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WHAT'S THE DEAL? DO I SIT OR STAND? THE 3 STEP GUIDE TO WORKING SMART

9/29/2017

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If you listen to the debate over healthy work habits, increasingly you’ll come across the argument over standing desks. Here to demystify the movement behind standing desk culture is Autonomous, the world’s leading innovator in Smart Office development.
 
It’s factually supported that neither sitting entirely nor standing entirely are the panacea to a sedentary work environment. In fact, what professionals suggest more often than not is that the key is a healthy balance between sitting and standing, coupled with diet and exercise of course.
 
As we all know, the work world pulsates with long hours which can turn into, prolonged sitting; all of that sitting and stress creates some truly epic tension in our bodies. It’s easy to forget personal needs, they’re often the first things out the window when it comes to succeeding at our jobs. We’ve all been there, we’ve all felt the strain but there’s good news: Autonomous is here to get you on track for a healthier, happier workstyle. We’ve helped companies such as NASA, Criteo, Singularity, Harvard, and Orbital Insights to #WorkSmarter by bringing them into the world of ergonomics with our Smart Office furniture. From developing noiseless motors to delivering a personalized AI assistant, our commitment to refining what an efficient office ecosystem looks like is boundless. With that in mind, here’s three easy habits you can incorporate into your work day routine to help you #WorkSmarter!
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1.  Sit and Stand!
Sitting and standing for extended periods of time have both been linked to health risk factors such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and muscle strain. The truth may shock you, but humans weren't designed to sit at an office for eight hour straights! However, studies consistently show that people who frequently change between sitting and standing increase their productivity and drastically reduce the risk factors associated with a sedentary lifestyle. When you change between sitting and standing you’re establishing a routine of movement that helps promote healthy circulation. 

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​2. Take Your Breaks!
It’s so easy to forget self-care during strenuous working hours, but studies find that people who break from their work for short periods of time stay focused long term. “The brain gradually stops registering sight, sound, or feeling if that stimulus is constant over an extended period of time,” professor of Psychology at the University of Alejandro Lleras writes in the journal of Cognition. Breaking from a task allows for the space of new thoughts or ideas to come into being. It’s like taking in a new breath of air, you have to exhale your lungs first in order for them to be filled again.
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​3. Don’t Forget Your “Posture”
We published an article in September with Alexander Technique specialist Lauren Hill from the Alexander Technique Teaching Studio discussing the importance of posture when it comes to working efficiently in the office. Now your conventional idea of “posture” probably pictures someone tensely holding their body upright like a robot, but we want you to reimagine posture as an action instead of state of being. You can stand or sit at your desk, but if you’re holding your pencil like a warhammer and craning your neck into your computer monitor, chances are you’re probably going to do more harm than good either way. The easiest way to tune into your posture is by asking two questions: “what are you touching?” and “where are you breathing?” By acknowledging these two questions, your body is already tuning into the places it is tensing and you can begin the process of letting that tension go.
 
We keep these ideas at the forefront of our development. Our latest innovation, the SmartDesk 3 is the world’s first AI integrated standing desk with an office assistant pre-installed to keep your self-care a priority. Not only can the AI help remind you to sit, stand, move and hydrate but it can also assist you in accomplishing daily tasks like ordering lunch, adjusting the office environment, or just finding the mental space to take a moment to relax. In addition, the desk has an open SDK for your development team to build any app on top of the AI platform that serves their specific purpose.  The SmartDesk 3 isn’t just a SmartDesk, it’s a platform for growth in your business!
Check out the trailer below for a teaser of the SmartDesk 3 standing desk in action. 
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​​Sean McCoy is a marketing associate for
Autonomous. A recent graduate of Boston University’s College of Fine Arts, Sean has since relocated to New York to begin his career as a photographer, writer, actor and storyteller. For more information or to view Sean’s photography, visit his website at seancmccoy.com/myphotography

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Moving on Up: Your Guide to a Seamless Office Relocation

9/22/2017

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Office moves can be a daunting task and one that office managers and operations professionals will have to tackle at least once in their career. Pulling off a successful, stress-free office relocation requires detailed planning, constant communication, and careful coordination with both your team members and external vendors and partners. When you are juggling all of these tasks on top of a packed schedule and the stress of keeping a business running preparing for an office move can feel overwhelming.

At Managed by Q we’ve helped hundreds of companies manage office moves, expansions, and renovations. We’ve handled every move-related task: organizing, packing, relocation, renovations, deep cleaning, trash removal, electrical and IT set up, plumbing hook up, furniture assembly, and decor installation. We’ve even moved our own office four times over the last four years! Based on our experience we put together a complete guide to office moving, including a detailed checklist that you can use to plan every step of your move.

We also talked to office operations and moving professionals about their best advice for preparing for a move, staying sane on moving day, and settling in to your new space. If you have an office move on the horizon, here’s what you need to consider:

Start planning as early as possible
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“Moving an office is not a deadline that you can really miss, because it affects so many people,” said Matt Cherveny, Office Manager at Datadog, who recently moved the company’s New York office into the New York Times building in Times Square.

Ideally, you’ll have six to eight months to plan your move. But Jamie Gray, Global Office Operations Manager at Hired, who manages 12 offices worldwide and has facilitated somewhere between 15 and 20 commercial moves says, "I'd say a month to a month-and-a-half is a solid amount of time for a move, but you have to dedicate a lot to it." The sooner you can confirm your new space, create a timeline, and confirm vendors, the easier your move will be.

Get organized from the beginning
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A strong logistical foundation is essential for a move to go well. As soon as moving is on the horizon create a workback timeline, make a budget, and gather key stakeholders and decide who has decision making power. Don’t forget to account for unexpected costs, such as leaks or broken windows in the new or old space. To help you organize your budget, Hivy created a budget template for office moves, which you can use to create your own.

Your vendors are your allies
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When researching vendors to help with your move consider price, their responsiveness, ratings, and reviews. As you discuss your upcoming move with them do you feel they listen to you and work to understand your needs? Have they worked with companies like yours before? Are they willing and able to meet the insurance requirements in your current and new spaces? Schedule a walkthrough with potential movers and other vendors to go over important details for the move.

In addition, take stock of your current vendors. Do they offer services that can help with your move? Will they be able to serve your new space? Make sure you find out how much time they need to transition or start services as well.

Taking the time to get to know and communicate with your vendors at the beginning of the process can save you from frustration later. The Offices Moves Made Easy guide includes a template keeping track of important vendor information.

Stay flexible

No matter how much time you have to devote to your move, plans will shift and change as a lease falls through, renovations run over time, or your executive team changes their mind about the new office floor plan. Matt from Datadog advises those moving offices to, “allow for some flexibility, because stuff is gonna hit the fan at some point.” Staying organized, calm and knowing change is the name of the game goes along way to keeping a move on track, even when plans change.

Communicate wisely
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Once you’ve confirmed your timeline, let your colleagues know what to expect and when throughout the move. Layan Germino, Office Manager at Managed by Q, explained her communication strategy throughout our recent move, “I worked to be as transparent as possible with the team about when we were going to move and any setbacks we encountered along the way. No matter what, I communicated as much as I could.”
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Jamie at Hired also emphasizes the importance of communication, especially with your vendors and teams working directly on the move. "I recommend setting up a weekly or even twice-a-week move check-in with all your key stakeholders, from IT to the design team, to make sure everyone's feeling good about the timeline and being flexible if need be."

Don’t neglect your old space

As you settle into your new space, be sure you schedule cleaning, trash removal, and any necessary repairs to get our full deposit back. Hire these services in advance so you are not scrambling to take care of them last minute while you are working to settle in to your new office.

With these ideas in mind, it’s time to start preparing for your move. The Office Moves Made Easy guide offers a step-by-step breakdown and detailed checklist so you can plan your move with confidence and stay sane throughout the process.

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Eleanor Whitney is the Managing Editor at Managed by Q. She is a writer, musician, and community manager based in Brooklyn, New York. In 2013 Microcosm Publishing released her first book, Grow, a field guide for creatives to build satisfying companies and careers. She is currently working on her second book, a feminist memoir, to be published in 2018.

Managed by Q
 is the platform for office management. Q makes it easy to run an office by connecting companies to services, including cleaning, maintenance, office administration, IT, and security. A solution for recurring and ad-hoc office needs, Q saves companies valuable time and supports office operations for thousands of businesses nationwide.

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An office Manager's guide to the benefits of workplace automation

9/19/2017

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​We know your job is about putting out fires and keeping the office on track. It’s what you do best. But what about those things that get in the way of you being a superhero? Like, the head of sales who constantly asks for your help filing expenses? Or the VP who needs to confirm the sauce options at the burger place they’ve been eating at every week for the last year. Yeah, you know that person...
 
If you’re an office manager, time is scarce. But solving tough problems isn’t the issue.  It’s the everyday, repetitive stuff that gets in the way of you doing your best work. Because those little questions, that you’ve answered a thousand times before, all add up. They pull you away from the stuff that really requires your MacGyver-like skills.   
 
If this situation sounds familiar, it may be time to consider a little automation in your workplace.
What Is Workplace Automation?Workplace automation uses artificial intelligence to cut through the clutter of the day and takes care of the requests that you’ve already answered so many times.
 
By enabling automatic responses to frequently-asked questions, your team gets the information they need ASAP, without frantic messages and emails piling up in your inbox through the day.  In turn, you are freed up to work on the complex projects where your office needs you the most.
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Top 3 Benefits of Implementing Automation in the WorkplaceFor office managers, workplace automation provides three major benefits:

​1. Less Noise
– Workplace automation takes care of the routine, repetitive requests. You’ll have fewer distractions, fewer emails to respond to, and more time to focus on your own work.
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​According to a study by McKinsey, interaction workers spend 61% of their time answering emails, looking for information, and collaborating. In contrast, only 39% of time is spent on actual role-specific tasks.


2. Lower Costs – When you’re able to focus and be more productive, you’ll get more work done, which could limit the need for additional support staff. This will reduce overall company operational costs and could make a compelling argument for a pay increase.

3. Simplified processes – You’ve tried to create systems for ordering supplies, requesting IT support, and booking meeting rooms, but some people never bother to follow them. Sometimes it’s because they got the wrong information from a co-worker.  A game of telephone gone bad, and your thoughtfully-designed processes are out the window.  Automation limits the spread of misinformation by providing a central touch point for questions.  
 
We know that a team is only as good as its office manager.  With automation, you can elevate your rockstar game. 

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​Riciel Grace-Crudo is currently doubling as Spoke’s Office Manager and is on the Customer Success team. She previously was an Operations Specialist at a gaming company and was very involved in different communities at UC Davis. You can catch her playing volleyball, dancing her heart out at concerts, and always on an exciting adventure.

Spoke is a simpler, smarter way for teams to manage requests. Spoke makes it easy and convenient for employees to get the help they need to get their work done, and teams to spend less time organizing and responding to requests so that they can get more things done.

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