9 minute read
FOCUS ON SEATING
from CFMD December 2020
by MediaEdge
AT HOME IN THE OFFICE
The latest office seating products blur the line between home and office. Comfort takes precedence as remote work continues and the hybrid workplace becomes a viable option for many organizations going forward.
New from Inscape is their RockIt at Home collection. Designed to accommodate the shifting at-home landscape, the fixed (RockIt) and height-adjustable (SkyRockIt) desks are available in a white desktop with wood legs or a woodgrain desktop with black metal legs. The SkyRockIt sit/stand desk helps keep the body in motion to ease back pain and improve health, energy and productivity. Adjusting the desk is seamless and silent with squeeze paddle lift activation and an A 1-inch safety contour to protect fingers. Essa is a light task chair designed by PearsonLloyd for
Teknion. Complementing the trend toward a more relaxed and comfortable aesthetic, it promotes natural shifts in position and is ideal for both mobile work and active work settings. The chair features a curved backrest echoed by the fluid line of molded armrests and comes fully upholstered or upholstered with plastic back options. It is also available with or without armrests, in both fixed or height-adjustable formats. Three fully-dipped finish options offer a seamless look that maintains a unified form. A signature flowing fixed arm provides a soft yet strong look and feel, while a five-star base with casters provides stability and ease of movement.
Designed to be a more approachable worktable,
Studio TK’s Rec Work Tables are suited for personal touchdown, quick gatherings, and longer-term collaborative work scenarios. Recapturing an industrial-era design, the tables create an environment for people to sit or stand at the counter-style table, allowing for flexible work postures. The tables are offered in three heights: 29 inches for seated applications; 36 inches to accommodate standing and counter work, and a 42-inch bar height. Options include single or split surfaces, with the latter accommodating edgemounted power.
Marien152 is Coalesse’s new home-inspired seating line, a collaboration between the Coalesse Design Group and designer Arik Levy, features an innovative back cushion carefully engineered to enhance comfort and stability. Easy personalization is built into the collection through a wide range of colour, form and materiality choices. From meeting rooms and social cafes, to optimized work-from-home environments, the collection provides comfort for various work modes. The guest chairs are available with a solid oak base in a variety of stains, or a steel base in various paints or trivalent chrome finish. The conference chair is also available in various paints or a polished aluminum base and in four- or five-star configuration with or without casters. SiS Ergo offers an adaptable workspace solution called the
M Nesting Table—a flexible solution for the home office or workplace. As a home office solution, it offers ergonomic sitto-stand benefits and is easy to stow-away. Available on wheels for enhanced mobility, this single-user desking solution features a 90-degree flip-down petal-shaped surface, making it easy to fold-up and store in a closet or against a wall. It quickly adjusts to a desired height range of 28.6 inches to 45.1 inches without the use of power.
From Boiler Room to Boardroom
Allseating recently launched Mantra, an adaptable seating solution for a variety of spaces, including private offices, boardrooms, and huddle rooms. Conceptualized by in-house industrial designer Nita Chakravarty, Mantra is characterized by a Lemniscate, a mathematical symbol that represents the concept of infinity. This detailing is an integral part of the chair as it connects the seat, back, and arms together. The executive chair features a slim profile and the Lemni arm, which is available in three maple finishes and two back heights: mid back and low back, with an optional upholstered insert. The chair comes with a lounge base, featuring a fixed-swivel mechanism, or the conference base that can be specified with a basic, standard, or knee tilt. A professional association focused on advancing and promoting the FM community. Join IFMA Toronto Today at ifma-toronto.org
BY BILL ROBERT
RETHINKING DENSITY AND COST
After months of remote work environments, many companies are now reviewing their workspace strategy, as empty offices could become the new reality for an unknown period.
REDUCING OFFICE EXPENSES AND DENSITY HAS BECOME A NEW MANDATORY NORM
Once buzzing with activity, downtown offices are now empty and underutilized. Although the pandemic might have been the catalyst for adopting a new model and a new corporate vision, offices did not become empty overnight. In fact, most companies had an average utilization rate of only 40 per cent before the pandemic. Now it’s getting even worse.
Methodology is being developed to analyze the employee experience by using analytics and ethnography. Proprietary research has already uncovered new trends to help companies rethink their office spaces and operating costs while maintaining productivity and employee motivation. Data scientists analyze patterns and correlations of office space utilization. By relying on an analytical platform and on an in-house dashboard, consulting teams can crunch the data to better implement solutions and new workplace models.
TELEWORKING, THE PERFECT SOLUTION? NOT SO FAST.
The satellite workplace could symbolize a new workplace trend for companies that want to cut costs and density. Teleworking has been optimal for those who wish to be closer to their loved ones or want to reduce their daily commuting time. Although this new model seems to work well for many and meets a strong need for flexibility, the ability for employees to get together physically remains paramount.
Productivity has also decreased for a small part of the workforce due to lack of access to the right material, such as powerful computers or because employees are no longer able to properly collaborate. Further, some feel the need to physically return to the office, whether for mental health reasons, to maintain their motivation or simply because the tasks require it.
THE RETURN OF THE CUBICLE
Some have even suggested that cubicles could make their come back. Wrongly defined as the most despised piece of furniture in modern workplace design, cubicles have been criticized for obstructing the flow, visual interaction and the ability to freely discuss with colleagues in the office. But this could change.
Cubicles could be reintroduced in an intelligent and modern way, alongside spaces dedicated to collaboration. While being an inexpensive solution to create some sort of privacy at work, they are practical and modular. Cubicles may not on their own be a solution, but ultimately, they remain a key piece of the puzzle for workplace reorganization when combined with other collaborative spaces.
TOWARDS A PREMIUM WORKSPACE
Offices do have a place, but one thing is certain: they will no longer have the same usefulness. To maintain, or even improve, productivity, creativity and innovation, a reorganization is necessary, and it should go through an experiential transformation.
The office will become more collaborative with an enhanced quality of services available. For companies whose nature of services requires the physical presence of employees, the traditional office will have to be reinvented in order to create spaces entirely dedicated to collaboration. It will go premium.
More services could be introduced within the company, increasing the food services offering and bringing in a new type of facility management. It is for these reasons why it is important to innovate and invest in data-driven research to better anticipate clients’ needs.
COVID-19 could also introduce a new workplace trend: “the liquid workplace.” Tech giant Dropbox already embraces this new model. It has cut down on space and turned its offices to a collaboration-only environment, which is at the core of its business model. This allows employees to work from home a large part of the time while still having the option of being present in the office at a time when collaboration is required. By using data, the company has determined that offices have a purpose. They acknowledged that without it, company culture could suffer due to zero in-person interaction and that the risk of miscommunication would be higher. Overall, the liquid workplace is intended to encourage collaboration while embracing flexibility.
The pandemic will not last forever, but companies will have to reorganize themselves to further encourage collaboration while allowing private spaces. Flexibility will have to remain a key component in companies’ evolving workplace strategy. | CFM&D
Bill Robert is co-founder of Wx, a workplace consulting company and a fully-owned subsidiary of Sodexo, one of the largest facility management organizations in the world.
GLOBAL BIORISK ADVISORY COUNCIL INTRODUCES GBAC STAR™ FACILITY ACCREDITATION PROGRAM
The Global Biorisk Advisory Council® (GBAC), a division of ISSA, introduced its GBAC STAR™ facility accreditation program. It’s the industry’s only outbreak prevention, response, and recovery accreditation. This program is performance-based and designed to help facilities establish a comprehensive system of cleaning, disinfection, and infectious disease prevention for their staff and their building. The program relies on GBAC’s comprehensive training, which teaches the proper protocols, correct disinfection techniques, and cleaning best practices for biohazard situations like the novel coronavirus. Successful GBAC STAR facilities are able to demonstrate that correct work practices, procedures and systems are in place to prepare, respond, and recover from outbreaks and pandemics.
WHAT DOES THE GBAC STAR FACILITY ACCREDITATION MEAN FOR MY FACILITY?
It means that your facility staff or service provider is implementing the industry’s highest standards for cleaning and disinfection of infectious agents like the novel coronavirus.
GBAC STAR™ is the cleaning industry’s only outbreak prevention, response and recovery accreditation for facilities.
GBAC STAR is the gold standard of prepared facilities. This accreditation means that a facility has:
Established and maintained a cleaning, disinfection, and infectious disease prevention program to minimize risks associated with infectious agents like the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2).
The proper cleaning protocols, disinfection techniques, and work practices in place to combat biohazards and infectious disease.
Highly informed cleaning professionals who are trained for outbreak and infectious disease preparation and response.
GBAC STAR IS DESIGNED FOR ANY SIZE FACILITY OR ORGANIZATION, INCLUDING:
Stadiums and Arenas Schools Trains, Planes, Automobiles Convention Centers Assisted Care Facilities Church & Religious Buildings Retail Spaces Veterinary Clinics Grocery Stores Commercial Offi ces Restaurants Doctor’s Offi ces Daycares Hotels Athletic and Fitness Clubs Spas
Patricia Olinger
Executive Director, Global Biorisk Advisory Council
John Barrett
Executive Director, ISSA
For more information, please visit the webpage www.mediaedge360.ca/gbac and contact CHUCK NERVICK at chuckn@mediaedge.ca | 416-803-4653
