BE Furniture

When most people think of their so-called happy place, they don’t think of their office – but is there a way that these spaces in which we spend so much of our lives can become a positive space? Here are some insights from our team of  corporate office furniture specialists. Principles for a happier workplace  Extensive research from YourStudio found that there are five principles each workplace should embody in order to become a progressive, happy and effective workplace – purpose, health, freedom, growth, and community. Combined with your company’s unique culture and vision, committing to these principles works to transform the drudgery of work into a positive part of daily life. This is especially essential for incoming generations to the workplace, as work culture has seen a significant shift from the traditional “work for a pay check” culture towards working for a purpose – being part of something bigger. Introverts can come to the table  Traditionally...

AI, or Artificial Intelligence, has been the realm of science fiction for decades – and it’s making its way into our homes and workplaces. From Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri, we’re slowly getting used to the idea of technology that’s intuitive and integrated with our daily lives. In an interesting new step, AI is now being used to design workplaces like the offices of AutoDesk. So, what are the results? This company is the first place you’d expect to use AI to design an office – it’s the 16,000-square foot Toronto office of software giants who work on large-scale architecture, engineering and construction projects, after all. Each aspect of this workspace design – right down to the placement of plants – is determined and planned out by AI. The reason for using AI was not only because it was an interesting challenge, but because the company believed this was the best way to create a space that would satisfy the most employees. This led to a system of generative design, where ...

Co-working spaces are big business all over the USA and the world, with dedicated co-working spaced growing from zero to 11,000 in just ten years – and set to increase by another 15,000 by 2020. With the industry picking up speed, it’s vital for designers to create the most effective spaces out there in order to maintain that competitive edge. Here are some great tips on designing the best co-working spaces, from our  contemporary office furniture specialists. Reflect how the workplace is changing:  Co-working spaces started as cheap alternatives to traditional offices during the economic crunch – a space where freelancers and independent contractors could meet and work without breaking the bank. Now, these spaces are growing in popularity with salaried employees for businesses seeking an affordable solution to workplace space shortages. Keeping this in mind can help you design for – and help you attract – big business clients like KPMG and GE who favor this option. F...

Neuroscience is a fascinating area of study, focusing on how the human nervous system (including the brain) is structured, how it develops and how it works. While this is a very specific and advanced area of study, it has a huge range of practical, everyday applications that can even apply to how we use – and can improve – the workplace. Office life and the Circadian Rhythm  The Circadian Rhythm is the name given to our internal clock – a cycle that drives our mental, physical, and behavioral changes through the 24-hour day, governed primarily by responses to light and darkness. We develop this rhythm as infants, and recent Nobel prize-winning studies have demonstrated how this rhythm, controlled by a gene in each of us, controls vital parts of our day by releasing sleep hormones, determining when we are most alert and able to focus, and even controlling body temperature. It also showed that misaligning this rhythm with our lifestyle can result in higher risks of certain d...

If there’s one aspect of life that puts the most pressure on company productivity as well as employees, it’s trying to balance families with the demands of the office. With the cost of childcare so high and people wanting to keep their careers on track while having kids, it’s no surprise that kid-friendly  workplaces  are starting to become a trend! This concept presents a unique way of bringing childcare and productivity together to help businesses and parents get ahead. Is there really a demand for family-friendly workplaces?  Yes! In fact, research by the US Department of Labor have shown that 62% of women who gave birth 12 months ago are working, and 90% of men said that paternity leave was a priority. Many additional studies have shown that workplaces that don’t offer paid parental leave suffer from lower employee retention, higher turnover costs and a lower ability to attract talent. Even more importantly, 30% of women with children who don’t work said that...

For a long time, the phrase “work-life balance” has been a buzzword for businesses, but the reality is that, for many people, there is a distinct disconnect between the quality of like they experience at home and the one they get at work. After all, most employees work 40-60 hours a day in the  office , under fluorescent lighting, in range of unhealthy vending machine options, in front of a computer for hours at a time, and unaware of whether it’s day or night outside. After a day’s work, achieving that essential balance is almost impossible – finding the time or energy to exercise, shop for and prepare healthy foods, and spend quality time with our loved ones and hobbies. It’s this imbalance that makes achieving these goals almost impossible – and the distinction between home life and office life makes it exhausting to even think about! The answer, according to specialists, is that  workplaces  need to catch up in terms of quality of life – and industry leaders ...

Companies make the choice to go Green and reduce their environmental impact for a number of reasons, from their corporate vision and philosophy to cost-savings. But there’s one more important reason that is often overlooked –greener  workplaces can boost employee productivity . In fact, studies have shown that employees working in green-certified offices boast a 26% boost in cognition, and 30% fewer sickness related absences, and improved sleep quality. The right way to reduce your company’s environmental impact  As with anything, there is a right and a wrong way of going green. For example, if your company wants to improve its energy usage, the answer is not to turn down heating and cooling – this will likely result in unproductive and unhappy employees. The trick is to hit the sweet spot, ecologically-speaking, and this results in a positive change in your company’s direction and in employee happiness. Here’s how. Air quality:  Poor air quality is bad for th...