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The Bay Area looks very different since the first shelter-in-place orders took effect on March 17 in just six counties. The original order said the lockdown would span "at least three weeks." It's now been over six months that some sort of "new normal" restrictions have been in place, be it masks, social distancing and/or telecommuting. It's also completely changed the faces of San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose.
Coronavirus is ubiquitous in 2020. Plexiglass is too as a result. It's an integral health and safety measure adopted by corporations, schools and government. A CBS News report from June estimated that plexiglass sales were up 30-fold as businesses install cough guards, sneeze guards and cubicle extenders in record numbers. Individual face shields are also in high demand, further placing heavy burdens on plexiglass manufacturers and retailers.
There are currently 34 states with mask mandates, according to data compiled by AARP. Washington DC and Puerto Rico also have mask mandates. All of said mandates have commonalities related to exemptions. Children as young as 2 and old as 12 are not required to wear masks depending on the state. People with certain medical conditions and those participating in various activities (e.g. swimming, exercising, etc.) are also not required to wear masks.
The Bay Area is slowly but surely regaining some semblance of normalcy in the wake of coronavirus. Of course that comes with caveats. Golf courses were allowed to reopen on May 4. But restrictions and rules vary depending on jurisdiction. ABC-7 reported that Napa County golf courses are turning cups upside down to prevent players from having to grab the flags. They have also removed rakes from bunkers and removed ball washers, to prevent people from touching them. Childcare facilities, car washes and other industries have their own "new normal" procedures as well.
Many Bay Area businesses are open, but with various restrictions. Governor Gavin Newsom spoke at a veterans home in Yountville on May 22. He hinted that professional sports and hair salons were the next businesses to be given the green light to resume operations. But Contra Costa County saw its one-day biggest spike in COVID-19 cases (65) on June 9. Despite the surge, hair salons and indoor dining are expected to recommence throughout most of the Bay Area next week.
The origins of cubicles trace back to Frank Lloyd Wright and other early 20th century architects and designers. They believed that walls made offices dreary, dungeon-like places that made workers feel trapped. Business owners tended to agree, but for different reasons. They believed walls inhibited the ability to pack as many workers into one place as possible to maximize productivity and profits. Enter cubicles.
Most of the Bay Area is still several weeks away from reopening. Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo and San Clara counties extended stay-at-home orders through at least May 31. The City of Berkeley issued a similar directive. But many businesses were allowed to reopen on May 4. Governor Gavin Newsom launched Stage 2 of the state's reopening plan Friday, May 8. Florist, sporting goods stores, music stores, apparel stores and more opened for curbside. The governor acknowledged that the Bay Area extended it stay-at-home order through the end of the month, adding "that is their right." San Francisco Mayor London Breed indicated the city and county would move into Phase 2 next week.
We've written several articles in the past two years about the ongoing debate between open office furniture and cubicles. Managers and C-Level executives like open office to encourage collaboration and eliminate barriers between workers. Meanwhile Millennial and Gen Z workers are more content with open office layouts then Baby Boomers and Generation X, who are less than enthusiastic about it. The COVID-19 pandemic is resolving the issue for everyone.
The United States has come a long way from Reconstruction to 2020 as it relates to work conditions. The average workweek in the year 1900 spanned six days and 59.6 hours, according to the Economic History Association. The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 mandated that employers must pay overtime when workers exceeded 44 hours in any given week. The law was amended two years later, making the standard work week 40 hours, with overtime thereafter.
The terms introvert and extrovert came about after World War I. Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung first described extroversion as an "outward" libido, and introversion an "inward" libido. Jung's definition of libido is quite different than that of Sigmund Freud's. The latter's theories centered around sexual gratification, whereas Jung's "libido" referred to any and all factors that motivated people to do things.
We've written extensively about the ongoing open office furniture versus individual cubicles debate. The narrative for most of the last decade was that young Millennials and Generation Z prefer open office for collaboration and communication purposes. Baby Boomers prefer cubicles, while there is no consensus among Generation X. All of those positions have been dissected in survey after survey.
There is no longer a consensus-like tone when it comes to open office layouts. Workers often complain about a lack of privacy and inability to concentrate on the task at hand. The open office layout is here to stay, however, due to some of the largest technology companies in the world (i.e. Facebook) using it. But Human Resources personnel now understand that office layout is company and culture-specific.
The Bay Area is a trendsetter for many things technology, especially office furniture and design. Multinational tech firms and startups are always competing for talent. Your office furniture and layout are the first impressions of the company to potential employees. That's why it's imperative to present your company culture in a way that exudes success. Here are four trends taking hold in 2020.
There is a growing trend of building office spaces that incorporate nature. This mostly entails a lot of plant life, large windows for natural light, and even artificial waterfalls. But nothing screams nature like wood.
The music and entertainment industries often speak about the cultural phenomenon known as the "27 Club." It refers to numerous musicians, actors and other famous performers passing away at the age of 27. Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Cobain are among the most famous members of this dubious club. Now it appears workers in the tech industry are being read their last rites at a similar age.
Office culture is perhaps one of the most analyzed and repeated buzzwords in corporate America. A 2012 Deloitte study found that 94% of executives and 88% of employees believe a distinct company culture is essential to overall success and employee satisfaction. The study also found that 84% and 83% employees and executives, respectively, said clearly-defined company culture keeps workers engaged and motivated.
We did it! The San Francisco 49ers are in Miami for Super Bowl LIV. The NFC Championship against Green Bay was supposed to be quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo's biggest test of the year. He was going against future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers and a red-hot Packers team that had won six straight games. The last time the Packers lost was in Week 12 - a 37-8 shellacking by the 49ers at Levi's Stadium. The NFC title was essentially a rerun.
The average American slept 6.8 hours per day in 2019, according to StartSleeping.org. That's down from eight hours of sleep per day in 1942. Meanwhile only 1 in 5 jobs today require physical activity, according to Johns Hopkins University. That down from nearly half of jobs being physical in 1960. The morals of the story - statistics are fun, and your beds and office chairs better be comfortable.
The Bay Area is well represented in the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2020) this week in Las Vegas. Artificial intelligence, 5G and marketing technology are some of the hottest topics related to office culture and streamlining work flows. Some advancements in the workplace, however, have been more detrimental than helpful.
One of the most rewarding parts of working at Eco Office is setting up cubicles or open office workstations for Bay Area startups. We've seen new business owners break down in tears after our approved design comes to life in their new office digs. Their dreams are finally realized - working for themselves, their employees and clients.
The "as a service" phenomenon has quickly become standard operating procedure in the 21st century workplace.
The most ubiquitous Software as a Service (SaaS) apps were born right here in the Bay Area. Slack, Salesforce and G Suite allow companies to rely on cloud-based services that streamline myriad processes for a low monthly fee. Platform as a Service (PaaS) assists developers with building applications and coding. PaaS, in a figurative sense, is like a chef renting a commercial kitchen instead of buying the space. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) allows companies to outsource IT on pay-as-you-go plans versus buying expensive on-site equipment.
Atmospheric carbon dioxide never exceeded 300 parts per million in the 800,000 years prior to the Industrial Revolution, according to NASA. That number sits at about 390 parts per million today and is rising by the day. Meanwhile global sea levels rose by eight inches in the last 100 years, with 30% higher acidity levels in surface ocean waters. The five warmest years in Earth's history have happened since 2010.
A 2018 Expedia analysis ranked San Francisco the fifth-most stylish city in the United States. Matador Network ranked San Francisco the fifth-most fashionable city that same year. The 415 is infamous for some of it’s negative issues (that ain’t dog poop you just stepped over). But most people view San Fran as the technology hub and trendsetter of the world.
It’s no secret that the Bay Area is one of the most pricey cities to live and work in the United States. San Francisco is second only to Manhattan on Kiplinger’s 2019 list of most expensive cities to live in the United States. The median home value in the city is $927,400, and average rent for apartments is a cool $3,821. Oakland is seventh on the list, with a cost of living nearly 55% higher than the U.S. average.
Silicon Valley and San Francisco are still the technology meccas of the United States. But data released by commercial real estate firm Cushman and Wakefield earlier this year indicates that Salt Lake City and Boston are vying for that title. Salt Lake City has a combination of a large Millennial population and cheap rent, while Boston has easy access to venture capital and of course Harvard and MIT. But the Bay Area is not in imminent danger of losing its status, at least not as of today.
“Janitor? Uh janitor?” Those who have seen the 1998 cult-classic “Half Baked” belly-laughed at that microcosm. Though Dave Chappelle's character in the movie name was Thurgood, he was simply known as "janitor" to the scientist that needed a favor.
Cisco Systems conducted a study in 2017 that observed and analyzed the movements of its workers in various facilities. The company concluded that employees worked much differently than they did just a few years prior. The traditional 9-5 shifts were no longer the norm due to the company’s global and telecommuting workforce. Individual cubicles were empty 65% of the time observed, while meeting rooms and other common areas were the preferred choices for workers to complete their duties.
The United States was once a hub for manufacturing, which meant many workers made a living in that sector. Federal Reserve data show that 30% of American non-farm jobs were in the manufacturing sector in 1949. When you combined those workers with retail, mining, construction and hospitality, that meant more than 60% of American workers were on their feet, moving around for most of their workdays. Manufacturing jobs account for only about 8% of all jobs today, the lowest ever. More than 86% of Americans sit all day for their jobs in 2019.
The U.S. experienced a decline in employer hiring in February after two very strong months of job activity, according to New Jersey-based software firm iCims. The company’s Monthly Hiring Indicator (MHI) showed hiring dipped 8.5%, while new job opening were down 7.4% after seasonal adjustments.
The federal minimum of $7.25 has not changed since 2009, but several states have taken initiatives of their own. Arizona voters raised the state minimum wage to $11 in a 2016 ballot initiative that took effect this year. But a state lawmaker recently introduced House Bill 2523, which would require employers to pay only the federal minimum wage to workers age 22 and under, and who are in college full-time. Meanwhile Maryland is about to join several states that currently have a $15 minimum wage. The state’s House of Delegates approved a bill this week to raise its minimum wage.
The U.S. Employment Participation Rate remains far below pre-Recession levels in 2019, but companies are hiring those looking for work. Unemployment rates were 4.1% or below throughout the last twelve months, which means offices constantly welcomed new workers in their spaces.
Businesses around the world use technology to get work done. Between phone lines, computer set ups, printers, fax machines, and other electronics, every office needs to keep their power supply needs in check. Each device requires another cable or wire to be plugged in. Even if each desk only has one computer and a phone line, that can equal a large amount of cables to manage.
Do what you love, and you will never work a day in your life. This quote may be true for some in the workforce, but the sad reality is that most employees are working to pay the bills. They may not be excited to come into work each day. But there are ways to build an office environment that inspires and motivates them.
Among the large software companies in Silicon Valley and cities across the nation, software developers enjoy a wealth of amenities, from in-house coffee bars to ping pong tables to free massages. While these luxuries may be great in the short term, they don’t address the main problem facing professionals in this industry — long-term effects of time spent sitting at a computer.
For those who work a 9-5 job, they are spending a large portion of their week at the office. More specifically, they are spending most of that time at their desk or cubicle. If you have an individual space or desk, it is worth it to personalize the space to your needs. This will help you feel more relaxed and comfortable at work everyday, and the small changes can make a big difference.
Despite the emergence of e-friendly initiatives to shed waste and reduce paper use within businesses, there is still a need for storage space. Whether it is backup files of key client accounts or physical space for larger items, designing an office space with storage in mind will help keep the office clutter free in the future.
By the year 2020, over half of the U.S. population is expected to be freelancing either part-time or full-time. Freelancers traditionally work from home or the local coffee shop, but what if you want something cozier than a stuffy corporate office, but more professional than your kitchen table?
Let's face it, there are three main things that millennials value the most when it comes to working in an office environment. You may be surprised that salary and benefits are not the top priorities - although very important. This generation values: the freedom to collaborate, community, and access to the best in technology. However, there is one thing you don't want to miss the mark on: workspace design.
When Google and other corporate giants decided to implement an open office setting, instead of traditional private offices and cubicles, 70% of the American workforce followed the trend, according to experts. However, some people believe this trend is an epic fail. The Washington Post published that “Google got it wrong. The open-office trend is destroying the workplace. Workplaces need more walls, not fewer.”
Whether you are purchasing new office furniture to replace old furniture, or you are expanding and need to accommodate new employees, the type of furniture you choose will have a significant impact on your company’s bottom line. It has been proven that employees that have access to furniture that is ergonomically correct and visually appealing can actually increase their productivity.
If you're new to cubicles, it is helpful to understand the parts and pieces so you know what you want to order to make a complete cubicle. The basic building blocks of any cubicle are as follows.
As companies continue to grow, and commercial real estate costs continue to rise, cubicles are the logical solution to get the most utility from the open space you have. We can custom tailor each cubicle to the occupant's specific needs, work habits, and function within the company.
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