As modern organizations consider their office design to showcase their brand identity, many offices are also giving more thought to how to boost employee satisfaction, creativity, productivity, and overall health by investing in quality workstations, ergonomic seating, and functional common areas.

Typically, aesthetics and utility are the main focus when designing an office space; however, choosing the right furniture can significantly promote healthy work habits and engage employees. Strategic furnishing also helps in developing a culture where the employees feel supported and valued in the workplace.

Consider these furnishing solutions when reconfiguring or fitting out your office space:

Ergonomic Seating

Global Furniture G20 Ergonomic Office Seating

An average employee working in an office can spend over one-third of their day sitting at a desk. Over their working term, prolonged body inactivity can pose significant long-term health risks. From developing muscle strain to chronic pain, investing in proper ergonomics is imperative to reduce unnecessary stress, decreased productivity, and employee sick leave.

Many desk chairs can look similar and seemingly provide the same functionality. Global Furniture manufacture specially designed ergonomic task chairs that can be configured to conform to the body’s needs. They provide adjustable armrests, lumbar support, a comfortable seat, and an adjustable height range to match the work desk and its user.

Sit to Stand Desks

Global Furniture Foli Height Adjustable Work Desks

Height adjustable work desks or tables are unique furniture to add to your office to break up sedentary activities. Even a slight cardiovascular movement such as standing throughout the day increases energy and alertness, boosting overall productivity. Incorporating a Sit-Stand Table with a manual or a motorized mechanism within a workstation is a practical solution that provides less disruption and encourages the user to move and change position, decreasing the adverse health effects caused by prolonged sitting significantly.

Flexible Workstations

Global Furniture Bridges Benching System

System furnishing offers versatile configurations based on the needs of the team. It is modifiable to include storage space, ergonomic accessories such as adjustable monitor arms, and visual or auditory privacy without compromising the office’s design or workflow.

Efficiently designed workstations offer not only physical benefits but psychological benefits as well. Storage areas amended to the work desk can help reduce office clutter. System furniture can be fitted with divider panels providing separation without isolating the user. These small changes can improve employees’ mental health, diminishing depression and anxiety in an office environment. 

Breakout Areas

Global Furniture River Benching System

Allowing for a dedicated space for employees away from their work desks provides an area to relax, recharge, or be inspired and offers many health benefits. Spaces like breakout areas comply with health and safety regulations that require employees to take breaks. The functional modular benching furniture with interlocking capabilities and power/USB receptacles can also be transformed into a small or informal meeting area.

Long Term Investment

Consider the positive impact of healthy and happy employees on your organization. Understanding your team’s needs is essential in developing a safe and productive working environment. Investing in quality and comfortable furniture is an investment in your company’s bottom line.

Our furniture and design team can assist your company in choosing the right furniture for your office needs. We are an exclusive partner with some of the biggest furniture brands in Canada and the US. We are a one-stop design-build and furniture sourcing firm that delivers a passion for design with thoughtful construction solutions to provide functional and inspiring workplaces. Contact us today.

2020 has been particularly challenging, to say the least, but one of the better news this year is the feature of Concrete Cashmere’s Owner and Principal, Jennifer Zhang, as one of BC Business 2020 30 Under 30 winners.

For the second year in a row, women entrepreneurs and leaders have dominated the list, and we couldn’t be more proud. Albeit sans in-person celebration, our company is proud to be represented by strong leadership. Jennifer’s eagerness to thrive, especially in a male-dominated sector, has been a constant inspiration and a guiding force for the company. We are even moreso proud to have a committed and passionate team and network that complements our vision and mission. Congratulations to Jennifer and to all of this year’s young and talented winners.

Read more about Jennifer’s path to success and her plans for Concrete Cashmere on the BC Business 2020 30 under 30.

As businesses pivot during these unprecedented times, working from home has become a reality for many of us. And although there’s an appeal to wearing pajamas while working, we’ll eventually realize that it can be tough to stay as productive at home as we’d like to.

Here are some of our tips on how to stay focused when working from home:

𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲

Find a place separate from the home’s common areas – like a corner in the bedroom or a den to convert into an office space. However tempting, working on the bed or the couch may make you feel stiff over a prolonged period.  Consider using an ergonomic chair and desk to minimize fatigue, muscle stiffness, and soreness. If using ergonomic furniture is not available, you can ensure that your current work desk and chair are positioned at an optimal height with your elbows in line with the desk and the monitor adjusted to your eye level.

𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸

In addition to having the right setup, it’s as important to mind your body’s position. Sitting upright with the lower back supported is a simple way to ensure your body is not taking on unnecessary strain.  Try using a pillow behind your back to prompt you up. Also, try switching from working sitting down to standing up or incorporate a lunch time-stretch to break up the day.

𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄

Treat #wfm similarly to your working hours. Think in terms of what you need at your desk — your laptop, pen, paper, etc. to help you feel prepared and ready to take on the day. Ensure that your team’s communication technologies are reliable and only schedule virtual meetings and phone calls during business hours.  Share your work schedule with your family members, including children, to minimize distractions.

𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮 𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲

Set boundaries when it comes to your work and home life. Log off at the end of your scheduled working hours and stay hydrated and eat well to replenish your body. Keeping our body and mind healthy is the best way to combat stress and many illnesses.

At Concrete Cashmere, we continue to stay updated with the current situation. We have adopted practices to ensure that we are doing our part in minimizing the COVID-19 virus’s effects while keeping our team, partners, and clients in mind.  With that, we will continue to provide our services to our current clients virtually and on-site safely.

It’s a time when we can show our support for one another. Please stay safe and remember that we are all in this together.

When assessing a commercial property, an important question is determining the difference between usable and rentable space. Knowing the difference is particularly important when negotiating the lease and the true cost of your rent.

Usable Square Feet (USF)

Usable square footage (USF) refers to the square footage the tenant can utilize to conduct their everyday business. USF can include office areas, boardrooms, and reception that is exclusive to the tenant’s use. However, determining the USF may be different if the tenant is leasing an entire floor instead of leasing a unit or a partial area of the floor. If the tenant leases an entire floor, the USF extends to incorporate everything inside the floor’s boundaries, including the mechanical and electrical rooms.

Rentable Square Feet (RSF)

Rentable square footage is defined as the tenant’s USF plus a portion of the building’s common space. Typical common areas include restrooms, lobbies, hallways, and building amenities. The RSF is calculated using the floor’s gross square footage against the square footage in which the building’s tenant occupies. The percentage is attributed to the additional lease cost applied to the tenant’s base rent.

To simplify, the landlord first needs to determine the load factor of the building.

(Load Factor = Total RSF / Total USF)

Then the Load Factor is multiplied by the tenant’s occupied square footage to determine the lease cost.

(RSF = Tenant’s USF x Load Factor)

Ultimately, the Rentable Square Footage is the figure most essential to your lease agreement. Although many other defining factors are related to your lease, you should consider an agent to help you assess the term. A leasing agent can help you determine all the costs involved, from leasing to the fit-out cost of your commercial space.

For questions, our design team is also more than happy to help. Contact us. 

The common assumption about hiring a project manager for tenant improvement projects is that it can add to the construction cost or the lease price. Putting the project type aside, an experienced project manager can actually save the tenant more money in the long run.

Employing a Project Manager from the onset of any project, including small or large scale tenant improvements, could mean more than just someone overlooking the project; it could mean more of your time on other essential aspects of your business.

What are the Project Manager’s responsibilities?

Project managers oversee all aspects of the construction process, including developing the design plans, establishing the schedule, and managing the project’s costs.

A project manager is the focal point of the operations, working closely with the architects, engineers, and subcontractors while maintaining an open and transparent communication line with the tenant and the landlord.

When you hire a Project Manager, their responsibility is to protect your interests and ensure that the results are what you had commissioned. This can mean filling in several different roles to ensure the success of your project.

A Project Manager also provides a comprehensive budget beyond a construction scope. This can include furniture sourcing, IT and security contracting, and even move-in management. PMs have a thorough understanding of the schedule that entails a TI project. More so, Project Managers implement detailed plans that benchmark key milestones and track the project’s overall progress. Experienced Project Managers are not only skilled with time management but also in handling the resources at hand. Project Managers can warrant that all subcontractors meet the highest quality standards when providing services and sourcing materials. Simply put, they make sure that no corners are cut to save cost at your expense.

Project Managers serve as your eyes and ears, attending weekly construction meetings and conducting site walk-throughs to ensure that the construction progress follows the plans as documented.

What can you expect from a Project Manager on your side?

Success Planning
Alignment of the project’s goals with the purposes of the tenant and their business.

Leadership
Complete management of the project team from vendor negotiations to collaboration with architects, engineers, and subcontractors.

Quality Control
Implementation of sound practices by ensuring all documentation, including permits, design drawings, and change orders, are issued accurately.

Project Tracking
Assurance of delivery of the scope work as per the time and budget proposed.

Risk Management
Carefully assess, mitigate, and implement contingency plans.

Deliver Success
Investment in the successes of the project and a retrospective review at every stage of the project.

One of the most critical but often overlooked benefits of employing professional Project Managers is that they can negate the potential issues during the project. Knowledgeable Project Managers can develop contingency plans to accommodate unforeseen changes that may cause the project to be over budget or run past the delivery date. This saves you, the tenant, from personally dealing with the issues that will eventually cost you your time and money.

Feel free to contact us and chat about how our Project Managers can help with your upcoming projects.