Office Shenanigans

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shenanigan

Due to an influx in projects and deadlines, I could not come up with a well thought out blog for today. However, that does not mean I can not supply you with a somewhat entertaining  post. When thinking of something quick and fun I could write about, I randomly thought of the word "shenanigans". And then I searched the phrase "office shenanigans" online and found some odd, yet hilarious, short videos for your enjoyment.

Tin Foil? Click here!
Post its? Click here!  - "it changes the whole room".
Poor Craig! Click here! ...and the consequence

I didn't know this, but I guess Butterfingers had a promotion for an office shenanigan, too. Click here for one of the entries!


Working in a showroom, we don't get to partake in crazy shenanigans like these (which is fine). And unless you know your coworkers are cool with small pranks, I wouldn't recommend gift wrapping their cube for their birthday without knowing their temperament, as well as your company's tolerance policy.

Alright, it seems we are close to getting through this hump day - thank you for letting my slack a little and I hope you enjoyed the videos!

~ Kendal

The Workspace and Productivity

About 20 minutes ago, I came across a great article by Tanha Patel on Designing for Organization Effectiveness.  Imagine then my inspiration when I go to Steelcase's homepage and see the above image staring back at me. "67% of workers feel their current spaces do no support a variety of activities". It must be a sign that today's blog should be an ode to creating a flowing workspace.

Patel discusses three key elements to foster efficiency: People, Systems, and Tools.

"Workplaces today are being perceived as a space that fosters creativity and transparent communication. And, organizational effectiveness doesn’t mean utilizing more space, but it means using the physical space more wisely". Additionally, she gives tips and strategies to create a balanced and more productive workspace (check out the full article here).

• Reflect the goals, purpose, and culture of the organization
• Maximize organic, and multi-directional communication
• Maintain equilibrium between flexibility, privacy, and collaboration
• Accommodate multiple generations of workers and their work styles
• Encourage high employee engagement

Steelcase also has some tips for gaining efficiency and creating harder working spaces (click here for full article - quite long, but very informational):

• maximize real estate utilization
• foster and support collaboration
• help attract and engage talent
• reinforce the culture and build the brand of the organization.

Both Patel and Steelcase acknowledge that a more efficient workspace creates a better, more productive environment for businesses of all shapes and sizes. If your company is currently looking for new ideas, I highly recommend checking out http://www.workspacedesignmagazine.com/ and http://www.360.steelcase.com/. Both are great resources!

~ Kendal

The Joys of Giving Back

Making the streets of Seattle squeaky clean

Yesterday, I wrote a blog for B&OI's internal website on community service. It seems we have a lot of people involved in different organizations and causes and that is something that should be acknowledged and celebrated. As a company, B&OI donates money to charities, participates in the adopt a street program (our Operations team rocks!), as well as contributes gift wrapped carts to a local hospital's children's holiday party. Individual employees are part of multiple charitable organizations and donate time and effort to making hundreds of lives a little bit better.

"I wish I could be involved", you say to yourself, "but I don't have the time, money, resources, etc. right now". You know the amazing thing about getting involved? It doesn't have to be a huge contribution / time commitment if you don't want it to be. Giving $10 to a local charity, buying those girl scout cookies, running / walking in a 5k race, donating shoes and lightly used clothing to church groups/ homeless shelters - easy ways to help out without a large burden. When you find you have more time, get involved with charities / organizations that mean something to you. You may find they don't need board members - just specific events to attend and help out on.

It feels good to give back! Have a Washington State Charity you want people to know about? Post it below!

Staying Fit in the Office - Edition 2

Personally, I think going to the office can be painful (and recent articles concur!). Depending on your current employment situation, you could be sitting at your desk for 8 hours a day, ignoring your body, blinding your senses with the computer monitor lights or worse, squinting to see your mobile devices latest email from your boss while simultaneously doing a PowerPoint presentation on the importance of sustainability in the office.

In my first blog regarding your health and the office, I mentioned a lot of articles depicting the negative affect sitting all day does to our body. I also listed a few possible ways to get out of your chair - including a desk that can raise for standing height, exercises you can do discreetly, and trying to talk your boss into getting a walk station! 

I thought it would be good to introduce you to a  few more cool ideas for your office!

Meet Sit to Walk Station!

The younger sibling of the Walkstation, this little beauty fits conveniently under your height adjustable desk for easy movement and flow. It's personal and convenient!

 Meet Kybun Footpad

A second cousin of the walkstations, this footbed provides necessary blood flow which helps remove toxins! Again, perfect for the height adjustable desk!

And finally,  meet the Mini Pedal Exerciser

If you're like me, you may have lost your height adjustable desk and semi private space to the accounting girl who no longer works at your office. Or, your office doesn't have a budget to install the sit to walk in every station - and if Jimmy and Johnny can't have a sit to walk station, there's no way you'll be getting one in the foreseeable future. Enter the manual mini bike. These puppies run from $20 - $140 depending on just how serious your pedaling needs are. I will be getting the cheapest model possible because I'm really just trying to have body movement throughout the day as opposed to trying to hit my cardio goals (I'm at the gym reeeaaallllyyyy early for that). Amazon has quite the variety...check them out here!

In conclusion, keep moving (tap your feet, circle your arms, do some squat lunges)! I know it's easy to get tied to the computer. But getting up every 50 minutes or introducing your feet to a mini pedal exerciser is a great way to keep the blood flow moving!

Kendal