The current Covid-19 crisis is posing some very interesting questions about offices and how layouts may need to be changed in the future.

In recent years we have seen a move towards complete open-plan layouts which include break-out and lunch areas – giving an airier feel to office environments and allowing staff the flexibility of free movement.

But will this thinking need to change as we adapt to the tighter restrictions enforced upon us by this pandemic? We simply don’t know how long it will be before we return to traditional normality and may have to accept a new norm for some time where:

A time for change?

Our team at Chrisbeon have many years experience in supplying office equipment, desks, chairs and so on, and designing and creating office layouts which best suit the requirements of a business – including reception and break-out areas which are likely to be among the first areas of the office to change.

Our thinking, and the thinking of clients, may need to alter in future to cater for a new way of working – a way in which staff can still carry out their job effectively while ensuring they can stay safe and healthy.

Future designs may well see offices reverting to:

Buildings may need to incorporate extra space to allow for more stairs between floors to limit the use of cramped lifts where people are huddled together in just about as close proximity as you can get. Doorways and corridors may have to be wider and we could well see much larger spacious reception areas where people can exercise a greater level of distancing.

Furniture requirements are also likely to change. Desks have become smaller and hot-desking more prevalent, but if the need to keep staff further apart is going to remain a priority, we may see a return to larger desks, greater spacing between them and each employee having their own personal workspace.

The future remains uncertain although it does seem likely that we will be living with the implications of Covid-19 for some time.

Whatever the future holds, Chrisbeon will be here to supply your office needs – whether in terms of equipment or layout design and installation.

We know how important it is for everyone to stay safe during the current restrictions. It’s something we take very seriously as we continue to provide you with the equipment you need to remain operational during these tough times.

Yes, orders are still coming in and we are proud to supply you with our top quality products safely and efficiently by keeping deliveries in the family – thanks to our current delivery team, Chrisbeon Partner Richard and his son Tom.

Social distancing and strict contact rules have made it difficult, although very understandable, during the present pandemic in terms of our usual forms of delivery by van, but we have overcome that in a way which is safe for all.

Ideal partnership

Richard and Tom have been busy delivering orders, the ideal pairing as delivery drivers being part of the same family and living in the same household. It made perfect sense for them to take on this aspect of the business, which is just as well because our order books have been pretty full.

It has meant that we can continue to deliver while keeping to the social distancing rules in homes and keeping to restrictions by only having two members of the same family in a van.

The dynamic duo is also observing strict measures in terms of how clients take delivery of our supplies in order that everyone stays safe during the delivery process.

While our showrooms in Shrewsbury and Telford have been closed during the lockdown, our staff have still been working hard remotely to help customers meet their office and stationery needs with higher numbers of people than normal working from home.

Meeting the challenge

Many businesses have closed during lockdown but we have kept going, answering enquiries and having products delivered by courier to those still operating and, significantly, to people who have had to turn home space into an office environment to meet the challenges of working from home.

Orders have been coming in for new equipment and furniture and we have also seen high demand for items in our pre-loved range – something that always sparks a great deal of interest in our customers.

While it’s not clear how long social distancing measures will be in place – and that may well be for some time yet – it’s nice to know that we can continue to meet the needs of our customers safely.

We are able to process orders by telephone on (01952) 292606 or via sales@chrisbeon.co.uk for next-day delivery on various items.

These include chairs, desks, general office stationery, paper, files and folders, inks and toners. A limited number of catering and cleaning supplies are also available.

Get in touch with us today to find out how we can help you!

Many employees have now been working from home for nearly two months and although the advice from the Government is to stay as active as possible, we know many people will be spending long hours at their desks – or dining room tables!

While remote working has some very definite advantages, it is also vitally important to safeguard health and wellbeing by taking action to remain fit in mind and body.

Stay active and avoid aches and pains

Things to think about include standing up and walking around to take telephone calls, walking to the kitchen to get a drink when thirsty rather than keeping it on your desk, and staying active during your lunch break by going for a walk, run or doing a 20-minute YouTube workout. And what about the time spent at your home work station?

Here are five exercises that can be carried out at the desk:

Shoulder rolls – Begin from a position of proper alignment, adopting the correct posture. Roll your shoulders up, then back, then down in a fluid motion. Repeat this movement 10 times and then reverse it, rolling forward 10 times.

Leg extensions – While sitting on a chair, lift one of your legs until it’s straight out in front of you. Hold for as long as you are comfortable, then lower and lift the other leg. Repeat 10 times. Try counting how long you can keep your legs raised, and see if you can increase the time a little each day. Next, lift one foot a few inches off the floor, keeping your knee bent at 90 degrees. Again, hold until it becomes uncomfortable then switch to the other leg.

Back twists – Sit up straight and put your left hand on the small of your back, with your elbow bent. Twist to the left as far as you can comfortably. Change to the right side and repeat. Keep switching from side to side and always move slowly and smoothly. Don’t jerk or force yourself to twist further than is comfortable.

Neck rotations – Relax your shoulders and lower your chin until it touches your chest. Take a deep breath in while rotating your head very slowly clockwise. When your head is as far back as you can get it, slowly begin to exhale while circling your head back to rest your chin on your chest again. Do this five times clockwise, then five times anti-clockwise to relax and stretch tense neck muscles.

Punch the air – Punch the air above your head with both arms for intense 30-second bursts – it’s a great way to release stress and get your heart beating faster. Next, punch the air in front of you, then to the sides and finish with 30 seconds overhead again.

A full workout….without leaving your seat! We hope it helps.

As workplace lockdown conditions are gradually lifted, it’s vitally important that employers and employees feel Covid safe and that social distancing measures are strictly maintained to ensure we avoid a second spike of the epidemic.

Making workplaces Covid-19 secure is one of the top concerns as the country starts to get the economy moving and we have been helping businesses achieve this by providing a range of protective screen solutions, including toppers for existing desk dividers and free-standing screens.

These are simple but effective steps that firms can take to help keep people safe, businesses operating and the number of virus infections as low as possible. The options are:

Desk Mounted High Screens

The ideal solution for maintaining individual workstation integrity. The screens are available in:

The screens are fully secured and can be fitted to all 25mm desktops.

Screen Toppers

Giving additional protection by adding height to existing desk mounted screens which provide cough and sneeze barriers between employees. The choices:

Free-standing High Screens

These three-sided high free-standing screens are easy to install, sit on the desktop, are supplied with metal feet for perfect stability and, once again, come in fabric and acrylic with all the benefits of the desk mounted screens and screen toppers.

We are also able to supply free-standing letterbox cutout style screens which allow for the passing of documents safely and are ideal for receptions and hotels.

All of our screens are designed for people to work in as safe an environment as possible, reducing the risk of infection and providing the reassurance and confidence necessary to keep businesses operating efficiently.

For more about the options we have available, telephone us on 01952 292606 or 01743 600365, or email sales@chrisbeon.co.uk

As DSE assessors we know that not setting up equipment properly can cause many issues – and although we realise meeting the requirements of a full DSE assessment is just not possible while working from home during the present crisis, we want to share some advice that may help.

A DSE assessment is a risk assessment that looks at the health risks of working with display screen equipment such as PCs, laptops, tablets and smartphones.

With so many people working remotely it is important to be aware of how you are positioning yourself when using your computer and carrying out daily work-related tasks, to avoid potential health issues.

Follow the six-point plan

Arms – Ensure your elbows are level with the keyboard when sitting at your desk. This will position your wrists at the correct angle.

Getting comfortable – Your feet should be flat on the floor with your knees at a minimum angle of 90 degrees. If you are unable to do this while sitting right back in your chair, you will need a footrest. Ensure your chair is adjusted to support your back.

Using the keyboard – Leave enough space in front of the keyboard for your hands and wrists. The keyboard should be placed towards the front of the desk to avoid overreaching while the mouse should be on the same platform and at the same level next to the keyboard.

Head and neck – The top of the screen should be level with your eyes in your line of sight. The screen should be directly in front of you, an arm’s distance away when sitting in an upright position.

Reviewing documents – Any documents being used during the course of your work should really be at the same level as the screen and on the same side as your dominant eye.

Overreaching – Ensure items in frequent use, such as the telephone and stationery equipment, are placed within easy reach.

Additionally, make sure the contrast, brightness and colour on screens are set correctly and that tasks are alternated to avoid eye strain and fatigue.

Taking these simple, basic, but extremely important steps will ensure you are set up correctly for a days work while protecting your health and wellbeing throughout the current home-working period.

My office at home….

Being in isolation during the present crisis has brought about a number of challenges – including working from home and self-educating the children – which require some thought about getting equipment appropriate for the task and deciding where in the home it is all going to take place.

It looks like we will be working from home, and the children are going to be away from school, for quite a while. Juggling needs at this time raises issues you would normally never really have to think about.

Creating the right environment

Having a home office, or space where you keep your laptop, that you normally only use on an odd evening is very different from the current every day working at home situation that many people are now finding themselves in.

It is important that you work in an area that is well lit and that you are not always working from an armchair or sofa where the viewing angle of a laptop would not be correct and your wrists may not be supported.

Desks and chairs

Small desks that were perfect for sorting out the monthly bills and writing out shopping lists may now not be working so well. A desk catering for a computer and all the necessary paperwork needed to fulfil a working day at home may need to be bigger or have more storage.

We got a call this week from a family that was used to working from home – but both parents rarely did it at the same time, meaning they shared a chair.

This had become a problem (let’s face it – there is enough to stress about if you are two full-time workers with two children now at home without adding arguing over a chair into the mix!) so they ordered a new chair to be delivered the next day.

Getting it right

Having the right chair is actually extremely important, particularly if you are going to be spending most of the working day on it. We have an extensive range available to suit every individual requirement, but also those to meet a low budget, from as little as £63.

We can provide orthopaedic and posture enhancing chairs with a range of additional options to either care for any back problems you may be experiencing or to prevent issues from developing.

We also have a range of desks available for home-delivery in a variety of shapes and sizes to fit home office space.

Stationery

The current situation also means parents and children now have further office and stationery needs. Schoolchildren write in pencil until they get their pen licences, so parents now need a lot of pencils – and a sharpener, while printing out resources for them requires a lot of paper and ink.

All of our stationery equipment and furniture can be ordered via sales@chrisbeon.co.uk or on (01952) 292606 and in most cases delivered the following day, so make sure you have the right office furniture and stationery to help your family through the present crisis.

As businesses in Shropshire adjust to meeting the needs of their customers, we are helping clients adapt their own homes into a working space that meets their needs.

The coronavirus crisis is seeing an unprecedented number of people working from home and needing to self-educate their children, all of which requires the right surroundings and equipment.

Remote working

Our showrooms in Shrewsbury and Telford may be temporarily closed but we are still able to deliver stationery and other equipment from our extensive range to help you with remote working and learning.

The showrooms closed following the advice and guidance of Government – but we are still working hard to meet the needs of customers as much as we can.

Home deliveries – desks and chairs

We are unable to complete our normal furniture installation service but are still currently able to carry out delivery of flat-pack furniture, including desks and chairs, and divider screens, through our courier networks.

Many people previously set aside a room or other space at home for work – even if it was only a quiet spot in the home to set up a laptop, but the current situation means those arrangements may now be impractical with a full day’s work now needing to be done at home.

Children learning at home

If you factor in the need for a suitable place for children to do their home learning, many people are finding they need to put the basics in place in order to achieve this – a desk, chair and relevant stationery.

And having the right desk and chair is not only helpful in achieving daily tasks, but in making sure employees are not risking health problems in terms of posture, neck and back and so on.

Contact us

We are still able to process orders by telephone on (01952) 292606 or via sales@chrisbeon.co.uk for next-day delivery on various items including chairs, desks, general office stationery, paper, files and folders, inks and toners.

We also have a limited number of catering and cleaning supplies available. Please do get in touch with us if we can help at this time.

When we first spoke to J&PR they were unsure of how they wanted to change their offices – they just knew the current layout wasn’t working for them any more.

As a team they had grown, their client base had grown and their way of working had changed, but their existing main office had not adapted with them.

As well as accommodating a bigger team Directors Rhea and Kirsty also wanted an office layout that allowed them to face each other – giving them the ability to have regular brainstorms without leaving their desks, freeing up their meeting room for client and account manager liaison.

Computer-Aided Design (CAD)

We designed two separate plans – one using their existing furniture but adapting the layout and another with a new design and new furniture.

Our CAD plans are 3D and in colour to give customers an exact idea of what the layout, and the colours in the room, will look like.

Often businesses we work with feel that rearranging old furniture and adding in bits they may need is a better move financially than having a new office- but as we have a pre-loved section of our showroom we are able to buy existing furniture in part-exchange, and payment plans are also available.

Rhea also visited the showroom in Telford to view the new furniture that had been used in the plan, seeing its true size, looking at colours, and testing the seat-pad drawer units to make sure she was happy.

New and blue

When Kirsty and Rhea at J&PR had seen the new office designs, and had a look at the new furniture in the showroom, they let us know that they definitely wanted to go for the new version – but that they wanted an extra desk added in for a new apprentice who would be joining them and they wanted the colour theme to be blue.

With CAD design we can quickly and easily make changes and were able to add in a new workstation and adapt the designs to meet the needs of the client.

Limiting downtime

Rhea and Kirsty were also worried about the amount of time the office would be out of action. Although their team works on a cloud system, the need for the team to be back together as soon as possible was high on their list.

Our staff were able to remove all existing furniture within a couple of hours, giving J&PR the weekend to decorate.

As we use our own vans and staff to deliver and install furniture we are able to be flexible when agreeing specific dates and times for collection and delivery and we were able to fit all of the new office desks, drawers and storage in one day as quickly as possible.

They were back at their (new) desks, and hard at work, in no time.

Happy customers

“We had our own ideas about how we could change the office but the ideas that came from Ryan at Chrisbeon were fantastic – and met the needs of exactly what we needed.

“We love the new office, both its look and its suitability for us and the team. We wish we had done it years ago!”

Rhea Alton, J&PR Ltd

As a company, we have always been great supporters of Climbing Out – a Shropshire charity running outdoor activity programmes aimed at rebuilding confidence and self-esteem in people who’ve been through a life-changing injury, illness or trauma.

And now it’s time to dust off the old tuxedo … or should we say a three-piece suit and newsboy cap … and support their next fundraising event!

Charity fundraising

We sponsored founder Kelda Wood’s challenge to row the Atlantic, an incredible feat that raised more than £50,000, and more recently we’ve fitted her out with a brand new office for the charity, created with a bespoke design to fit her needs.

During 2020 the charity, which originally catered for the age range of 16 to 30-year-olds, is pushing forward with a new plan and adding new programmes for those 30 years and over and for those living with more challenging physical limitations.

And we are right behind them!

As part of our support for 2020 we will be attending the Climbing Out Ball and Awards Ceremony to be held in May.

The ball will have a Peaky Blinders theme and see businesses and supporters from across Shropshire and beyond come together for a night of cocktails, roulette wheels and showdown shooting!

And we would like to encourage businesses across Shropshire to come and join us and help fundraise for Climbing Out – allowing more and more people to be able to access their programmes.

Outdoor programmes for all

The current programmes offer a wide range of activities including climbing, gorge scrambling, kayaking, hill walking, abseiling and raft building – and all the activities are bespoke to meet the needs and capabilities of individual participants.

The ball will see the 2020 Climbing Out Awards and getting to see the brave and wonderful people that feature in those is always a privilege.

Peaky Blinders Fundraising Ball and Awards

And the night, which includes a three-course meal, live band and an auction, promises to be extremely entertaining for all involved….

As the Peaky Blinders say:

“Be afraid of the
calmest person in the room.”

We will see you there!

Dress code: Peaky Blinders attire!

Tickets: £38/person, or £350 for a table of 10.

More details: contact keldawood@climbingout.org.uk

It can be hard to maintain productivity levels at work, no matter your occupation.

And it can be especially difficult to stay productive when it’s a rainy Monday morning and you’d rather be at home.

However, recent years have seen a rise in employee motivation and productivity levels, and much of it is thanks to ‘alternative’ office designs.

According to Forbes, ensuring that there is a quality working environment for employees is essential for productivity levels – especially as the average person spends over 90,000 hours of their life at work.

So why not make those 90,000 hours an enjoyable, productive experience?

Alternative office designs

When you imagine what an alternative office design would look like, you may be thinking of something similar to the Google offices – with the main features including nap rooms, slides instead of stairs, and ping pong tables.

Whilst you may laugh at the idea, numerous companies are opting to create office spaces after thinking outside the box and are reaping the benefits.

AND we’re proud to be helping them do so.

Why have an alternative office?

There are plenty of benefits to having an alternative workspace, but first and foremost it makes your employees happy. Having a happy workplace is likely to reduce negative attitudes associated with going to work, alongside making work a place that your employees will look forward to going to.

We work with businesses to provide office spaces that consider the individuality of each and every employee, moving past the ideology that ‘one size fits all’.

From producing a prayer room for a business with a large proportion of religious employees to creating a tranquil yoga space where team members can effectively develop skills to combat daily stress, we are currently working on plans that include adapting the workspace so employees are able to spend their time in an environment that encourages them to be as productive as possible.

And as well as being productive, adapting offices can look to increase relaxation for employees – creating a space for yoga can increase relaxation and relieve stress!

With productivity levels in offices in the UK suffering from the worst decline in five years, now is the time to change.

If your business is looking to create an alternative office space with employees in mind, contact us on sales@chrisbeon.co.uk or call 01952 292606.

We have seen office trends change hugely over the past five years and as we enter a new decade we sat down with the team to chat through what 2020 will have in store….

Everyone has seen how offices have changed over the years – the move from cubicles to open plan, from browns and greys to colour, but when you work in office supplies you have to look at why the changes have come about – and work out what is coming next!

A visual world

Craig brought up the great point that offices are in line with changes in wider society – we live in a more visual world as a whole with pubs and restaurants pulling out all the stops to be more attractive to potential clientele and offer the latest in trends, from dining at the bar as the chefs cook in front of you to cinemas to keep the children entertained!

Employers are looking to attract great employees and are taking the same route – making their workplace more attractive and offering break-out huts, ping pong tables and beanbags – the latest trends.

Retention of staff

Richard spoke of experiences with clients who are looking to retain great staff by providing them with an environment that is as good as any bigger offices that they may move on to – especially when moving from the Shropshire area into larger cities.

But he made the point that many employers feel this may be too costly, when actually this may not be the case.

“Improving the look and feel of an office does not have to break the bank, sometimes it can be a simple colour change or the addition of a water cooler or a coffee machine.”

Health and wellbeing

Ryan’s experience with clients showed that employers are looking to provide a workplace for staff that meets their health and wellbeing needs – from the rise in sit/stand desks to having the printer further away from workstations to encourage walking.

The aims and ideas of employers – and employees – have changed, and as a result the plans for the environment they work in change.

There is often a lot of choice for those coming into the working world, and if wages are on a similar level their choice will be made by the setting they will be working in – so as well as meeting the needs of existing staff employers can also attract new staff with a layout (or a coffee machine!).

Our discussions found that everyone expects there to be a rise in complete new office furniture and layouts, rather than employers just replacing one desk or chair. Colours will be more prominent in offices and more thought will be put into the placing of furniture and what type of desk or chair is chosen.

For us as designers and suppliers 2020 is set to be an exciting and interesting year….

We aim to be as green as we can in terms of the products we supply and the way we work with clients. And we thought we’d share our latest change with you …

As we shared in our blog on World Environment Day we aim to make the greener choice with eco-products, renewable fibres, our carbon footprint and reducing waste.

We know that plastics are used in a huge variety of ways – and we know that plastics cause a lot of problems when they are not disposed of correctly because of the length of time they take to break down.

There are ways of recycling some plastics – we have an eco-chair in our showroom made from plastic bottles but there are other ways we can help.

Here’s a few (shocking) facts about plastics that we discovered recently:

How do we use plastic bags?

We use polythene bags to protect chairs and other items during delivery so we wanted to look into a way that we could still ensure chairs were delivered in great condition – but in a way that was more sustainable.

What change did we make?

The bags we now use when delivering chairs are biodegradable polythene – manufactured using an additive named ‘Deg 68‘, this additive enabled our supplier to add a biodegradable form of polythene to their range – one which we immediately switched to and are now using with all of our products.

So how does it make a difference (the science bit!)?

The additive has been developed and used for many years in the agricultural market – enabling the plastics to degrade in the ground once ploughed into the soil without leaving any harmful chemicals.

The additive starts to be activated when exposed to UV light over a long period of time, the process of degradation is slow but will rapidly enhance once the product is put into the ground and starts to degrade.

After a few years of breaking down in the ground, the end products of the biodegrading process will be Carbon Dioxide, mineral materials and water.

It means that we continue to do all we can to be as green as we can. What change are you going to make in your business to do your bit for the environment?