What YOU need to know about the right size of your office cubicles

The other day, Leechiu Property Consultants reported that demand for office spaces in the Philippines grew during the second quarter of this year. This could be good news in the industry. They said that it is up by almost 40% from the previous quarter. This is the highest growth since the beginning of the pandemic.

Demand is mainly driven by the comeback of the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) group. As we indicated in another article of ours, most of Workzone’s clientele comes from the BPO’s.

Now, we are expecting here of another frenzy in office space acquisition. If you’re thinking about moving offices or starting a new one, now might be the best time to do it. But wait, if you are contemplating using office partitions in your new arrangement, you may want to know the right sizes of your partitions and panels.

Below, I have summarized the standard dimensions of the cubicles that you might have in mind. I assume here that you have already addressed the office layout issue. If not, go back. The dimensions of cubicles are second only to the design of the office.

In the design of the office, there are particularly important things to consider like the flow of information, privacy, security, and a host of other issues. Now if it’s already done, then you can address the office cubicle issues. If this is your first time, this could be quite a challenge.

The height of the panels, the materials, whether it’s full fabric, partitions with glass, aluminum, or laminate maybe just be some of the questions you might be harboring. But right now let us tackle the standard sizes of office cubicles.

Cubicle Width

Standard Cubicle. Usually, measure 120 cm length and 60 cm width.
L-Shape Cubicle. This type is for improved privacy. This has more space for staff movement and greater table surface area. The L-Shape dimension is at 180 cm X 120 cm. Table width is 60 cm.
U-Shape Management Cubicle. This is a private room cubicle for managerial employees. This has more desk area and storage. This would measure 240 cm x 240 cm x 240 cm.
Management Cubicle. This is quite large as it also accommodates one or two visitors inside. This type has more movable space, a bigger desk area, and a storage facility. Your executive office chair will have more floor space to even move side to side. Your private meetings can also be done here. This measures 360 cm X 240 cm X 240 cm.

Cubicle Height

The height of the panels is a balance between privacy and visual connection. For managers who would want visual contact with their staff would want higher panels with glass. For work with greater confidentiality, a taller panel would do.

These are the standard cubicle size of the panels here in the Philippines.

Low partitions are usually 120 cm. This height is at eye level when you are seated.
Then, 135 cm. The panel height is beyond the top of your head when you are seated.
Next is 150 cm. This is semi-private. Also, this is good if you intend to install hanging cabinets for your easy to notice files and books.
The 180 cm high panel. This is for the closed offices for managers.
Then there are the floor-to-ceiling partition panels. This is for the totally closed rooms. Ideal even for conference rooms.

There you have these standard sizes. And keep in mind that while there are standard sizes, you still can customize your office partitions. The height and width of the panels can be fitted to the floor space and ceiling heights or even be adjusted to other office furniture.

At any rate, Workzone provides a free estimate, just send your office layout.

Smart Tips When Ergonomic Chair Isn’t Available In Your Office

If you’re the typical office worker and you’ve been working for at least a couple of years, then most likely you may now be experiencing from some sort of back or hip problems. Your office chair or furniture could be your first suspect.

Dozens of chiropractic clinics have mushroomed in these past years. These problems are not only limited in your place, this is worldwide. The health insurance industry is shocked in this sudden rise of orthopedic issues.

Consider this, in the US alone nearly 65 million Americans have reported a recent episode of back pain. And this has affected not only the health care system but also work productivity.

Most of our offices today here in the Philippines have not adapted designs conducive to the health of their employees. Well, that maybe because ergonomic furniture is quite expensive. But still there are ways to avoid injury in the office.

You can change work styles and habits, rearrange office furniture and fixtures and a lot more. But here some of the ways:

Standing with an adjustable office table

Say, every hour in your office chair, take time to stand, move your laptop to a higher table and do the work there for another hour, then you get back to your table, this time, sitting. Do this 3 or 4 times in a day. Yes, this might be quite uncomfortable but that’s intentional. For your health. See the picture above? It says, keep moving. That’s one secret to a healthy back. Don’t remain in one position for too long.
In the standing position, place your monitor, or laptop screen below eye level. Your line of vision should be between 0-60 degrees.
Your feet should be flat on the floor. Avoid standing on one leg as some would often do.

Sitting in front of your computer table

When sitting make sure that the things you use regularly are within reach. Elbow and shoulder injuries are avoided in this manner.
The monitor or screen position in this situation should be between 0-30 degrees. Make sure that the top of the viewing area is below your eye level.
Wrists and elbows. Your wrists should be straight at desk level. This is where chairs with armrests come into play. Your elbows are comfortable rested on the armrests.
Lower back. This is where most injuries lie. So you have to adjust the backrest so your lower back is fully supported. Most office chairs now anyway have the tilting feature.

Put these tips into practice now. If you find these to be too burdensome, then an ergonomic office furniture would be your best option. Get it now!

Seven Things YOU Should Consider in Your Office Furniture

Choose Office Furniture According

Putting together an office used to be pretty straightforward. Count your staff, buy your tables and throw in a dozen wooden chairs and maybe a sofa for your visitors. No one needs an interior designer or an architect for the job.

That was the Dino days. When times seem to be just on the crawl. But you are not hiding under the rock. You are in the midst of times and seasons where change happens as quickly as a blink of an eye.

Buyers have changed, suppliers have changed, logistics have changed and other what have yous related to your business.

Now, you may be pondering on setting up an office for your business. You may be drawing advice from your friends and still could not get your decision.

Well, Workzone provides help for you.

As you know the furniture in your house is worlds apart from what should be in your office. It’s ridiculous to prop up luxury seating in your employee’s workstations, and there’s just no sense in choosing fixtures that are needlessly sophisticated.

Your goal when choosing office furniture in the Philippines is to select which fixtures contribute to your business environment in terms of use and design. Choosing your office furniture is not something that you can decide recklessly.

When it comes to choosing the best office fixtures, there are seven things you need to remember: color, material, theme, ergonomics, use, price, and versatility.

Now continue your scanning below as I describe these seven things and the first which you should pick first is:

To the Color

Some think color plays a little role in your decision. But the truth of the matter is, color is one of the most important aspects of creating your workplace. When played well, it can evoke specific moods and feelings that would otherwise not have been present with mere white furniture.

Wouldn’t it be wise to take advantage of the color’s power to increase your office productivity? You choose cool colors like blue or green to calm your employees or go with warm colors like red or yellow to energize them.

If you have a small office, the color of your furniture can make it look larger. Choose dark-colored furniture for your office to make space appear wider, or choose light-colored paints on your walls to create the illusion of vast space.

There is this office, a complaints department office. The whole room and its furniture are of the color pink. Yes, pink. Not only the walls but also the floor, the tables, and the chairs. And yes you guess right the staff uniform is pink.

The moment a visitor opens the door, his mood instantly changes, I mean instantly.

Remember, this is a complaints office, where every visitor you would expect to be almost exploding in rage over their various grievances.

The color pink eases feelings like resentment, anger, rage, and other confrontational emotions. But that is just for that company. There are also downsides in too overwhelming color schemes. Strike a balance.

And Material

Furniture comes in a variety of different materials. You have wooden tables, plastic chairs, metal desks, a combination of wood, fabric, and glass in office partitions. So many. Always remember that material plays a huge part in telling how long your furniture will last.

Plastic tends to chip away and easily get scratches, but they’re very sturdy, lightweight, easy-to-move around, and yes cheap as well. One material to consider if cost-conscious.

Wood is beautiful when used in offices, but varnish can wear away with constant use. Solid wood is also hard to find these days. And not only that its price may be higher.

Metal chairs or tables are incredibly durable, but they’re very hard to carry or move around. But lately, the trend pioneered by Starbucks resurrected the industrial type of furniture. You have this solid wood tabletop with metal frames and legs.

Matches Your Theme

Your office’s theme meshes all the separate elements in it. What theme have you chosen for your office? Are you going with modern design or traditional design?

Modern themed offices need modern furniture as well. Look for minimalist furniture with simple designs, or go with modern egg chairs, glass tables, and lots of lighting.

Traditional themed offices need furniture of traditional taste. If you have a traditional office, use wood sparingly, or use antique decorations and precious pieces to boost company morale.

Always remember that everything should follow the theme of your workplace in order to create a design that is harmonious, which equates to a work environment that’s pleasant as well.

And Staff Health

If there’s only one thing that you should focus on when choosing your furniture, it should be ergonomics. Ergonomic office furniture are fixtures that are specifically created to provide optimum comfort and the least amount of injury.

Repetitive tasks such as typing and sitting on an office chair can injure an employee if the chair, he or she is sitting on is not ergonomic.

Choose office seating that will be easy on the backs of your employees, and make sure that their computers or desks are propped in the height that would put the least amount of stress on their necks and on their backs.

The Occupational Safety Health Administration provides free training to people who wish to know how to set up their offices the right way.

With the wrong choice of furniture, the health of your employees is at stake. Choose office furniture that will provide the most comfort for your employees. Always remember: the more your employees are comfortable and happy with their workspaces, the more productive they become.

And Comfort to Employees

One thing that you should always remember when choosing office furniture is that comfort beats style. It doesn’t matter how unbelievably beautiful your furniture if people using these are agonizing then it’s a goner.

Seats made of metal or plastic might look dashing on your modern office but ask yourself a question: Are you willing to sit on that for eight hours a day?
Remember, don’t neglect comfort in your decision. Don’t buy furniture sets just because it looks good or it goes well with your office. Comfort should always be considered.

And Versatility

An office frequently expands to keep up with company growth. For this reason, it is extremely important that your choice not only fits your now needs but also tomorrow’s needs.

There is multi-purpose furniture available these days that you can purchase. There are large-filing cabinets that double as workstations or footstools that can open up to reveal storage boxes.

Multi-purpose furniture will benefit your workplace in the long run. As your company grows, your furniture should fit its needs as well.

But Price Influences

Most of the time it is price that influences. Yes, we’ve met clients who are very meticulous on the specs, very strict on the material and other things but eventually would make their decisions based on the lowest price.

They have their reasons. Office furniture can very expensive, especially when you’re purchasing things individually. To get a cut on price, you might want to purchase your office furniture in bulk.

Make it a point to do your investigation. Browse on couches, desk chairs, office chairs, and tables at chain stores like IKEA, Target, K-Mart, or Wal-Mart, but always make sure to compare prices and the quality of items that you plan to purchase. Avoid purchasing office furniture just because they are cheap.

Think of how long the furniture will last and how long it will take you to have to replace them. Sometimes, purchasing furniture from brand names can have its advantages. Brand name companies sell some of the most top-quality furniture you will ever find.

OK. Just Pick What YOU Value

Pick from among these parameters. Some factors might not match together. Rank them according to your preference.

What Business Are You In?

What business are you in? Sounds like the professor’s question in a business strategy class when the students are formulating and configuring their SWOT analysis. But yes, the same question should be asked when deciding what type or sort of office furniture should you chose.

The image of your office is very important.

I once visited an office of a lawyer who requested a quotation for some office cubicles. After some measurements of his office space and rooms, I suggested that he also get some file cabinets since I noticed stacks and stacks of papers mounted on each of his associate’s tables.

He thankfully declined and said: “Oh, those mountains of papers have a purpose. They’re there for the clients to see and appreciate that we are a busy law firm.”

Are you into the creative business?

Is your business into advertising, marketing, publishing, or production? If so, show it by your taste in office furniture. It must exude creativity and would ignite your employees to work with intense vigor and attract clients to do business with you.

I’ve done business with advertising agencies and yes most of their fixtures, from office chairs, conference tables and partitions are a bit colorful. It need not be expensive; it just has to be innovative.

Some of your clients may notice your inventiveness by the way you arrange your cubicles and the colors you chose. You just don’t know, it could be a deciding factor for the client in choosing your firm.

Are you into the finance business?

If your business is related to finance and banking, the overall image must be formal. Money matters and you mean business. Show it. Stability, firmness must be manifested in your office furniture.

Look at the office cubicles of the banks, the big big banks in particular. They are not the two-dollar suitcase type. Expensive? Most likely. But who gives a heck when you are dealing with millions with your clients.

Creating a Cozy Office Space

Choosing office furniture is like designing one’s own house. Since the employees would wound up spending most of their waking time in the office, a significant amount of effort and planning should be spent once you decide to get your office furniture.

Colors

You could start up with the color combination. Your office cubicles and partitions should be pleasant to the eye. The pale hues of yellow, green, and blue, and also white or gray, are great color. Neon colors are a big no-no especially if the employees need to sit around all day working in front of their computers within the cubicles.

Designs

As for the tables and desks, the designs need not be extravagant. They just have to be simple yet formal, maintaining that relaxed but functional feel out of your office. Some jobs require a lot of paperwork like the legal and accounting work, so wider and longer office tables are required.

As for the chairs, the widely used ones are the ergonomic office chairs. These provide not only comfort but also less stress and injury to the users. Our 41-2 and 40-2 models provide both comfort and luxury.

Meanwhile, cabinets should suit the needs of your workplace. There are cabinets that have sliding doors and many others have multiple drawers and shelves. Some BPO companies require 18 door cabinets and 15 door (our models have KS-18D and KS15D).

Functionality, security, and elegance should be kept in mind when choosing office furniture. Employees may treat the office like it’s a second home, and not only that, clients may get a lasting impression out of it. Choose wisely and carefully!