Friday, December 10, 2021
The office is back open. The new challenge is convincing more people to use it.
Companies that reopened spaces on a voluntary basis in recent months say they have often found the in-person experiences to be underwhelming. Some bosses observed that staffers spent much of their days hunched over laptops wearing headphones on video calls. Other workers arrived only to discover most of their colleagues were still at home, or on alternating hybrid schedules. The spontaneous collaboration offices once provided often didn’t occur, executives say, and some workers who tried returning to offices quickly gave up and settled back into a routine of working at home.
Employers say offices must be better—and more effective—in the pandemic era to consistently draw staff. To help, companies are rolling out new software to allow employees to better coordinate their visits with colleagues, while others are renovating spaces, upgrading in-office catering options or appointing staffers to monitor the office experience. A number of companies are also experimenting with scheduling, with some setting “engagement days” when all employees will be required to attend.
The goal is to make offices more like a destination, said Leena Nair, chief human resources officer at Unilever PLC, which expects its employees to eventually work in offices about 40% of the time. In recent months, as it reopened offices, Unilever has created specific days when multiple teams can gather in the office at the same time, Ms. Nair said.
“We’re learning new ways,” she said, adding that the company wants to prevent colleagues from working in isolation, where, “you get on your floor, you’re the only person around—no one else has come in that day.”
Physical spaces are also morphing, often to better support groups of employees. Technology giant Salesforce.com Inc. turned executive offices in its San Francisco headquarters into small group conference rooms open to all employees. It is also tripling the size of some dining areas, moving out desks and adding more couches, TVs and whiteboards for teams to gather. Most offices will have about 60% of space devoted to collaboration, up from 40% prior to the pandemic, said Brent Hyder, president and chief people officer of Salesforce.
“We’re creating spaces so that, when our teams come together, they have a place that’s inspiring to them,” he said. “What you’ll see is these buildings are primarily used for people to come together.”
Other companies are hoping brand new buildings will draw people back. Consulting giant Accenture PLC this spring opened a new office at the top of New York’s One Manhattan West tower near the Hudson Yards development. The office is open to employees on a voluntary basis. Amenities include access to an outdoor terrace, sweeping views of the Hudson River and New York skyline, along with an interfaith prayer room, tech-free “reflection zones,” yoga and wellness areas and dozens of conference rooms, said Jack Azagury, Accenture’s market unit lead for the northeastern U.S. For those who opt in, a new system accessible via an internal app that is in development can help Accenture employees find their colleagues who may be seated on other floors, Mr. Azagury said.
As more mobile workers are unshackling from their desks, almost any moderately comfortable perch qualifies as office seating today.
But technically speaking, office chairs belongs to a special furniture category: They typically have wheels, lumbar support, and a load-bearing gas-lift leg—all designed to give workers the healthiest, most comfortable seat possible. To counteract the notorious pitfalls of sitting, industrial designers have been coming up with ergonomic solutions for decades, resulting in the dizzying array of styles and options.
From ancient Egyptian artisans to Charles Darwin (who created the first modern office chair—yes, really!) figuring out a better way to get stuff done while seated has been an age-old human obsession. Where will our deepening understanding of human physiology and psychology take the office chair next?
On Closing, the Parties will enter into a lease whereby the Inscape will lease back the Property from the Purchaser for a term of ten (10) years, with two (2) extension options of five (5) years each, substantially on terms and conditions agreed to by the parties.
If all of the remaining closing conditions are satisfied or fulfilled, the Proposed Transaction is expected to close on or before January 24, 2022.
“The pending completion of this transaction is consistent with our strategic plan and is another material step in our efforts to improve operations and the financial profile of Inscape,” commented Eric Ehgoetz, CEO.
“Located in the heart of Legacy West in Plano, Texas, this client experience center is home to our US headquarters and is strategically situated alongside a growing number of multi-national companies, including commercial real estate firms and general contractors also headquartered in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex,” says Kevin O’Meara, DIRTT’s President and CEO.
Designed in partnership with Gensler, this is DIRTT’s largest and most comprehensive client experience center, showcasing a wide range of resilient solutions that foster greater collaboration between people and teams while seamlessly integrating technology.
“At DIRTT, our digital tools enable clients to design in real-time and the expertise contained in our ICE® software provides the responsiveness that allows them to reduce risk for their projects and ensures that what they see is exactly what will be produced. This level of design and execution integration provides the confidence that working with DIRTT will achieve their goals while optimizing their client experience,” says Mark Greffen, DIRTT’s Chief Technology Officer.
The Dallas client experience center reflects the complete design freedom architects can expect while designing with DIRTT and is the blueprint for development of future client experience centers.
Empire Office Announces Planned Acquisition of DeKalb Office
Peter Gaslow, President and CEO of Empire Office, Inc. announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire DeKalb Office Environments, Inc., establishing its local presence in Atlanta and Birmingham. The transaction will close on January 1, 2022, at which point, the DeKalb Office name will temporarily transition to DeKalb by Empire Office, along with an accompanying updated logo, website and brand identity.
With a proven 75-year history, Empire Office is a recognized leader achieving a long-standing ranking on the Crain’s New York Business’ list of the Largest Privately Held Companies in the New York area and being named as one of the ‘Best Places to Work’ by the Orlando Business Journal, among others. New York-headquartered Empire Office has grown its physical footprint significantly in recent years, first entering the Florida market in 2009 and expanding further in the state in three other subsequent acquisitions between 2012 and 2015. With the announcement of the DeKalb Office acquisition, Empire Office expands its reach within the Eastern half of the U.S., making it the largest firm of its kind in the country.
DeKalb Office has provided commercial interior solutions since 1952 and is a leader in the Healthcare and Education vertical markets. As the sole Steelcase dealership in Atlanta and Birmingham, the company has worked with approximately half of the Fortune500 companies headquartered in Atlanta. Throughout its history, DeKalb has been committed to supporting the local communities in which it operates since its inception. “DeKalb has a great reputation in the Atlanta and Birmingham markets,” Gaslow stated. “We believe building on the DeKalb heritage while leveraging Empire’s experience and broad reach, will enable us to offer next-level services and unparalleled support for the companies located within these markets.”
Since 1984, DeKalb Office has been led by Owner and CEO John Rasper. Under Rasper’s direction, DeKalb has built a reputation for being a creative, knowledgeable, and collaborative partner, providing innovative workplace solutions to a remarkably diverse client base. Throughout his career, John served on the Board of three local Chambers and was the Chairman of the Greater North Fulton Chamber. With the announcement of this acquisition, Rasper is also announcing his official retirement from the contract furniture industry.
“After 48 years in the industry, and 37 leading DeKalb in particular, I want to thank all of my colleagues, staff and business associates with whom I’ve had the distinct pleasure of working with over the years,” Rasper said. “With Empire at the helm, I have no doubt there will be great things ahead for our clients and partners in the years to come.”
“As a company, we are thrilled to welcome the DeKalb team into the Empire Office family,” Gaslow said. “John has done an excellent job of steering DeKalb for many years, enabling it to become the successful and respected organization it is today. We wish him all the best as he enjoys a very well-deserved retirement.”
Currently located in Alpharetta, GA and Birmingham, AL, the physical locations of the DeKalb showrooms and warehouses will remain unchanged in the immediate future. Apart from John Rasper, most of the current local managers and staff will also be retained in the same or similar roles.
AIS Named to Inc. Magazine’s 2021 Best in Business List, Awarded a Silver Medal
Massachusetts-based AIS has been named to the Inc. 2021 Best in Business list and received a silver medal in the 2nd annual awards program’s manufacturing category.
The list, which can be found in the winter issue of Inc. magazine (on newsstands Dec. 14), recognizes small- and medium-size privately held American businesses that have had an outstanding influence on their communities, their industries, the environment or society as a whole in the past 12 months.
More than 2,700 businesses submitted applications to this year’s awards program. AIS was among the 147 companies to be named to the prestigious 2021 Inc. Best in Business list.
“AIS is so honored to receive this recognition,” AIS Co-Founder and CEO Bruce Platzman said. “I’m very proud of our team of more than 800 people who, during this particularly difficult year, met unexpected challenges with incredible courage, commitment and hard work. Together, we pivoted to produce products that helped organizations and communities during the COVID-19 pandemic while fortifying the critical importance of manufacturing within our region’s economy.”
Office showers are hyper-regional, most popular in the sweltering Sunbelt. With outdoor temperatures at or above 90 degrees several months of the year, it’s nearly impossible to be outside for any length of time without sweating. That makes cycling to work, walking to lunch, or going for a run outside a logistical problem. No one wants to sit in their own sweat at work all day. The easiest option would be to simply not do those activities, but that doesn’t promote a healthy lifestyle. To make the logistics of wellness easier, employers are building out more wellness facilities.
The importance of fitness centers and gyms in leasing decisions involves shower access, without which physical activity at the office or headed to the office becomes practically impossible. If fitness centers are non-negotiables in Class A Office leasing, so are showers.
That’s the perfect-world scenario. But the world isn’t perfect—and with the ongoing and escalating shortage of containers, neither is the global supply chain.
One of the year’s biggest supply chain wrinkles has been the shortage of shipping containers. Another of the pandemic’s many “gifts,” the dearth of containers can be directly linked to ongoing issues including long lead times, soaring freight and transportation costs, increasingly empty retail shelves, and higher prices at the cash register.
The problems associated with the shortages grew at the same speed as the COVID-19 virus. As the pandemic rapidly spread—first through China, then across the world—it triggered waves of lockdowns, stalled production and shuttered manufacturing facilities. It also resulted in a big buildup of empty containers at ports.
Designer Ric Frampton remembers the moment he realized waste was a design issue. No matter how beautiful or luxurious the item was, if he didn't start the design process thinking about the end life of the product, there were no guarantees where the product might end up. When naughtone approached him to work on a brand-new collection of sustainable seating solutions inspired by naughtone's popular Always collection, it was a perfect match. The result? The Ever Chair and Sofa collection.
"It doesn't matter if a chair lasts for 20 years, 40 years, 100 years—if the designer wasn't responsible and never considered what happens to the product when it no longer meets a need, it could spend eternity in a landfill," says Frampton. "Realizing the weight of that responsibility completely changed my outlook and design process."
The Ever sofa marks the first upholstered product naughtone has intentionally designed for circularity and easily executable end of life recycling. "This is a pivotal moment for our brand," says Grace Todd, Brand Specialist at naughtone. "Sustainability is a key pillar of who we are at naughtone. We are always looking for ways we can improve what we are already doing—whether that's a new product, material, technique, or something in between. We consistently strive to raise expectations and ask ourselves what's next."
The man was working from home and on his way to his desk one floor below his bedroom, the federal social court, which oversees social security issues, said in its decision.
While walking on the spiral staircase connecting the rooms, the unnamed man slipped and broke his back.
The court noted that the employee usually started working in his home office “immediately without having breakfast beforehand”, but did not explain why that was relevant to the case. However, later it said that statutory accident insurance was only afforded to the “first” journey to work, suggesting that a trip on the way to get breakfast after already being in the home office could be rejected.
