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Are outdoor offices too open for workers?
How often have you looked outside your window at work and wished you could be out in the open rather than cooped up inside? If architects Ju Hyun-Kim and Euno Cho have their way, you could be working at an outdoor cafe table instead of a cubicle. In Hyun-Kim and Cho’s vision for a truly […]
The key to a healthy workplace? A good boss
What do people want in a boss? It’s an important question for employees and employers alike – especially since bad bosses may jeopardize one’s health. And too many Americans say they serve under poor leadership. In fact, around three-quarters of U.S. workers consider their boss the worst part of their daily work grind, according to USA […]
New app lets coworkers anonymously rate each other
We rate our restaurants, our exes, our professors, our workplaces — why not our coworkers? A new app, Knozen, launched by Marc Cenedella, former TheLadders CEO, aims to do just that. As Business Insider reports, the free app “pits two coworkers against each other and asks the user a series of questions” to gauge their personalities. […]
Channeling FIFA fever can improve employee productivity
It sounds counterintuitive. Workers watching the FIFA World Cup means less work gets done, right? Not necessarily. If you assume workers are adults who plan their tasks around matches, productivity need not dip. Eighty percent of the world is watching the World Cup, and, according to a survey, a majority of employees watched or listened to […]
Privacy vs. partnership: Tweaking the office open-floor plan
As many cubicle workers can attest, the in-vogue office open-floor plan doesn’t always contribute to productivity. In fact, it can hinder it. While open-floor plans have been popular in interior design over the last decade or so, their efficacy is now being questioned by designers and planners — not to mention, the earplug-wearing workers long disturbed […]
Office perks: What employees really want
Last week, the Society for Human Resource Management released its annual Employee Benefits Survey. The survey provides comprehensive information about the types of benefits U.S. employers offer employees. The major takeaway from this year’s results: Employers are spending more to keep their employees in good health, even if they have to sacrifice other benefits. According to the […]
Mobile marketing on the rise in retail, reports new study
“Unified commerce” — linking in-store and mobile experiences — is becoming a major priority for retailers. The majority of merchants will invest in in-store technology over the next five years, according to a survey of more than 500 North American retailers run by Boston Retail Partners, a retail management consulting firm. As Business Insider reports, within that […]
Wayfinding: Typestyle do’s and don’ts
With the number of typestyle choices we have at our disposal these days it is very easy to be seduced by something snazzy, but it’s important to ask yourself, “Does this style suit signage?” There are lots of examples out there of fonts that may be fine for use on a logo or a printed […]
Office temperature troubles: New app tackles top worker complaint
Office temperature control: It sounds simple, but, as workers in frigid offices around the country can testify, it isn’t. More often than not, workers bundle up in the summer thanks to HVAC systems that waste energy and over-cool office occupants. As FastCo reports, a new app called Comfy is adjusting that imbalance. Comfy is an […]
Green office buildings don’t necessarily promote worker happiness
Working in a green office doesn’t necessarily boost employee happiness, according to a recent study reported on by ArchDaily. The study suggests that while employees are “generally satisfied” working in LEED buildings, their happiness isn’t any greater than those employees’ who work in non-LEED buildings. (LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, […]