Exciting new office furniture ranges to be added to Verve!

On behalf of everyone at Verve Workspace Ltd., I would like to wish you all a very...

...And a wonderful new year!

We are all very excited about Christmas in the office, but as this year grinds to a halt, we are busier than ever preparing our brand new catalogue, which will be released in 2011!  It will offer fantastic deals and will include many brand new furniture ranges!  How exciting!  

For just a little taster of what is to come, here is a glimpse of our new Zita executive office desk range:-

This executive range brings its contemporary style to the next lever with its simplicity and sleek lines.  The furniture looks absolutely fantastic in this dark wenge finish; the desk accommodates clever power modules, which pop up when needed, adding extreme functionality to this flawless design!  

It is a fantastic range, and the choices don't stop there!  We are also able to offer conference and boardroom furniture in the same Zita style- there are so many options and there is more yet to come!

Some ideas for a VERY interesting office or workspace!

Is your office affecting your mood and productivity?

When you walk in to your office on a Monday morning for another day at work- how do you feel?  Motivated?  Excited?  Or filled with dread at the prospect of surviving another week at the same desk doing the same work, surrounded by the same sounds of the telephones and the other workers?

It's a well-known fact that the majority of Britons spend around 40 hours a week working in the office- that's more time than anywhere else in Europe. It's not surprising then, that experts have found that our office environments affect our productivity as staff, our mood and our health.  Being surrounded by the physical uniformity of an office, where there is no individuality or sign of creativity can often make people feel dreary and less productive than usual.  

So what makes a good office?

According to a recent article in the Stylist magazine, experts believe that a personalised office can significantly improve productivity and staff's mental well-being- provided that the staff help to decide how they are arranged.  Following a study about the correlation between office morale and office layouts, Professor Haslam of the university of Exeter explained:-

'We found that while an attractive environment increases worker productivity, even more critical is employee autonomy...we think that when people feel uncomfortable in their surroundings, they are less engaged.'

- S Alexander Haslam, professor of social psychology at University of Exeter

We have had a look at ways in which some companies have incorporated innovative ideas in to their office designs, in order to make the workplace a more creative, enjoyable and varied environment to work. The Google offices in Zurich are a particular favourite of ours:-

This is the Google reception- the space is used primarily as a break out area, with masses of contemporary styled seating.  The windows are full length, bringing in a lot of natural light, but there are also many additional lights surrounding the reception area for practicality.

There are various meeting 'pods', which promote staff collaboration with a high degree of privacy.  These additions are really unique and quirky.

There are a number of different meeting pods, including this taxi and some igloos!  These designs are unique, fairly informal, and are designed to act as welcoming and creative hubs for colleagues to work from.

Every room holds a separate theme, with unusual additions like this rowing boat of bean bags.  The company have allowed big windows, which capture a lot of natural light.

The offices have incorporated both formal and informal office environments- we often forget that people have unique needs to focus.  Some feel more comfortable working in an informal environment with background noise, whereas others prefer more traditional working environments with little noise.  The glass partitions will also act as a sound barrier,  separating the two working environments effectively without isolating either group.

There are a number of different 'environments' including this meeting room environment which is an igloo!

Now, these are very unique chairs!  I would be very worried about getting tangled in it though!

The desks are used for dual screen computers, so they need to be quite roomy.  Each workstation has a special light, ensuring that there are sufficient amounts of light for each person.  Can you see the exercise ball under the desk?!

There are fireman's poles and slides galore for easy access to lower floors.  The trees add a fresher touch to an office environment, moving away from the mundane style of traditional offices.

This is the library room- a room that is used by people who want to come and work or relax quietly.  The different 'environments' are useful because they offer some variety for the staff to choose from, so that they don't get sick of their surroundings.

As you can see, the Google staff in Zurich have really gone to extremes in order to create an interesting, varied yet balanced work environment, where they have the ability to learn, collaborate, focus and socialise- the balance of formal and informal settings is particularly interesting as it offers suitable but varied working environments to all individuals.  It is innovative in style, and does not stick to a traditional or specific office structure.

Now, we're not suggesting that you install helter skelter slides or penguins in to your offices, but it might be interesting to think about how you could make your offices a little bit more quirky or unique.  There are loads of things that you could do, and something interesting would give you extra talking points, and help your customers to remember you better.  


For more information about quirky offices, please visit: Stylist Magazine and read pages 51-54

A helpful office furniture guide to help you with moving offices.

Need Help Moving Offices?

                               You've come to the right place!

                                  

Moving offices can often be a very daunting task which carries with it a lot of stress.  There are so many different decisions to make that you often need advice on, but it's very difficult to know where to turn.  If you are changing your office's design, we really suggest that you speak to a company who specialise in office furniture solutions, because they will have a high degree of experience with helping clients to move offices, and they should be able to give you the most comprehensive advice, as well as helping you to design an office that meets your company's own specification perfectly.

As furniture specialists, we work hard to accommodate the specific needs of a company whilst also optimising all of the space used.  We like to provide the staff with a comfortable work environment where they may work conscientiously, thus raising their staff morale and productivity.  At Verve, we take great pleasure from helping companies to add some innovation and freshness to a new premises- here is a little bit more information about how we work as a company:-

• STAGE ONE-  If we get a call from a company who are planning to move offices and want some help with office furniture, we usually arrange to meet with the client, in order to get an idea of what the office is used for, and what is needed from the new office.  If possible, it is helpful for us to have a look at the new premises so that we can take measurements, but we can also work from an existing plan of the building.  If you don't have a plan, we will request a plan of a rough sketch of the layout of the building, which we can work just as easily from.  

• We will ask you some questions, in order to get a firm idea of what you have in mind for your office and how we can cater for your office needs.  You may be worrying that you don't have any specific plans for your offices, but don't panic- with our help, you will soon realise that you have a more specific specification than you realised!

                          

• STAGE TWO- We then produce a range of design ideas, which we would send you along with wood samples or other items which will help to give you a clearer idea of our designs.  We send you these as soon as possible; we tend to send our ideas via email as a PDF file- this way you can send it to colleagues and discuss it more easily, though we can also produce hard copies.   We will also produce CAD images of our design ideas, so that you can get a good idea of what the office would look like, and where we suggest everything would go.  We provide quotations for the options, to help you get an idea of prices too.

PLEASE NOTE- there is no charge or commitment for our services here, we are just doing what we can to help you.

• STAGE THREE- After you have looked over our ideas, we discuss with you any changes that you would like to make to our suggested ideas.  We carefully discuss what you like and dislike- after all, we want to create something that you will be 100% happy with.  We work hard to give our customers the best prices.

• STAGE FOUR-  When you are 100% happy with the proposal, and are happy and confident to place the order with us, we arrange time scales and finalise the order.  We don't do pushy sales approaches- we really don't believe in it; we prefer to make sure that you are happy with everything.  We manage each of our orders carefully, in order to make sure that everything goes as smoothly as possible, releasing some of the pressure from your shoulders, as a consumer!

• STAGE FIVE- We receive the furniture in to our warehouse, then our installations team will bring it into your premises.  They will assemble the furniture for you, put it into place according to the plans, and then remove all of the packaging to leave you ready to enjoy your new workspace.  There aren't many companies who will clear up for you after your installation- one of our wonderful installations team was even caught hoovering following an installation!  We can also offer other services, such as existing furniture clearance and redecoration.

• If your project involves refurbishment or interior works, then we effectively project manage the whole process for you at no extra charge.  We make sure that all of the 'trades' are working as they should, lowering your stress levels somewhat!

• STAGE SIX- We like to make sure that you are satisfied with your furniture and new offices, so we check that everything has gone smoothly.  If there are any problems that have occurred, we try our best to solve them as quickly as possible for you. 

How to choose a good operator chair.

Spot the Difference.

When you choose your office furniture, do you really know what you’re getting?

If you look at the two chairs above, you might think that they are almost exactly the same.  To the untrained eye, these chairs look very similar in terms of aesthetic style, but if you sat on them both, you would find them very different in terms of comfort!

When choosing your office furniture- particularly your office chairs- it is important to remember that just because two chairs look similar in appearance it does NOT mean that the quality of the two chairs will match.

If you prefer to go for something that is as cheap as chips to buy, remember that the cheaper office chairs are generally manufactured with materials of a lower quality, making the chair uncomfortable and also causing it to last a fraction of the time that a chair of higher quality lasts.  This is especially important if the office chair is going to be used for prolonged periods of time- if a chair is going to be used repeatedly, you should really consider getting a chair with good back support.

High quality chairs give you a range of seating adjustments, including seat slide, height adjustment, and seat tilt adjustment.  This makes the chair more flexible, so that it can be tailored to seat any individual comfortably.  Most good office chairs also give you the option of inflatable lumbar support- it isn’t vital, but lumbar support really makes a fantastic difference to your posture and aids in supporting your back brilliantly.

The slightly more expensive products come with much longer product guarantees, which give you more assurance as a consumer.  For example, one of the above chairs comes with a five year guarantee, whereas the other comes with a one year guarantee.

So, when you're next choosing a chair- have a think about what the chair is going to be used for, and weigh the pros and cons of cheaper chairs against those of a better quality before you make a decision.  If you need any advice about office furniture or products that you need to choose between, give us a ring on: 08450 69 79 89 and we'll be happy to help you!

Office Jokes- How to make your life at work more interesting!

Since the last blog was slightly unnerving for a Friday afternoon, here's something to make you laugh!  These are some tips that I found online on how to make your life at work more amusing- I've picked the best ones but you can find more from the links I've provided- I hope they amuse you!


How to Make a Business Meeting More 
Interesting


Take notes in finger paint.

Laugh uproariously at a quip that was made 2 or 3 minutes ago. Say, “Oh, now I get it!”

Make a face like somebody beside you farted.

Stand up and act indignant. Demand that the boss tell you the real reason this meeting has been called.

Spill coffee on the conference table. Produce a little paper boat and sail it down the table.

Stay behind as everyone else, including the boss, leaves. Thank them for coming.

Bring a hand puppet, preferably an animal. Ask it to clarify difficult points.

Wear shades and carry a walkie-talkie with an earphone. Once in a while, quietly say a few words into it.

Arrange to have a poorly-dressed young woman with an infant quietly enter the meeting, stare directly at the (male) speaker for a while, burst into tears, then leave the room.


-Taken from Local Jokes.


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How to Annoy People in your Office

Make up nicknames for all your co-workers and refer to them only by these names. "That's a good point, Sparky." "No I'm sorry I'm going to have to disagree with you there, Chachi."

Insist that your e-mail address be "xena_goddess_of_fire@companyname.com"

Every time someone asks you to do something, ask them if they want fries with that.

Develop an unnatural fear of staplers.

When answering your phone, talk in a different accent.

Take a picture of your boss and have it framed. Display it in a prominent location on your desk.

Whenever a fellow staff member sneezes, quickly yell "SHUT UP!" If they sneeze a second time, follow up with "I SAID SHUT UP!". A third time, leave the room crying while saying "NO ONE EVER LISTENS TO ME!".

Reply to everything someone says with "that's what YOU think."

Practice making fax and modem noises.

While making presentations, occasionally bob your head like a parakeet.

-Taken from Common Place Book


Have a lovely weekend!

Something sad to think about...

Poor Proof-Reader Dies at Desk

Someone in the office came across this newspaper snippet today- it explains how a 51 year old proof-reader at a New York publishing firm passed away unnoticed at his desk.  George Turklebaum, who worked in an open plan office with 23 other workers, suffered a heart attack at his desk and it was not discovered that he was dead for five more days, when a cleaner asked why he was at his desk at the weekend.  

According to the article, the reason why no one in the office had noticed poor George was that he was extremely hard working, and it wasn't odd for him to be first in the office and the last to leave.  So, the next time you're in the office- maybe give your colleagues a bit of a nudge!