Equipping the Flexible Office for Maximum Productivity and Professional Experience

Flexible Office 9to5 Seating Aria Chairs

With COVID, flexible office work arrangements are more popular than ever. Digital technology has kept employees so connected for the past couple of decades that many need reminders to unplug during vacations and long weekends.

Going through the COVID-19 shutdown made remote working mandatory and now companies are reimagining how doing tasks in remote locations can remain compatible with working in a corporate office.

Making the office a destination spot is a strategy to create a positive office experience that will draw workers back is a trending strategy. But what are you bringing them back to?

Let’s look at flexible office spaces and their use as a competitive advantage.

Flexible Office for Deliberate Flexibility

Corporate offices today are adjusting their defined work areas. It’s not just a matter of placing the names of departments on different doors like accounting, marketing, or production. Instead, they’re doing what CBRE in their 30,000 square foot El Segundo office is doing: designing spaces as lounges, single-person work pods, and equipping outdoor areas with wi-fi, comfortable seating, and shade umbrellas.

In 2018, community design firm Stantec unveiled a re-design of its 60,000-square foot space in Irvine. It’s a diverse company of scientists, architects, and project managers. They have “Four non-traditional collaborative spaces take the shape of breakout rooms, lounges, and hubs.”

A training room has space for 50 people and a retractable wall that can separate the room into two if needed.

Personal interaction is planned and designed into the floor plan with a collaboration café that’s “purposefully located where office circulation paths meet to foster quick planning sessions and conversations.”

A central lounge with reclaimed barn wood paneling, a coffee bar, computer stations, television screens, and contemporary lounge furnishings, serves as the flexible office’s central meeting place and social focal point.


Photo: ERG International Tivoli Lounge

Flexible Office Productivity

Planning office spaces for flexibility that leads to greater productivity is important because different people have different ways in which they work best. Just like learning. Some people learn better with a hands-on approach while others may be more visual or more auditory.

Some work best from home and 2010 Office Furniture understands this so we equip the remote workers, too, with work-from-home flexible office suites and accessories.

Creating a flexible office space that allows your team to feel comfortable respects their individual needs while bringing them together in a unified mission of meeting corporate goals.


Photo: SitOnIt Seating Glove Chairs

Flexible office spaces let employees work in areas that suit them best.

Physical Flexibility

There’s another type of office flexibility that’s important for a person’s overall wellness. Sitting for long periods of time strains the elbows, wrists, knees, and lower back. If the height of a monitor or desk isn’t right then posture is off and sitting for long stretches is a gradual strain on the entire body.

Promote physical flexibility with quality ergonomic chairs and height-adjustable desks.


Photo: DeskMakers Hover Workstations

Common Needs

A headline from an agency recruiting remote workers in Los Angeles proclaimed on its website, Productivity doesn’t need an office.

That’s not 100% accurate.


Photo: DARRAN Chameleon Workspace

Everyone has different needs for a flexible office. Some people work best at one specific workstation with occasional meetings or chats in lounge areas.


Photo: OFS Tangent Lounge

Others prefer remote work over full-time in-office work.

However, there are common needs that everyone has despite personal preferences:

  • Social interactions
  • Natural lighting
  • Pleasing environment

Even the most ardent remote worker is best served with in-person meetings and not just all-virtual gatherings, all the time. We like interacting with others or we begin to feel alone, even if we’re digitally connected.

We have an abundant amount of sunshine in Southern California, so make sure your team has plenty of light filtering in. Sunshine boosts morale in the office and helps people maintain a circadian rhythm so they sleep well at night.

Colors matter, too. You don’t need bold, splashy colors in every room, but you also don’t want dull and drab. Plenty of cubicle solutions use attractive fabrics and come in easy-to-configure arrangements so you can plan for both privacy and personal conversations.

The 2010 Office Inspiration page gives options that show you how today’s flexible office can make the best use of color and space to reflect your brand and show your employees that you have their needs in mind.

Plan and design a space for minimalists or create a resimercial space that reflects both personal lives and professional pursuits.


Photo: Allermuir Mozaik Lounge Seating

The good news is you don’t have to sacrifice quality when designing a flexible office space. An array of durable options exists to help you get the most from your workspaces so your team is as productive as possible.

Find Flexible Office Solutions that Work Best

Turn to 2010 Office as your solution for space planning and office furnishings that help you create the modern flexible office. The team has more than 50 years of experience working with clients who rank among Southern California’s most distinguished corporations, universities, and small businesses.

Contact them with your potential needs.

Read Also: Your Guide to Office Feng Shui for the Best Office Environment
Main Photo: 9to5 Seating Aria Chairs
Resources & Special Thanks to Respective Product Manufacturers: 9to5 Seating, Allermuir, DARRAN, DeskMakers, ERG International, OFS & SitOnIt Seating 

Designing for Comfort and Employee Well-Being with the Resimercial Office Trend

Resimercial Office Trend HON Westhill Lounge

Lines between our personal and professional lives have blurred with instant communication and cloud storage. Kids and colleagues can get in touch as needed. There are boundaries, of course. But the 2020 stay-at-home orders showed that many companies found a way to keep operating with nearly all of their employees at home.  Enter the Resimercial office trend.

Now that the focus is once again on the corporate setting, the Resimercial office trend is more popular than ever.

Create an inviting office where home-style comforts are mixed with commercial durability. The benefits of resimercial design include increased comfort with a boost in productivity.


Photo: Snowsound Perline Acoustic Panel

Why can’t a corporate office have the needed functionality plus personality?

This type of office bridges the settings of home and work—while being flexible enough to incorporate the best of both residential and commercial.

A well-planned resimercial office space following the resimercial office trend will have the furnishings that are needed with intangible elements that can make your office a welcome destination.  The addition of biophilic design (bringing elements of nature indoors) also is a huge benefits as it helps improve overall office wellbeing and positivity.

Resimercial Office Trend: Attitude and Atmosphere

Use as many large windows as possible to get rid of stuffy feelings inside. Southern California has a diverse landscape of beaches and mountains, plenty of sunshine, and some of the best weather in the U.S.

Office settings that incorporate natural elements create a pleasant atmosphere—especially when maximizing natural light and using colors that represent the surrounding environment.

Offices in Pasadena or Monrovia can use as much window space possible to capture the red and purple hues of the afternoon sun on the San Gabriel Mountains.

In Playa Vista or Culver City, an office can make use of ocean scenes and equip an outdoor space to experience the ocean breezes.

Use green on your walls strategically with the Nevins Bio Canvas Frame. Bark, moss, and stone panels are tastefully arranged in this no-maintenance option.

These touches make an office personable while getting rid of a sterile feeling.

Work is demanding, but these familiar connections can reduce stress and show employees that they don’t have to be separated from the soothing elements of the world.

Resimercial Office Trend: Furnishings and Fabrics

Office spaces that are planned effectively have a clear purpose. Visit 2010 Office Furniture’s resimercial office trend page to stir your own creativity.

Don’t wall people off from each other. Use furnishings that allow for a flow of open interaction yet provide private spaces. Placement, look, and feel are factors that the team at 2010 Office Furniture considers when assisting clients in planning their spaces.


Photo: Maverick Apex Desk Workstations

You’ve got many choices ranging from the inventive DARRAN Chameleon Workspace to the Maverick Apex Open Plan Desking and the Global Zira Desking Workstation.


Photo: Darran Chameleon Workspace

Each solution is unique with finishes that look pleasant, has comfortable seating, and can be incorporated into a soft, office design.

In a home office, you should have a dedicated workspace, but you’re free to move around and work on the sofa or at the kitchen table. Design that same freedom into your office setting.

Make your breakroom personally stylish using items like the Arcadia Betwixt Table.


Photo: Arcadia Betwixt Table

Consider the DARRAN Honey Lounge Seating. It’s a seating solution that incorporates nature, provides ergonomic comfort, and has been proven to help reduce stress, bolster productivity and enhance well-being.


Photo: Darran Honey Lounge

Storage space is important in both the residential and commercial worlds. Step away from gray metal with the OFS Hitch Shelf and Storage, a unique, modular storage system available in a range of wood veneer finishes.

Resimercial design has a range of ergonomic benefits when quality furnishings are used.

Expect durability. Commercial grade furniture is meant for heavy use, several hours a day, while a sofa in your home is meant for much lighter use. You can still have comfort with quality seating and workspaces.

People and Productivity

The Resimercial office trend isn’t just about furnishings. It’s about letting your employees work in comfort while maintaining high levels of productivity.

Promote well-being.

Quality office chairs are a good place to begin.

The OFS Pret Chair is the type of ergonomic seating solution that’s pleasant to look at while supporting an individual’s body weight and shape.


Photo: HON Solve Chair

Lighting matters, too. Forget big and bulky lamps. Sleek is in for corporate settings and home offices. The Workrite Fundamentals 2 Desktop Light focuses light as needed without getting in the way. It’s one of many ergonomic lighting options.

Channeling sound is another way to make the office pleasant and comfortable. Use acoustic panels of all shapes and colors to deflect and absorb potentially distracting conversations and clacking keyboards.


Photo: Nevins Bio Canvas Panels

As you make the office comfortable, employees will find it a desirable setting to work in. It could become their home away from home.

Rely on 2010 Office Furniture for Resimercial Office Trend

The team at 2010 Office Furniture has more than 50 years of combined experience working with clientele that are among Southern California’s most notable corporations, universities, and other not-for-profits, and small businesses in all industries.

Contact them with your office needs and questions.

Read Also: 6 Reasons to Use a Resimercial Design for Your Office
Main Photo: HON Westhill Lounge
Resources & Special Thanks to Respective Product Manufacturers: Arcadia, Darran, HON, Maverick, Nevins & Snowsound

Using Resimercial Office Design as an Employee Retention Strategy

Resimercial Office Design OFS Edge Structures

Imagine if your employees left your office feeling refreshed and not burned out after a day or week on the job. Office design that supports overall health and well-being can have a positive impact on people. Resimercial office design holds that possibility.

A resimercial office design can lead to greater employee engagement, loyalty, and productivity.

Here’s why you need to bring quality into your workplace.

What Matters to Employees

Brand your office as a pleasant atmosphere and you’ll boost your chances of retaining top talent. Design a space that’s well-planned, equip it with quality furnishings, and use fabrics and colors that look like they could be in a tidy and productive home office.


Photo: HON Preside Table

Your office environment and remote-work policies are being quietly, or openly, evaluated by your employees.

Well-being, flexibility, and work-life balance are of utmost importance in today’s workforce, according to global consulting firm McKinsey. A recent study the firm conducted shows that employees with and without children want flexibility and that includes remote work up to three days per week.

Yet, people want the best of both worlds because the findings show they don’t want to be isolated by being at home. Your team wants connections in a supportive office environment.

Microsoft discovered this in an international survey, published in the article The Next Great Disruption is Hybrid Work: Are We Ready? Researchers found that over 70 percent of workers want flexible remote work options to continue. Yet, over 65 percent are craving more in-person time with their teams.

Turn to resimercial office design to satisfy the internal desire for the personal touches found at home while meeting professional needs and desires in the workplace. See examples on 2010 Office Furniture’s Resimercial page along with other office design styles on the Inspiration tab.

Photo: OFS Beck Table

Resimercial office design bridges the home-work divide by prioritizing personal comfort leading to professional productivity.

How?

By creating an atmosphere that lets employees work comfortably and become as productive as possible. It’s the concept of ergonomics—fit the surroundings to meet the needs of the workers.

Design for Personal Comfort and Professional Productivity

Let’s take a Big Picture look at resimercial design. It’s not a gimmick or fad. The style has proven popular and it will continue. It doesn’t have one particular look, but lends itself to a variety of colors, styles of furnishings, and fabrics.

A lesson learned comes from the Hana Bank headquarters in Korea. The building was designed during the COVID-19 shutdown and features an atrium and a 12-story “ribbon park” integrating green space and public pathways into the workplace. This combines with other elements like curved surfaces and the use of wood to create an atmosphere with the goal that “people will leave the workplace feeling better than when they arrived.”

Reduce stress in the workplace by offering soothing or soft designs. This achieves two key results:

  • Supports emotional well-being
  • Emphasizes physical comfort

Designs that incorporate elements of nature like natural light, plants, and accessories like indoor fountains are soothing and allow for a sense of order and harmony. Plan a sense of flow from one set of workstations and offices to another while at the same time setting boundaries for private places.

Physical comfort is emphasized so that workers feel welcomed and have a supportive environment to perform to the best of their abilities.


Photo: 9to5 Seating Aria Chairs

Modular systems give you freedom in configuration, like the Global Sidebar Desking Workstation with an aesthetically pleasing woodgrain finish and personal storage capabilities. Use quality ergonomic chairs and proper lighting to ensure a positive experience.


Photo: Global Sidebar Workstations

Breakrooms with a trendy kitchen table can double as informal conference and work tables.

Involve Your People

Show your team color options, styles of workstations, desks, chairs, and lounge furnishings. Modular units make it easy to add or reduce desk area depending on how many will be in the office or working remotely.

Set aside different areas. One for huddles and another as a multimedia space to bring people together with a unit like the OFS Obeya Architectural Structure, giving a ”warm, familiar feeling.”


Photo: OFS Obeya Structures

You might find that people will want to spend more time in the corporate office and less time in their home offices. And, if employees are pleased, then retaining top talent just got easier.

Refresh with Resimercial Office Design

Building an intricate indoor-outdoor 12-story strolling ramp may not be in your budget like it was for Hana Bank. But you can take small steps to refresh your space whether you’re a tech start-up in Orange County or an established corporation in the Los Angeles area.

Re-do the break room and conference rooms in a resimercial office design. Get a feel for color schemes, tables, and chairs. Consider modular lounge seating and see how your office begins to come together.


Photo: Darran Bota Tablet Table

Larger companies can refresh a specific floor before doing an entire building. As you see it unfold, you can get an idea for what will work and enhance your office experience and environment.

Get a Resimercial Office Design that’s Right for You

Choose the designs and plan the spaces that are right for your organization. The team at 2010 Office Furniture has more than 50 years’ experience assisting clients from Southern California’s most distinguished corporations, universities, and nonprofits with space planning and furnishings.

Contact 2010 Office Furniture with your questions and needs.

Read Also: Designing Your Office Space from Top-Down to Bottom-Up
Main Photo: OFS The Edge Architectural Structures
Resources & Special Thanks to Respective Product Manufacturers: 9to5 Seating, Darran, Global, HON & OFS 

Equipping Employees for Both the Corporate Office and Home Office

Equipping Employees for Both the Corporate Office and Home Office

Today’s corporate and home office environments will remain dramatically changed in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. Are you seeing it in your work setting?

Expect a hybrid trend to continue. Employees will work up to a few days each week in the corporate setting and then put in the remaining hours each week at a home office or other remote location.

Savvy executives and office managers will plan and design their spaces so employees will be properly equipped at home and in the work setting.

Read on to see how you can create spaces that are productive and also meet expectations for workers and the company.

Why Employees Want to Work at Home

Surveys shows that office workers have a lot of practical reasons for working remotely at home or another location.

Reason 1: Plenty of quality furnishings are available for home offices like height adjustable desks, ergonomic chairs and accessories to create a professional setting.

Reason 2: They don’t face stressful commutes and they save money by not going to the office. You know the stories of what it’s like battling traffic every morning and late afternoons on freeways like the 405 through West LA and the 210 into Pasadena and the San Gabriel Valley.

The people surveyed estimate that savings in gas and other personal expenses saves them up to $ 5,000 a year.

Reason 3: Concerns about Covid—and this comes in a distant third.


Photo: OFS Aptos Private Office

Here’s a breakdown from a survey of 2,000 adults that Flexjobs, an employment agency, did in April 2021:

  • 84% of people didn’t want a daily commute
  • 75% personally saved money
  • 32% still had Covid concerns
  • 26% enjoyed being closer to their pets and home responsibilities
  • 15% said a home office made childcare easier

Another reason workers like their home office is they don’t have to wear face coverings. Physical distancing and mask requirements are easing up in California beginning mid-June. But according to updated guidelines from the state’s department of public health, masks are supposed to be worn in indoor settings:

“In indoor settings outside of one’s home, including public transportation, face coverings continue to be required regardless of vaccination status…”

Exceptions are made for people working alone in a closed room or office.

The on-going regulations may sway people to work from home.

What CEOs Want for the Corporate Office

Not surprisingly, CEOs and other executives surveyed wanted their people at corporate workstations, although they understood that workers got used to remote locations. In a survey conducted by Price Waterhouse Coopers in January 2021, most corporate leaders agreed that a hybrid office model can work.

Here’s the breakdown of how many days the CEOs want their employees to spend in the office:

  • 5 days a week—21%
  • 4 days a week—18%
  • 3 days a week—29%
  • 2 days a week—15%
  • 1 day a week— 5%
  • Only 1 – 3 days monthly—6%

The most pressing concern for executives was keeping their teams aligned with company culture. Too many days spent working remotely would lead to drifting and a loose association with the company’s goals and values.

Companies can attract employees by offering quality settings that can’t be duplicated remotely. The other draw of a corporate setting is the social interaction. Make the office a positive place to be.


Photo: HON WestHill Lounge

The Power of the Flexible Office

A property management authority was commenting on commercial office leases in Long Beach and remarked “that a lot of tenants that don’t really know what the world looks like — don’t have a good grasp of, once we’re out of this pandemic, what their office space needs are going to look like.”

Products made for a flexible workspace design are more important than ever.

If you need more workstations, or fewer, then consider solutions like the DeskMakers TeamWorx Open Plan Desking. It’s easy to configure and comes with many different privacy options.


Photo: Deskmakers Teamworx Workstation

The Attraction of Ambiance in the Office

A popular office trend in workspace environments is known as Resimercial, which means combining the best of a home office and residential setting with the durability and demands of a commercial space.

The lines between work and home are more blurred than ever.

It’s acceptable for office lounges to look like living rooms when they’re properly furnished and arranged well.

You can also create an upbeat office setting where people want to be. Use primary colors and furniture with clean lines. Triangular shapes and circles add depth and intrigue.


Photo: Arcadia Contract Domo Benches

Add plenty of indoor plants to bring in the best of nature and make sure a maximum amount of natural light is flowing into the space.

The Support of the Healthy Office

Show employees that they’re safe and well-protected with mobile glass screens and an array of space dividers. Private and semi-private office cubicles are useful for distancing while still offering a sense of collaboration.


Photo: HON Ignition Chair

Get the Ideas You Need for the Corporate Office and Home Office

Smart space planning is essential to laying out an office setting for maximum productivity and employee engagement. The team at 2010 Office Furniture has over 50 years of combined experience working with office managers and executives at the most distinguished companies in Los Angeles County, Orange County, and the Inland Empire.

Contact them with your project needs and questions.

Read Also: How to Help Protect Workers in Open Office Floor Plans from Covid-19
Main Photo: Arcadia Contract Avelina Table
Resources & Special Thanks to Respective Product Manufacturers: Arcadia Contract, Deskmakers,HON & OFS

(IMPORTANT NOTICE: The recommendations on this article are NOT from health experts, and have not been medically tested nor proven as an effective cure or prevention for COVID-19 or any other diseases.)