when what’s good for the environment coincides with what’s good for workers and the local community.

Environmental Responsibility Is a Passion for Young Employees

Sustainability is likely to become even more popular over the next two decades as Gen Y workers will comprise most of the workforce by 2025. According to OXYGENZ (a research project led by Global WorkPlace Innovation), youth believe that the office should be designed with an eye toward eco-responsibility. “Sustainability is highly valued with 96% desiring an environmentally friendly workplace, but not at the expense of design.” Fortunately, the range of choices for office furniture that is well-designed and responsibly manufactured is growing.

Making Smart Green Buying Decisions

Of course, this doesn’t mean buying green is inexpensive—at least for new furniture. Cost can be a significant barrier to implementing an environmentally responsible program. In the SHRM study mentioned above, eight out of ten employees recognized this as one of the reasons such practices weren’t given more weight in the workplace. There is one option that satisfies:

• the requirement of businesses to keep costs low;
• the needs of workers who want (and deserve) ergonomic and finely crafted office furniture; and
• the desire of everyone involved to make sustainable choices.

Purchasing refurbished office furniture is that solution since the refinishing process consumes comparatively few resources. Employers can get their hands on the best name-brand furnishings restored to like new condition at a fraction of the cost of new. Buying items made with pre and post-consumer recycled content (like our panel extenders) is another smart choice. Our products are especially sustainable because they help businesses extend the useful life of their existing desks and cubicles.

Office jokes are among some of the funniest out there, mainly because we’ve all been there. Here is one of our favorites:

“Two office workers are talking. The woman says, “I can make the boss give me the day off.” The man replies, “And how would you do that?” The woman says, “Just wait and see.” She then hangs upside down from the ceiling. The boss comes in and says, “What are you doing?” The woman replies, “I’m a light bulb.” The boss then says, “You’ve been working so much that you’ve gone crazy. I think you need to take the day off.” The man starts to follow her and the boss says, “Where are you going?” The man says, “I’m going home, too. I can’t work in the dark.”

Of course, a well run office doesn’t make employees look for any excuse to go home! Obex panel extenders can turn each workspace into a customized area for the designated employee, making them feel at home and comfortable. Think about ways you can make your office more appealing for your workers!

Oh, and share your funniest office joke in the comments.

Does your office do the employee birthday “thing”? If so, here’s some things to keep in mind:

DO: Acknowledge an employee’s special day. If you are their boss, make sure you mention it, and maybe a long lunch would be nice. If you are a coworker and are close, a little card or token is acceptable – if you just know them from across the office dropping in and saying “Happy Birthday” is sufficient.

DON’T: Go over the top. It’s a workplace, not party central. The last thing everyone needs is a constant barrage of elaborate birthday parties. A singing telegram is the very last thing an employee wants – you have to work with them afterwards so don’t humiliate them!

DO: Let the office be involved appropriately. Having a cake each month to celebrate everyone’;s birthday that month is ideal for large offices.  If you work in a smaller office, get the whole office to go out to lunch or drinks after work.

DON’T: Make it all about getting to booze it up at work. Keep the alcohol until after you’re done for the day. Arrange for a Happy Hour after work, so there’s nothing embarrassing going on on company property.

Does your company allow birthday celebrations, or encourage them at work? Tell us your stories!

Do you have a cubicle pet? Of course, bringing Spot or Fluffy to work is probably not an option, but many workplaces don’t have a hard and fast policy against other types of pets.

Here are just a few ideas for you to add to your workplace to make it seem a little more homey and fun!

1. A fish. A small fish tank is easy to maintain and many fish are hardy enough to survive with daily care and even across a weekend if needed without a lot of attention. A fish can bring some color and interest to your cubicle!
2. A lizard. Likewise, a small terrarium is an easy to maintain and keep up with option. Just throw some extra crickets or mealworms in and make sure the water bowl is full before leaving on Friday!
3. An air plant or cactus. Of course, you may have a green thumb and want something more challenging, but mossy air plants or small cacti are very easy to take care of and can be a cool way to decorate without a lot of commitment.

Dress up your cubicle with a “pet” and see how much more fun it is to go to work every day!

OK, folks – it’s our last holiday pet peeve of the year. Since it’s almost that special day, let’s talk about New Year’s Eve parties for a minute. We all know about the drinking, the desperate pairing up to watch the ball drop, and so on – but what about the company mandated New Year’s resolutions?

We’re not joking – some companies are mandating wellness checks with monetary penalties or incentives for how healthy they think you are. Blood tests, waist measurements, weigh ins and so on are just the start – what if your boss decides a “pedometer” contest is the next “fun” thing to do and people get embarrassed when they don’t rack up the required steps – whether due to job parameters, health conditions or otherwise?

This article talks about the new age of information and your health in the workplace – read it and tell us what you think. Should your employer be able to set your New Year’s resolution? Or is it a gross invasion of privacy?