inspired conversations blog

Inspired Conversations Begin With Innovative Design

Re-imagining the internal conversations that go on in a company is an on-going dialog within the furniture design industry. This exchange of ideas is used to create more productive and dynamic environmental design. The challenge to create innovative furnishings that can accommodate the way we meet and exchange ideas is the same for every office footprint. Large or small, there are considerations that have to be made to allow form and function to coexist with productivity.

Read more

workplace barriers blog

Breaking Down Barriers In The Workplace

Even with the best of intentions in an open plan office design, workplaces can be challenged by communication barriers that can impede their success story. What is commonly referred to in business circles as the Silo Mentality is defined by the Business Dictionary as the mindset present when certain departments or sectors do not wish to share information with others in the same company. This type of mentality will reduce efficiency in the overall operation, reduce morale, and may contribute to the demise of a productive company culture. It all comes down to accountability and communication.

Read more

Workplace innovation blog

A Workplace Of Innovation Begins With Great Design

The best office layouts support the interaction of your team. Providing the right tools for them to function seamlessly with each other and still perform their individual tasks is an office design challenge that is in a constant state of evolution. In a 2016 workplace innovation survey conducted by Gensler, a statistical link was discovered between the functional design of the workspace and the quality of work and innovation ascribed to it by the employees. Creating a high-performance workplace creates an ecosystem of innovation that is a direct predictor of your staff performance.

Read more

workplace wellbeing

WATER COOLER CHAT: Building Workplace Wellbeing

Workplace wellbeing has become part of the workplace ethos in a dynamic way. As companies are pursuing organizational wellbeing with an enthusiasm never seen before for talent acquisition and retention. Building workplace wellbeing seems to be the right thing to do for employees, plus there’s the potential for lower absenteeism and fewer medical claims. Substantial cost savings are at stake, too. For example, thanks in part to the company’s wellbeing efforts, Steelcase health insurance premiums in 2013 will increase about 3%, less than half the 7.5% increase estimated for the year by Price Waterhouse Coopers.

Read more

subscribe to our blog

WATER COOLER CHAT: Engaging The Five Senses

Engaging the five senses—sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch—that humans perceive the world can elevate your office design for productivity. Even the best employers, providing the best workplace solutions—ergonomic seating, height-adjustable tables, views to the outdoors, multiple break rooms—may be missing something huge. What about the color of the walls? The smells in the office? The texture of furniture materials?

Read more

office design austin

Office Outside The Box

Sitting behind a desk in an office has long been the definition of work. But office design is constantly trying to keep up with a mobile workforce that demands collaboration and flexibility anywhere they happen to call the office. Coworking spaces fostered the development of the open plan office and ergonomics demanded environmentally friendly materials for a cleaner office environment. Now, in a bold step outside the box, there are some experiential ideas afoot to take the office outdoors.

Read more

office design austin

WATER COOLER CHAT: Some Insights on Shifting Workforce, Shifting Expectations

As we create new workplaces to support organizational goals, those workplaces must do their part to attract and retain top talent and enable team performance. Much has been written about what the newest members of the workforce want and how to design for them. This shifting workforce is driving the change of expectation across the board.

Read more

branded office design austin

WATER COOLER CHAT: Design Inspiration From A Branding Client

Foote, Cone & Belding is a New York branding agency that guides the corporate images of companies like Diet Coke, John Deere, and Samsung Electronics understands that the strongest brands need to permeate every aspect of a corporation.

While views and references to the city were key elements in the plans to renovate three floors of the 1898 Gimbals department store, additional needs also had to be considered. The space and its furniture, for instance, had to be highly flexible and functional to accommodate collaborating teams and company growth. It also had to be comfortable for the 900+ employees, from the office furniture and lounge areas to a consistent climate and plenty of light. Get Inspired

agile work office design austin

Agile Work Environments Balance Your Day

Agile work environments balance your day. The genesis of agile working is doing more with less. It is defined as bringing well-matched people, processes, connectivity, technology, time and place together in the most appropriate way to achieve a particular task or goal. It is working smarter, not harder to achieve the highest potential.

Read more