23 Feb The Top Office Chairs in 2021

The Top Office Chairs in 2021

The foundation of a productive workday starts with a quality chair. Upgrading your office desk furniture with a new chair improves productivity, decreases back pain, and enhances style. If you’re ready to discover the latest in fresh office styles, check out these great chairs!

Freedom: High-style meets comfort with this sleek design. Boasting more than 10 design awards, the Freedom chair features a unique counter-balance mechanism that adjusts with your body to improve posture and support. The beautiful grey and silver design meshes well with modern office design and is sure to impress your clients. The optional head-rest add-on makes this a prime choice.

Zone: Complete with adjustable arm-rests, swivel action rotation, and ergonomically designed ultra-plush seating, all-day comfort is guaranteed in this top pick. With the pneumatic lift, easily adjust the height for any desk size. Built on heavy-duty, yet, extremely quiet casters, you can roll throughout the office with ease. The mesh backing and lockable recline feature earn this chair a spot at the top.

Axiom: This stackable addition to your office is perfect for conference rooms, guest areas, or any modern office space. With a simple, yet, elegant style, this chair features a light-weight aluminum construction and ample cushion. The backing is made of high-quality mesh that comes in black or white stylings.

Hawk: From the cushioned waterfall seat to the modest black styling, the Hawk is a solid choice. Built from sustainable materials that are designed to last, this automatically adjusting seat provides all-day comfort. Available in a variety of colors, this awesome chair harmonizes with any space.

Liberty: If you are looking for a chair that maximizes lumbar support without sacrificing style, this is the chair for you. The intelligently responsive mesh conforms to your body providing a customized seating experience every time.

Madison: This chair features luxurious eco-leather styling at an affordable price. The contoured foam design and 5-position recline locking mechanism allows for a customized seating experience fit for an executive.

Net: This contemporary design features 3-direction adjustable arms, a polished aluminum base, and synchro-tilt movement that moves with you. Simple and reliable.

Office Star: Made from eco-friendly leather and designed to impress, this sleek chair is perfect to impress your clients in the next meeting. With adjustable pneumatic height and a swivel design, this chair has it all.

Velocity: This accelerated design offers diversity with style choices of smooth or fabric design. Made with Greenguard certified materials, this eco-friendly chair offers adjustable arm-rests, durable caster wheels, and enhanced lumbar support.

Freedom Desk: After picking the perfect chair, optimize your workspace with a revolutionary sit or stand desk. Ideal for long workdays, a Freedom Desk is the perfect way to get your blood flowing and improve your day.

20 Jan 5 Things You Need To Change About Your Office For Better Productivity

The way we have our workspace organized can have a direct impact on the atmosphere and how productive we are, and a surprisingly strong one at that. It’s essential that when you’re choosing and organizing your office furniture, you should have these things in mind. If you already have your office assembled then you’ll want to use these tips to switch things up a bit.

1. Keep Electronic Devices Organized

Desktop computers, laptops, phones, tablets, and all the cables that come with them.  Screens everywhere can be very distracting and contribute to unnecessary mess. Not to mention cables get tangled together and pulled all over the place. By giving every electronic device a specific place in your office area you’ll never lose track of which one is where, can designate spaces that keep them out of sight unless you need them, and cables stay separated.   

2. Get a Plant

Research shows that the presence of a little greenery can make a big difference in one’s work environment. Having a plant helps with stress management (sometimes even lower stress) and increases attention span. They’re aesthetically pleasing and bring some literal fresh air into the office. They can be used to occupy otherwise empty spaces that might make the work environment feel dreary and uncaring. That negative mood can inhibit creativity and innovative thinking. 

Areca palm, dracaena fragrans (also known as corn plants), Kentia palm, and peace lilies are excellent choices for office plants. 

3. Personalize Your Space

Having a workspace that feels truly yours gives you an emotional connection with it. That connection helps you feel more relaxed and puts you in a better state of mind. The more comfortable you are in your workspace the easier it is for you to focus on what’s in front of you.  For some people, this means having the option to choose between an open office or office workstation cubicles. Others need room for a picture or two of their families, a calendar, or goofy magnets on their drawers and cabinets.  

4. Use The Right Light Source

Having adequate lighting is about more than being able to see what’s in front of you. Poor lighting can cause irritability, headaches, eye strain, and fatigue. Good lighting on the other hand boosts focus, alertness, and reduces fatigue. Depending on your office location and your company position you might not have much control over the building’s lighting though. If you’re in a company office then try natural light bulbs. Light therapy boxes are sometimes recommended but may have adverse effects on workers with certain mental health conditions. In a home office, keep the curtains drawn or the blinds up. If you don’t have a window then use natural light bulbs.

5. Control Noise Levels

Not everyone finds all the noises around them distracting. Some people focus better because the unnecessary sound gives them reason to stay focused, it incentivizes them. But even those that rely on background noise to focus can be overwhelmed by excess sound levels. Some people struggle mentally and emotionally if the sound in their environment becomes overwhelming. No matter your work style, it doesn’t hurt to have a pair of noise-canceling headphones at work. Or if you’re the sort of person that likes to listen to music while you work, get some noise-isolating headphones and check popular music services for white noise or coffee shop ambiance. Research supports both of them as being helpful for focus, attention, and creativity.

Create a Your Ideal Workspace

Not everyone has the luxury of being their boss. We all have the capability of being engineers of our productivity. Cubicle By Design offers multiple options for office furniture such as office workstation cubicles and sit-stand desks, giving you the ability to create your ideal workspace.  Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you design your ideal office today.

31 Dec The Benefits of a Stand-Up Desk

The health benefits and health risks of standing vs. sitting are still an ongoing debate in the medical community, but more and more research is coming out in favor of standing. While only some of what we know regarding the health benefits of standing is conclusive, all research is pointed in that direction. As a result, this new information is being applied to the workplace, especially the furniture that employees are using in their office cubicles and workspaces.

Heart Health

The idea that standing might be better for your heart than sitting was first looked at in the 1950s when it was noted that bus conductors were more likely to die of heart disease or complications related to heart disease. More and more research has been done in the decades since, and we now know for a fact that prolonged periods of being sedentary can greatly increase your risk for developing health-related issues.

Back Pain

Poor posture is often associated with back and neck pain, but poor posture alone may not be the culprit. Research has been done to look specifically at the effects a stand-up desk has on the body. One study, in particular, has found evidence to suggest that a stand-up desk helps with lower back pain. It found that they had less low back pain, were feeling less fatigued, and became more productive.

Improved Mood and Increased Energy

Seeing as there’s also research on the way remaining sedentary can affect our mood or anxiety levels, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that having the freedom to sit or stand as desired has the opposite effect. Research shows that being able to stand helps with stress management and fatigue, both of which are contributing factors to poor mental health.  And when both morale and energy levels are high, productivity is bound to go up as a result.  While this isn’t attested to by research yet, common sense tells us that employees who are happier and more alert can focus better and stay engaged with their work.   

A Healthier Office is a Happier Office

If you want to create an office space that prioritizes employee health as much as it does productivity, get in touch with us at Cubicle by Design.  Our catalog of office cubicles, desks, and cubicle accessories has something for everyone.  Design a comfortable workspace that matches your style with Cubicle by Design. Contact us by phone or email today, and tell us how we can help you create your ideal office.

01 Dec 3 Ways That The Right Choice Of Furniture Can Keep Your Employees Focused

Having the right space to work in means having a space that’s conducive to productivity and doesn’t allow for distractions, as focus is a very precious commodity.  The office furniture you choose to put in your company building can have a very noticeable effect on the performance of your employees as well as their overall satisfaction in the workplace.  These can be the make or break for how well your business runs.

1. Physical Comfort

Pain is a very large distraction.  As counterintuitive as it may sound, sitting for extended periods of time can be harder on your neck, back, and shoulders than sitting.  Giving your employees the option to move as necessary with furniture such as sit-to-stand desks can help reduce pain experienced throughout the day, making it easier for them to focus on the work in front of them instead of trying to work out stubborn knots.

2. Options Provide Stress Relief

Our mood is heavily influenced by our environment, and our mood directly affects our ability to concentrate.  If employees feel isolated by cubicles or overwhelmed by open spaces they’re more likely to feel such high levels of stress that it impacts their productivity.  When employees have a say in their workspace that not only allows them to create the ideal space for them, it gives them a stronger feeling of control over their environment.  It’s much easier to relax when we’re where we have control and decision making power. 

3. Room to Breathe

If you’re going to create a space that allows for intense focus then you will need to balance that out with space intended for unwinding and casual conversation.  Social areas like well furnished break rooms, meditation and exercise rooms, or outdoor sitting areas in sunny spots are a great way to start.  Concentration and relaxation should complement each other, not compete with each other, so a successful work area will promote both. 

Design Your Success Today

We understand the importance of giving employees the power to design a workspace that makes them feel capable and motivated, which is why our company is so aptly named Cubicle by Design.  We carry a wide selection of office furniture that will make your employees comfortable, keep your space efficiently and properly utilized, and your company’s day-to-day operations running smoothly.  Visit us online to see some of the great products we carry, or contact us to request our full catalogue.

03 Nov Open-Plan Offices vs. Cubicles?  Pros and Cons

Creating a workspace that promotes productivity and morale should be the objective of every supervisor, manager, and CEO.  But there are many different ways to accomplish this and the data is always conflicting.  

One of the most popular ways to achieve this is the layout of the workspace, and there are currently two different setups that are competing for the heavily coveted title of most ergonomic.

Open-Plan Offices

Pros:

• Accountability in the workplace. When coworkers and supervisors can see each other working, it is less difficult to waste time doing nothing. 
• Flexible seating arrangements make it easier for people to relocate as needed.
• Easier to communicate with others in the office. This is especially useful when the information is time sensitive.

Cons:

• Feeling that you’re being watched can cause employees to feel anxious and uncomfortable, which can diminish their productivity. 
• Loud and visually distracting. This can be particularly frustrating for employees on the autism spectrum or who have ADHD and may require accommodations to counteract the distractions
• Difficult for some workers to thrive if they don’t feel that they have ‘their’ space and no clear sense of boundaries.

Cubicles

Pros:

• Easier to focus, workers have more control over who they interact with and how much sensory stimuli they’re exposed to.
• Reduced physical interaction and more barriers between individuals can reduce the spread of germs in the office.
• They create a feeling of privacy and personal space, which some employees may feel more relaxed in.

Cons:

• It may, however, make it easier for employees to get distracted if there’s no one to keep an eye on them and make sure they’re working
• Physical barriers may discourage communication, inhibit collaboration, and create a feeling of isolation
• Making a cubicle available for every employee can be costly depending on how many employees a company has.

The Final Verdict

Both the open-plan office and the cubicle reflect two basic human needs- the need for shelter and the need for interaction.  Too much shelter turns into isolation and too much interaction turns into unproductive behavior.  The solution? 

Providing workers with options to choose which suits their workstyle best using activity-based working.  Activity-based working is built on the concept that when employees have options to choose which environment best suits they’re work style, they are more likely to thrive.  This can look like creating open spaces in the office without leaving it entirely open, and using office furniture such as a sit-to-stand desk.