But what are the pros and cons of working from home? Obviously, aside from it being the only way staff would be able to go to the office in their pyjamas without everyone else having to sponsor them, there are no doubt many real reasons for so many choosing to shun the commute to work. The chance to fit the working-life in and around family life evidently has a strong pull by enabling masses of workers to be at home when the kids come home from school or take a morning off without explanation. Workers can choose how they spend their time and structure their day to suit both themselves and their workload. Also the freedom to get out of bed at 2 minutes to 9 is definitely appealing on those dark and cold winter mornings.

So what are the cons? The act of leaving the house everyday and heading to the office allows workers to separate work from home life, but with work and home being the same thing workers run the risk of never “switching off”. Also, the act of leaving the house and interacting with co-workers gives people important and necessary daily social interaction and routine. Although the joys of being your own boss are obviously apparent, the cons will be even more obvious when you go on holiday or fall ill, as your business will stop the minute you do.

With self-discipline and hard work, running a business from home can be rewarding and prosperous, giving everybody the chance to make their own decisions. BT Office offers a wide range of affordable and long lasting office chairs, desks, filing cabinets and storage solutions perfect for anyone starting from scratch. To see the entire range of BT Office Furniture please visit btoffice.com.

Have you ever been sitting at your desk and munching your way through your lunch, only to find yourself later in the afternoon manically shaking your keyboard upside down to dislodge the crumbs? Or maybe you’ve even taken the Hoover to it, only to then have to take the Hoover apart minutes later to retrieve keys that have been accidentally sucked up?

Well, before you head down to the basement to create a solution to this problem, you’re too late, Kong Duck-young has beaten you to it! The Korean designer from office furniture maker ‘Steelcase Inc’ has created a shelf designed to sit above your keyboard, giving you the perfect resting place for your coffee and sandwich, whilst still allowing you to reach the keys effectively. With around 75% of office workers choosing to opt for desk-dining, as opposed to sitting down to a meal out of the office, this creation is sure to interest many crumb-conscious workers.

By creating a space within the office away from people’s desks, some bosses offer an alternative to resorting to the keyboard tray. The Energy Project has recently launched, ‘Take Back Your Lunch’, a project encouraging workers to take their lunch away from their computer screens. Studies have shown that taking time away from your desk, or even your office altogether, can help workers come back more refreshed, focused and ready for the later part of the day.

A simple and easy first step could be offering your workers a coffee table and chairs away from the main office area, why not take a look at BT Office Furniture’s range of wood and glass coffee tables? This will allow workers a small sanctuary away from their work where they can take a few minutes out and recharge their batteries, allowing for a more energetic and enthused afternoon.

It seems though, with these trends of munching in front of our monitors increasing, your employees may take a little convincing to break the ties with their desks. So, until we learn to escape for an hour around midday and find a nice bench to sit on, it seems we should all give in and buy Kong Duck-young’s keyboard tray and save the Hoover for items below the desktop!

With white being the most neutral background colour, it gives the impression of clarity and cleanliness, letting your company’s work speak for itself. Businesses all over the country are creating outstanding office interiors in order to portray the right image, with market giants such as Goldman Sachs installing restaurants and gyms in their basements and Lehman Brothers filling their offices with indoor grass and wood.

The Internet Encyclopaedia of Philosophy has published on-going studies on “Embodied Cognition”, the theory dedicated to researching how a person’s surroundings can have a negative or positive effect on their mood, so maybe now is the time to create the perfect environment for your business.

A recent study reported in The Huffington Post saw a group of office workers arrive at work to find their walls painted red.  Initially productivity was raised, but by the afternoon the workers found themselves arguing with each other and feeling more tired at the end of the day.

By introducing White Office Furniture to your working environment and creating a clean and minimalist space, you can help the aesthetics of your office stand out clearly from the rest, whilst improving productivity within your workforce.

A survey recently published by Chartered Society of Physiotherapists (CSP) revealed that as many as one in four employees work non-stop throughout the day and many of us work through most of our lunch break. Furthermore, a Deskbound survey uncovered that 60% of the British workforce work more than their contracted hours, 36% suffer from bad posture and 57% suffer from backache.

In 2008 a joint study between researchers in Southampton and New Zealand provided evidence that long hours at the desk represents a similar risk of potentially fatal blood clots as long distance travel.

These facts and figures speak for themselves and stress the urgency in employees introducing changes and incentives that could improve staff health. At the end of the day, bad backs and other problems arising from poor posture will decrease productivity.

Interestingly enough the Deskbound survey also reveals that only 36% of employers provide ‘comfortable’ chairs for their employees and 70% of office staff would like more say in their office furniture.

Steps to reduce work related health problems

Short Breaks

Strain from desk bound work could be easily avoided with frequent short brakes away from the desk. Apart from having a positive impact on your body, shorter breaks also stimulates the brain.

Office Furniture

Osteopaths are urging employers to look over their office furniture and wherever possible invest in appropriate ergonomic office chairs and desks that will protect their workforce against injuries and back problems. BT Office agrees with this and stresses the importance for employees to fully understand how their office chair operates.

Exercise

Office staff needs to make sure to move about frequently during the day; stretch the body, take a detour on the way to the kitchen, meeting room or printer.  With a wireless headset or a portable telephone, employees can walk around the office whilst on the phone; this also burns 5 times more calories than sitting.  Google ‘office exercise’ for other ideas that can improve body posture and strength, and reduce the daily strain of sitting for long hours. Gentle exercise in the office can also help burning extra calories before the summer holiday.

BT Office suggests three simply steps that can go a long way in safeguarding good health and wellbeing amongst employees:  1. Look over your office furniture 2. Make your employees posture aware 3. Introduce incentives for daily exercise and/or short brakes. And last, but not least, let your individual employees have a say in selecting their office furniture - after all they are the ones who are going to use them, not all, but most of the day.  BT Office is always happy to share their knowledge and assist you in selecting the most appropriate office furniture for your office and budget.

Read more links:
http://www.simplybusiness.co.uk/knowledge/news/2010/06/2010-06-11-One-in-four-workers-not-taking-a-break/

http://www.smeweb.com/management/top-tips/get-moving-061011.html

http://press.plantronics.com/europe_english/shape-up-for-summer-in-the-office-with-plantronics/

According to internet service provider Eclipse, 54% of the British population plan to watch the World Cup games online at work. As BT Office understands some companies will make room in their boardrooms for staff to follow the games together on big screens, whilst others will allow employees to watch online from their office desks.

One side of the debate, and backed up by Union Leaders at the TUC, are in favour of letting staff watch the games at work as it would otherwise lead to staff absence in form of holidays or faked sickness. Another strong view is that the World Cup is only happening once every four years, and as the Brits work the longest hours in Europe, they deserve some degree of flexibility in their working hours during the World Cup. It would be up to individual bosses to put down some guidelines; whether it is that the time is taken as an extended lunch or that time has to be made up at the end of the day.

The other side of the debate is arguing that not everyone is interested in following the games and that it would lead to further setbacks for the strained UK economy and have a negative impact on productivity for individual companies. Whichever side you support it is apparent that online viewing of the World Cup can cause computer chaos as it slows down office computer systems. Experts also warn that employees could risk crashing their work systems by tuning into live streams.

BT Office suggests that business owners and managers should not get too comfortable in their office chairs before they have put together clear guidelines for their employees with regards to viewing World Cup games in the office. If they don’t they should be prepared for an upsurge in sick leaves or bandwidth problems around 3 pm Wednesday 23 June when England is playing Slovenia!

To check out the times and dates of all the world cup games visit: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup-2010/fixtures/6664365/World-Cup-Game-Schedule.html

Winkworth has been a long-term loyal BT Office customer for a number of years - purchasing ad-hoc pieces of office furniture as well as complete office furnishing solutions for a number of their new and existing offices.

This time Winkworth approached BT Office for suggestions for their newly acquired office in Highcliffe, Dorset.

All Winkworth offices follow a similar office branding and look - signified by a modern open plan design with traditional colours and a futuristic touch which is achieved through bespoke items of decoration.

BT Office furniture achieved Winkworths’ look by introducing traditional wood finished office desks complimented by unusual shaped fixtures. Metal paneled curved office desks with pull out compartments and hidden storage spaces were a must for the Highcliffe office to ensure their office space would constantly appear tidy whilst still allowing employees to store paperwork and documents for easy access when dealing with clients.

Black Chrome cantilever office chairs in leather were selected for the office seating, coupled with Black box shaped sofas in the client waiting area.

The canvas images of Shore Road in Sandbanks (purchased from an external supplier) were placed on the wall to give a unique and localised finishing touch to the office space.

The process was quick and problem free from conception, design through to installation.

To find out how BT Office can be your perfect partner for office furniture solutions visit: http://www.btoffice.com

A good, comfortable office chair is a must for employee productivity, comfort and to reduce the likelihood of injury like back aches and strains.

The good news is that customers who purchase their office furniture from BT Office need not compromise quality for cost when selecting office chairs. BT Office has a diverse range of office chairs to suit all budgets and tastes - and what is even better is that three of the most popular ranges come in at under £50.

The E303 Computer chair is just £39 and comes customisable with or without arm rests, is fully height adjustable and has a weight capacity of up to 18 stone. BT Office is so confident with the quality of this chair that it comes with a 5 year guarantee.

The OPH operator chair comes in at £49 and is available in customisable colour and arm rest options. This office chair also comes with a 5 year guarantee.

Derek Flood, Director of BT Office says,
“We appreciate that many of our customers are looking for ways to minimise costs and some of our economy pieces of furniture provide excellent value for money but unlike many other suppliers we do not compromise on quality to be able to offer our customers lower prices“.

About the office chair range
The BT Office collection of office chairs ranges from; computer chairs, stacking chairs, executive office chairs to special ergonomic office chairs and mesh back chairs which provide ultra comfort. Ergonomic office chairs are uniquely designed to reduce back ache and neck tension and are fully adjustable allowing them to be specifically ‘fitted’ to the user.

As well as traditional office chairs, the range also caters for those who may not work in an office. Factory and draughtsman chairs are suited to those working in a factory, lab or manufacturing environment.

If your office has a waiting area or reception - take a look at the reception seating collection. One of the favourites for the summer and popular with many customers are Flashfire stools which come in bright eye-catching colours and various shapes. They can be easily rearranged and as the name suggests add a flash of colour and excitement to any setting.

To view the range of office chairs visit:  http://www.btoffice.com/office-chairs/

About BT Office Furniture
BT Office Furniture is a national, privately owned company founded in 1994 which supplies and installs office furniture in the UK. BT Office has concentrated on providing great value for money without compromise on quality and service. Their furniture portfolio includes executive ranges that cover both contemporary and classic designs. For orders and queries please call 0800 298 7033 or visit the website to find out more.

Selecting office furniture that is flexible has the potential to save an organisation money, maximise use of space and make the work environment more efficient.

The dynamic work environment of today often requires work spaces to be adaptable. Allowing work stations to be easily rearranged for meetings, to accommodate new staff members and to make space for new pieces of technology are just some of the reasons why this is important.

Organisations with a high staff turnover will also benefit from flexible office furniture. Office chairs and desks that can be effortlessly moved around or ‘resized’ will enable a seamless handover between old and new employees.

Try buying office desks on casters or wheels for ease of movement - allowing instant rearrangement of an office layout for meetings or to accommodate new staff.

Ergonomic office chairs are a great investment for businesses with high staff turnover, these chairs can easily be adjusted for the comfort of new staff members in a few minutes. The clever features will also ensure your new staff members are not moaning about back pain or other aches and strains.

Height adjustable office desks might also be on the furniture shopping list - the desks can be adjusted for taller or shorter people - perfection if one of your employees is as tall as Michael Jordan, and the other is more Danny Devito!

BT office furniture has over 15 years experience in office furniture retailing. With a selection of height adjustable office desks, ergonomic office chairs and other adjustable pieces of furniture at great value prices you can be confident that they can help you maximise the effectiveness of your work space.

Why not start by viewing the range of height adjustable desks here: http://www.btoffice.com/height-adjustable-desks

The office copier is still a prime feature in many offices, whether it is for printing purposes or for a five minute gossip session amongst boisterous employees.

However, although the basic uses of the copier have remained, dimensions of the copier have changed. According to a recent article by CNN “offices have replaced traditional copiers with network connected multi-purpose printers”.

Office furniture is just as important as office equipment although it is not always something people think about improving.

As an organisation, you probably replaced your office copier because it was outdated, switched to faster broadband to improve your office connectivity and download speeds, and invested in the latest flat screen monitors to save space and keep your employees happy.

However, how many organisations can say they update office furniture for the same reasons - to keep up to date with trends and improve functionality?

Today’s trends show that pieces of office equipment/technology are becoming smaller in size, but bigger in functionality and capability. Less really is more… So if your employees are still sat at huge office desks surrounded by messy drawer units and unused filing cabinets that barely close, now might be the time to downsize your office furniture and make effective use of space.

Here are some suggestions to help you maximise your office space with modern office furniture choices:

• Opt for office desks with built in cabinets for storage - to hide a multitude of sins (otherwise known as paperwork) - you will know what is in there but your clients won’t.
• Invest in an executive storage wall unit - this will look more professional and be significantly more organised than having bookshelves, cabinets and files scattered everywhere.
• Implement ‘green’ practices. Yes, introducing environmentally friendly practices such as recycling old documents and paper, and avoiding unnecessary printing will certainly help get rid of all that paperwork you might have lying around your office. It will also make you and your employees feel good.
• If your organisation has employees who work out of office/from home on a regular basis consider introducing a hot desk option, rather than giving each employee their own work space if they are not going to be using it on a regular basis.

For a diverse selection of office furniture to suit all tastes, budgets and requirements visit: http://www.btoffice.com

According to a recent study by the BBC, businesses produce over 40% of carbon emissions in the UK! And given that for most of us workers, we will spend the majority of time in the workplace rather than in our homes - the office is an ideal place to start cutting our carbon emissions.

Here at BT office we suggest how making a few changes to your office furniture choices can make a substantial difference to your carbon footprint:

Furniture Materials

Whilst it is easy to implement recycling practices when it comes to paper, materials and waste - it may not be so easy to apply to office furniture and equipment. If you are an upscale professional office - purchasing second hand, used office chairs and office desks are probably going to be a no go area.

But did you know that brand new office furniture can also be environmentally friendly? Simply make smart choices when purchasing, for example:

Look for furniture that is produced using recycled materials - they may be recycled but will look brand new. For example reclaimed wood. Look for FSC certified products whenever possible (You have probably seen the FSC logo, it stands for Forest Stewardship Council and identifies products made from socially and environmentally responsible forestry).

Also buy with a view of recycling later. Look for new office furniture that you can recycle in the future. Selecting sustainable materials can be difficult but most product guides will list the materials used and this little guide may help:

• Melamine Faced Chipboard - Can be recycled with processing

• Veneered Chipboard, Plywood and Steel - Easily recycled

• MDF - Cannot be recycled, only reused

• Compact Laminate - Indestructible and non-recyclable

• Plastic - Difficult to recycle

Location and Shipping

Purchase office furniture from a nearby supplier - it is easy to forget how much carbon emissions result from transportation! Buying local can counteract this. If you do have to have your office furniture delivered choose a UK company rather than an overseas supplier, and opt for unassembled items where possible - the packing cartons will be smaller.

Replacing old office furniture

It is not just about buying new office furniture or equipment; consider how you dispose of your old items. If a piece of office furniture is damaged consider refurbishing it, for example a soiled reception sofa can easily be reupholstered.
If you want to throw out old furniture to bring in new pieces then sell them on to other companies as second hand goods, recycle them if the materials are recyclable, or try and give them away by placing an ad in your local paper/gumtree or exchange them on the freecycle* website.

*10:10 - 10:10 is an ambitious project to unite every sector of British society behind one simple idea: that by working together we can achieve a 10% cut in the UK’s carbon emissions in 2010, visit http://www.1010uk.org for more information.

*Freecycle is a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It’s all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. Visit http://www.freecycle.org for more information.