Category: Office Furniture

Maximizing Your Small Office Space

You started a small business and are about to move into a new space. You’re wondering how you can make the most of your new office space. You want it to be practical and functional, but you don’t know where to start. We’ve compiled a few tips so that you can make the most out of your small office space.

First things first, assess your new office space. What are the sizes of each room? Are there large open spaces? Big windows? Does the space have any restrictions from the landlord? Ask these questions and get answers so that you can best smalloffice_modernplan out your new space.

If you have a commercial moving company helping you out with your office move, they may be able to help you answer some of these questions. Your space needs to function for you and your business operations. So, think about what you want each room in your space to be functional for. Do you want a collaboration room? Break room? Individual offices? After you figure out how you want your space to function, talk to your commercial mover. They should be able to help you plan out where your furniture and equipment should go so that you can maximize office productivity and make use of your space.

We also suggest looking into modular furniture as an option for your small office. With this type of furniture, you can easily take apart, put together and rearrange workstations to fit your particular need. Modular furniture is good for small spaces because it can help you optimize your space. If you decide to look into this type of furniture, make sure to talk to your commercial movers to see if they are able to install it.

Storage is another thing you’ll need to think about when trying to maximize your small offices’ space. You’re going to have a lot of office supplies, maybe extra furniture and other items that you’ll need to store. If you don’t need these items in-house, consider putting the items in storage, especially if it’s furniture. For the items you do need to have in your office on a daily basis, make sure to have the items organized. Disorganization will only lead to clutter that will take up space. Purchasing decorative storage bins or purchasing office furniture with a lot of storage capabilities will help keep your office organized, and help you maximize your office space.

smalloffice_paintYou also need to think about the visual impact you want your office to have. Do you want your employees and visitors to be wowed when they walk in? Of course you do. Consider painting some walls to add a little character to your space. Painting is an easy and great way to make your small space stand out.

Just because you have a small office space doesn’t mean it won’t be functional. You just have to make sure to plan everything out so you’re using your space to its full advantage. Talk to your commercial mover and come up with a strategy to help you configure your space into the office of your dreams.

 

Work with The Quality Group

At The Quality Group, we’re your commercial relocation specialists. Founded in 1987 in New Orleans, LA, The Quality Group serves the Gulf States with comprehensive commercial moving services from move planning to furniture installation. No other company puts in the time or preparation that we do to make your move stress and hassle-free.

 

Finding the Right Moving Company.

When My Business Moves, Can You Set Everything Up in the Right Place?

When planning your commercial move, there are a lot of things you have to worry about. But, walking into your office with boxes and cords everywhere, and furniture in the wrong places, shouldn’t be one of them. So, how do you know if your commercial mover will set your office up correctly? Well, we’re going to give you some insight on what questions to ask and how to know if your office will be fully-functioning on Monday when you walk into work.

 

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Make sure your commercial movers are familiar with your office furniture brand. Knowing a lot about a furniture brand, how to move it and how to put it back together can help make the moving process a lot easier. You wouldn’t want a mechanic that knows nothing about Corvette’s to work on yours, would you? Same goes for office furniture. Talk to your commercial moving company to make sure they know the ins and outs of your furniture. You want to make sure they know how to safely move it, and effectively set it up with no hiccups.

 

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Additionally, ask your movers if they’re going to set up your computers to be fully-functioning when you get back to your office after the move. If they are, make sure you ask them if they’re familiar with the software your company uses and the types of computers you use. Your computers are vital to your business operations, so making sure your commercial moving company knows how your technology works is very important. You wouldn’t want to walk into your office and see computers unplugged and not turning on. Moving is stressful enough, and you shouldn’t have to worry about your computers not functioning properly.

Moving offices is a time to refresh and change things up. So, if you want to switch up your offices’ furniture arrangement, make sure your commercial mover specializes in space optimization. You may not think about it, but the way your furniture is arranged can affect the productivity of your employees. Make sure you’re able to sit down with your movers and discuss the floor plan of your new office space so that they can map out how to best optimize your office for maximum space and productivity.

If you really want to refresh your office with some new furniture, you also need to talk to your commercial movers to see what furniture they suggest. Your commercial movers should be experts in all things related to relocation. So, talk to your movers about what office furniture they suggest for your business operations and they should be able to get you in touch with a reputable office furniture company. If you find yourself with too much furniture, then talk to your movers about storage options for those pieces that just can’t fit. Ask if they have storage capabilities, or if they know a reputable storage facility.

Moving your business is made up of a lot of moving pieces, literally. You deserve to know what your commercial moving company does and doesn’t do so that you can be best prepared for your move. So, take these simple tips and put them into practice so that you can ease your mind of any moving stresses you may have.

Work with The Quality Group

At The Quality Group, we’re your commercial relocation specialists. Founded in 1987 in New Orleans, LA, The Quality Group serves the Gulf States with comprehensive commercial moving services from move planning to furniture installation. No other company puts in the time or preparation that we do to make your move stress and hassle-free.

Designing a Healthy Office Space to maximize employee happiness, productivity and communication.

Whether you’re moving your company to a new building, or just looking to refresh your office, we have some advice on what floor plans and designs will be best for your company and your employees.

Open floor plans were popular in the 1990’s, and they were designed to help your company boost communication among your employees. But, communication and collaboration may be distracting and cause employees to become less productive. So, we’re here to help you decide how you should layout your new office space, and how you can get a healthy mix of collaboration and productivity all under one roof.

The Huffington Post wrote an article about offices rethinking the open floor plan design for businesses. “People have different needs throughout their day—times they want to collaborate and times where they just need to think by themselves,” said Ethan Griffin, CEO of Groove, a marketing company.

 

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When Griffin was planning his business’ new office space he wanted to incorporate an open floor plan that included a library with books, couches and a fireplace. This space also has an unwritten rule of “no talking” in case someone needs quiet time to relax. Additionally, Griffin added private workspaces for those who require solitude and silence in order to get work done.

According to the International Facilities Management Association, 70 percent of American employees work at an office that has an open floor plan. Some companies are realizing that this open work environment creates less productive employees.

Twenty-five years ago, the open-office floor plan began trending, but today, building private work spaces is trending, according to Sonya Dufner, a director of workplace strategy at Gensler, a design firm.

 

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However, evidence suggests that even though it may cause some distractions, knocking down your offices’ cubical walls can generate good, productive conversation and promote a sense of community.

Environmental psychologists and designers who have studied this workplace dilemma said there’s “no one-size-fits-all solution.” Different workplaces have different needs and methods of functioning. More specifically, different departments within your company have different needs. Some may need communication to occur sporadically throughout the day, and others may not.

“Workspace should be designed as carefully as you would design the cockpit of the Dreamliner,” said Jennifer Veitch, an environmental psychologist with the National Research Council of Canada. Veitch also preached that not giving your employees a suitable work environment can deter from productivity.

When you design your new office space, be sure to keep your employees in mind. Note which departments will need more quiet time, more quick communication or which ones will need a mix of both. So, explore your office and employee needs and come up with your perfect office floor plan.

 

Work with The Quality Group

At The Quality Group, we’re your commercial relocation specialists. Founded in 1987 in New Orleans, LA, The Quality Group serves the Gulf States with comprehensive commercial moving services from move planning to furniture installation. No other company puts in the time or preparation that we do to make your move stress and hassle-free.

 

How Your New Office Can Make Your Employees More Happy, Motivated and Productive

 

Moving is exciting for your business. You look forward to things like bigger office spaces, more storage areas, and maybe a better location. But, along with these things, we’re going to give you something else to look forward to: improved employee productivity.

Maybe your new office has bigger offices for employees. With more space, come more areas for storage and organization. If your employees have bigger offices and more places to put important files, documents and office supplies, then desk clutter can be quickly eliminated.

A cluttered desk may not seem like a big deal, but it is. Let’s put it this way, if your employee is on the phone with a client and the client asks for information that’s located in a particular file, time spent searching for the file will increase if your employee is searching through mounds of disorganized papers. Not only does this lead to wasted time, it also leads to a stressed out employee. With more space and organization, your employee will be able to quickly locate the client file (without stress) and get the information needed to the customer. If files and other important documents are organized and easily accessible in the new larger office space, your employees will spend less time searching for the file, less time stressing and more time engaging with the customer and getting what needs to be done, done.

 

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In an article by Forbes, they write about ways a disorganized workplace leads to stress and not a lot of productivity. “80% of what we perceive or experience is based upon the visual sense of our environment,” said Sherry Burton Ways, interior designer, color therapist and author. If our environment is cluttered and disorganized, Ways said this can slow down mental energy and make work even more difficult.

A new office also gives your employees a chance to refresh, redecorate and redesign their spaces. Believe it or not, doing these things adds more productivity to your employees’ workday.

Forbes suggests reworking office layouts, changing out lighting and adding personal touches to your office reduces workplace stress. And reducing stress makes for a happier and more productive office.

When your business moves, your employees have a chance to redesign their offices to create more organized and stress free spaces. By making small changes in your new office, a stressful work environment is eliminated, and a more productive environment is implemented.

 

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Work with The Quality Group

At The Quality Group, we’re your commercial relocation specialists. Founded in 1987 in New Orleans, LA, The Quality Group serves the Gulf States with comprehensive commercial moving services from move planning to furniture installation. No other company puts in the time or preparation that we do to make your move stress and hassle-free.

 

Is Modular Furniture Right for Your Office?

Modular office furniture pieces are pre-made work surfaces or units that can be combined in different ways to furnish a room. This often includes walls, desks, cubicles, cabinets and other storage solutions. Modular furniture can be expensive, but if it’s right for your business, it could save you time, money and headaches in the long run.

Are you renting an office? It’s hard to pour money into an office renovation when you don’t own the building. Plus, landlord expectations can make any structural changes hard to consider. With modular furniture, you can separate your space into offices, workstations, common areas, whatever you need, without making any permanent changes to the owner’s building. And better yet, you can pack up your whole office and take it with you when you move.

 

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Is your business changing? Whether your company is growing or downsizing, your office needs are changing. Maybe you need more space, or you need larger offices. Modular furniture adapts to be anything you need it to be. Did you just hire a new executive? Give them a corner office with movable walls and desks. Are you downsizing and want to open up more common space? Simply fold flat and pack up the modular pieces you’re not using. Instead of paying to move your business to a better-suited space, make your office work with flexible furniture.

 

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Is disorganization ruining your office’s productivity? Employees that are too crammed together can’t be productive. Neither can employees who can’t find the materials and supplies they need. Modular furniture helps you visualize and organize your office into distinct work zones that can be relocated, depending on employee needs. Modular furniture saves you space and can optimize your office’s workflow.

Modular furniture is flexible, adaptive and designed to encourage productivity in your workplace. It might even pay for itself in saved moving costs and streamlined office operations.

The Quality Group works with the biggest brands in the modular furniture industry, like Steelcase, Allsteel and more. We can find the best modular office furniture for your space, deliver it and install it. We’ll even haul away and recycle your old furniture. If you think modular furniture could be right for your office, let’s get in touch.

 

Work with The Quality Group At The Quality Group, we’re your commercial relocation specialists. Founded in 1987 in New Orleans, LA, The Quality Group serves the Gulf States with comprehensive commercial moving services from move planning to furniture installation. No other company puts in the time or preparation that we do to make your move stress and hassle-free.

The Perks of Working with The Quality Group

Our value-added commercial moving services give you the most bang for your buck and keep you calm and comfortable during your office move.

PROBLEM: I can NOT afford to close up shop for a week to get everything moved.

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Our Solution: We’re happy to move your business at night or on weekends. We can coordinate every facet of your relocation outside of office hours, so you don’t lose any business. Our mission is to complete your commercial move while minimizing your business’ operational downtime. We usually eliminate it altogether, so you can move your office without missing a single phone call or turning away a single customer.

PROBLEM: I have too much/not enough/old/broken office furniture.

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Our Solution: At The Quality Group,our professional movers:

–          Safely dispose of or recycle your old, broken or unwanted furniture

–          Work with brands like Steelcase to bring you high-quality, durable office furniture

–          Provide safe, secure warehouse space for extra furniture you might need later

Just tell us what you want to do with your office furniture, and we will take care of the rest.

PROBLEM: I need to move, but I have no idea where to start.

Our Solution: Call us. Right now. There’s no pressure or obligation. We can just talk. We make moving plans every day, so we can guide you through yours no matter where you are in the process. Whether you’ve just realized you need more space or you’ve got a new office and a move date, we can make sure your move goes smoothly. Don’t let anything stand in the way of growing your business. Give us a call, or give us your contact info and we’ll call you (link to contact page).

 

 

Work with The Quality Group

At The Quality Group, we’re your commercial relocation specialists. Founded in 1987 in New Orleans, LA, The Quality Group serves the Gulf States with comprehensive commercial moving services from move planning to furniture installation. No other company puts in the time or preparation that we do to make your move stress and hassle-free.

 

What to Do at Your Old Building after Your Commercial Move

Once you move to your new office, what do you do with the old one? It’s easy to forget about the office you’re leaving. These tips will keep you from leaving loose ends behind after your office move.

 

  1. Recycle Your Old Furniture

Instead of throwing away your old furniture or leaving it in the office for someone else to deal with, why not recycle it? Recycling your old furniture is good for the environment and your public image. Find tips on recycling your furniture here.

 

  1. Store Furniture You Don’t have Room For

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Just because you’re not using all of your furniture in your new office doesn’t mean you won’t want it later. Don’t let the chaos of moving convince you to throw out furniture that you don’t have a place for yet. Commercial moving companies like The Quality Group can pack up and store your office furniture for you until your need it.

 

  1. Make Sure Suppliers Know Your New Address

Nothing’s worse than having packages and supplies show up at your old office. Not only is it inconvenient, but depending on how far away you moved it could be disastrous. Talk with your vendors about your new office to streamline business operations after your office move.

 

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Ideally, you want to leave your old office in the same condition in which you found it. Don’t leave trash and furniture for the property owner to dispose of. Don’t have packages and supplies delivered to the new building tenants when they should be delivered to your new office. With a little planning and initiative, you can enjoy your new office without worrying about your old one.

 

Work with The Quality Group

At The Quality Group, we’re your commercial relocation specialists. Founded in 1987 in New Orleans, LA, The Quality group serves the gulf states with comprehensive commercial moving services from move planning to furniture installation. No other company puts in the time or preparation that we do to make your move stress and hassle-free.

Why Should You Use Recycled Office Furniture?

Recycled and refurbished furniture is a trend on the rise. The internet is full of ways to reuse, recycle or “up-cycle” chairs, desks, tables, cabinets etc. But what about for offices? Should you invest in recycled office furniture for your commercial facility? Whether you’re about to move offices or just considering renovating, refurbished furniture can save you money, help your community and get good press for your business.

Save Money

Office moves and renovations are expensive. From moving costs to lost productivity, expenses add up fast. Check new office furniture off your list by reusing what you have or finding recycled or refurbished furniture. Imagine how many employees your office has. Now imagine buying brand new office furniture for every one of them. With recycled office furniture, you can save as much as $7,000 per workstation. And according to leading workplace supplier Steelcase, reusing existing furniture after your commercial move may help you towards LEED® certification, qualifying you for government incentives.

Save the Planet

Believe it or not, people notice what your office looks like. Visiting clients look around, and your work environment speaks to the type of company you are. A feature like recycled office furniture stands out. An office that makes an effort to reduce their environmental impact is a company who cares. This kind of commitment to sustainability will be noticed by local media and the community, garnering good press for your business and a favorable impression from your customer base.

Savor Your Style

Many companies want a clean, modern look to their offices. Especially when moving into a new office. Part of the excitement of moving into a commercial facility or getting an office makeover is having a fresh new space to work in. But you don’t have to buy new to look new. You can find modern, efficient workspace furniture that’s up-cycled from old furniture. Check out some examples to see just how good recycling can look.

 

 

Considering recycled office furniture? The Quality Group can help. We specialize in finding the right furniture to maximize your office’s productivity. We’ll even get rid of your old furniture for you. Before you spend a fortune on new office furniture, give The Quality Group a call.

Work with The Quality Group

At The Quality Group, we’re your commercial relocation specialists. Founded in 1987 in New Orleans, LA, The Quality group serves the gulf states with comprehensive commercial moving services from move planning to furniture installation. No other company puts in the time or preparation that we do to make your move stress and hassle-free.

5 Ways to Recycle Your Old Office Furniture

During an office move, you might end up with furniture you don’t want or need anymore. Maybe you bought a new desk for the reception area, or your new office doesn’t use the cubicles you had in your old one. Whatever your situation, you end up with a pile of furniture on the curb.

But you don’t have to leave it there. Steelcase, a leading office furniture and solution provider, offers several great ways to put your old office furniture to good use. You can read their advice here. Here are some highlights from the article, along with our insights from 100 years of commercial moving experience.