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Introduction

In the current economic climate, it’s not only employees who’re coming under scrutiny in most organisations, but the effective use of work space as well.

With major advancements in the use and accessibility to mobile technology, it’s much easier and in some instances more efficient for the employer and employee to agree a flexible working arrangement. So as well as the traditional accommodation for office based personnel, employees are now able to do the job from home and work from several locales through the working week. Even if in an work place, hot-desking, touch-down areas or hotelling are all common arrangements being made for the mobile worker.

In providing this flexibility, it is crucial that the company thinks how to ensure that the company premises are employed their maximum efficiency. It’s actually a major test for any employer, who will not want to look at rows and rows of empty workstations day after day.

Productive workplace planning is something that numerous organisations are actually considering. There is much to consider such as minimum space requirements, lighting requirements, fire exit and disabled access factors , to name but a few. So purchasing the counsel from a dedicated workplace planning designer and installer can be a worthwhile investment decision.

It is not just about productive planning and utilisation of space. Is mobile working as well as the formation of hot desking areas appropriate for your enterprise? In some companies, the company culture as well as the mobility of employees means that such initiatives are appropriate. In other sorts of firms it may well not. There are several areas to consider in arranging the place of work environment. No two organisations are the same. For one business, it could be determined that a stimulating working situation for employees is necessary, whereas with other firms effective use of space throughout the office site might be a priority. Which ever is the best for your personal business, you will need to make sure that the corporation’s culture and values remain clearly appreciated by workers.

The task timetable can take several weeks or in the case of larger projects several months to finish. Either way, from the outset the task needs to demonstrate a distinct plan to maximise the use of capacity, office and layout design, building timescales and management of trades-people whilst on site. The company’s employees will also have to be temporarily moved whilst the work is performed. Additionally , there are exacting health and safety regulations concerning the work place, which has to be adhered to during the designing of the task.

Workplace planning installers will perform an audit of the business premises to try and understand if such a scheme is likely to be a success. From the contractors point of view, it’s a worthwhile exercise, to make time to discuss and agree the options with the client in order that once the plan of action is agreed, work can be scheduled to ensure the bare minimum disruption to the business. Taking time to assess your workplace planning requirements is an essential element of any office reorgansiation

It may be necessary to undertake an entire office fit out in order to maximise interior space utilization.

What should be taken into consideration when planning the workplace area?

One of the most critical considerations when undertaking workplace planning is to be absolutely clear about what tasks will be performed in the designated areas. Different layouts, different furniture, the amount of space required, should all be considered depending upon the tasks to be employed in the area. So whether the workplace is to be for permanent staff or mobile workers, consideration needs to be given to the comfort of the working environment, to aid productivity.

Permanent workers will spend many hours at their desk so it is important that consideration is given to individual work areas. The correct provision of the appropriate office furniture and equipment all aid productivity and efficiency levels. Each employee will require their own personal space around their work station. No one likes to be cramped in and there are many variations of desk design, from single to multi desk designs to ensure enough space for each employee.

Comfort at the work station is a key priority to ensure that health problems are avoided through being in the seated position for long periods of time, so a comfortable chair is essential. Lighting is also a key consideration. A more pleasant office environment is created where the office is well lit , but consideration will also need to be given to avoid glare on computer screens. Telephone communication also needs to be well positioned on the desk. Equally, for the flexible worker, ease of connecting up a laptop and mobile phone will be essential.

It is important to take into account all of these issues to, as far as possible prevent distractions from other areas of the office which could interfere with work. However, employers need to get the balance right, as it is just as important to maintain good communication and working relationships within the office. Ensure that every employee has ample space to effectively and efficiently undertake their tasks, without being distracted by other colleagues close by. Therefore, in some cases, the provision of a meeting room to enable one-to-one or group discussions to be held, may be another effective element of the office design.

In my opinion, the most effective way in which to ensure that employees buy-in to what the employer is trying to achieve is to involve with the employees. Through consultation, the employees can give their views on what type of workstation will be best suited to performing the tasks.

For example if the environment is to be used by a sales person, where regular communication with clients is required, then a slightly more secluded working environment may be preferred to avoid background noise, particularly if discussing detailed proposals or contracts. A sales person is one type of employee who will have mobile working requirements, where a small amount of their working week will be spent in the office, whilst the rest of their time will be spent out on the road visiting potential and existing clients.

If the environment is in a finance department or call centre, then the use of system desking or multi seated work stations may be a more appropriate solution, where a number of employees can be seated in a work area together. Whatever the intended working environment consider the views of the employees.

Maximise inside office space having an office refurb as well as re-design of the working sector.

Health and Safety in the office

Whatever the office conditions, the employees should be allowed a degree of flexibility to arrange their work station to suit their own needs. As long as the employer has provided and considered the requirements of the working environment to allow employees to undertake their work effectively, employees will want to add a personal touch to their own work area. As long as employees do not place their own health and safety or that of others at risk, then there is nothing wrong with the employer allowing some flexibility with this.
Guidelines for use of equipment at the workstation

Taking time to ensure the comfort of employees at the workstation can eliminate health and safety problems in the future. Every one enjoys working near a window and if this is possible, the glare from windows onto a computer screen can make reading of the screen difficult. Therefore, window blinds or shades need will need to be installed to enable employees to control lighting conditions.

In situations, where the workstation is to be used for longer periods of time, guidelines recommend that the use of computers may require an anti-glare filter to be placed across the screen to reduce problems with reflection. A computer monitor is recommended to be at least 25cm from eye level.

It is also necessary to ensure that enough electrical points are available, for additional communications equipment such as mobile phone chargers and laptops.

Employees may also require printers or scanners to be located on their workstation.
The correct seating is critical of any workstation design. Perhaps the most important feature of the workstation is the provision of the correct type of office chair. Many hours will be spent seated at the workstation, so the better the quality of office furniture, the less likelihood there will be of receiving complaints from employees about discomfort in the back, shoulder or neck area of the body. The chairs comfort and design can impact upon how effective or productive the employee will be. So it is good practice to test some desk chairs for comfort before purchasing too many.

Good morale amongst employees is positive for your business and a comfortable working environment will help the cause. I was recently involved in a project to set up a new call centre to accommodate eighty call centre agents. Following much discussion with the office design contractor and consultation with around twenty existing agents, plans for the new look office were formulated before the contractor went away to draw up the plans. The existing agents felt that team working was important and therefore it was agreed that the most effective office layout would be for the call centre agents to be located in teams of six around a circular desk system.

Once the plans were finalized, over a three month period the office layout was developed. Taking time to involve the existing agents has proved very effective indeed, with all call centre disciplines showing good signs of improvement.

Regardless of whether you require an individual or several office construction style and building tasks, try to get the advice of any professional contractor.

Fire Exit Considerations

No matter what type of business you operate, employers must comply with regulations around safety at work, and this includes what to do in the event of a fire.In today’s health and safety led environment whether it is at home or in the office, the installation of fire alarms is common place.

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, was introduced to provide guidelines for businesses on what reasonable steps should be taken to reduce the risk from fire, to occupants of the building . More importantly the Order contains advice to business owners to ensure that a safe escape plan is in place should fire occur.

Generally speaking, ensuring fire safety within premises is a common sense approach. It is important that in any workplace planning programme, that time is taken to identify for example, where the nearest exit routes are for employees to safely leave the building and where employees should congregate upon evacuation of the premises.

In some premises of course, hazardous materials may be in use within the building and therefore it is wise to seek further advice from fire safety advisors who can advise on how to take specific precautions. Equally, office buildings on several levels will also require advice from fire safety experts to ensure safe escape routes are identified. Many businesses now appoint fire marshals whose responsibility it is, to make sure that every one within the building is informed about what they should do in the event of a fire.

In any work environment , escape routes should be safely and immediately accessible at all times and suitable for the number of people likely to use them. They should not be obstructed in any way and accessible for emergency services.

Guidelines do recommend that at least two fire exits should be available if a premises is to be occupied by more than 60 people. The guidelines also extend to the number of flights of stairs and passages of corridors, so your workplace planning considerations will need to comply with the regulations.

Disabled Access

There are many considerations for employers to be mindful of when planning to accommodate disabled people within offices and premises. Under the Disability Discrimination Act every business is required to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to the working environment to ensure that people with disabilities are not discriminated against.

These include making adjustments to the workplace to ensure ease of access for the disabled and providing suitable modified office furniture to provide the same level of office comfort as able bodied employees.

Conclusion

It can be a cost effective solution to engage with a workplace planning specialist to review the layout of your current workenvironment. There are many rules and regulations to comply with, so taking time to consider the implications of exactly what is required is imperative. Do not under estimate the amount of issues to consider in making your workplace a pleasant working environment.

Unfortunately we live in a society where employees are quick to point the finger of blame at their employer for failing to provide the correct workstation or office furniture. So the contractor and client should take time to undertake a site survey, establish what is required from both the employer’s point of view and that of the employee to ensure that the end result meets both the needs of the employer and the employee. Productivity and morale will be greatly improved in a pleasant working environment.

Tomorrow

Until recently, restaurant and hospitality owners were wary of adopting wireless POS systems for their establishments. Issues such a cost, ease of use and a general uncertainty about new technology caused them to take pause. Nowadays, however, with the popularity of PDA’s, Blackberries, cell phones and the like, mobile technology and wireless mobile computing has become main stream, and hospitality providers are taking a second look.

In a high cost and competitive market, it’s no wonder that those in the hospitality industry want technology to help them increase revenues. But how can a wireless POS device help them achieve this?

Wireless mobile computing can help in many ways. One such instance is by eliminating the need for staff to line up at a specific POS terminal to place orders. By utilizing mobile technology, serving staff are more productive since time spent during the order taking process is decreased. Wireless mobile computing also allows serving staff to place orders instantly, and then go directly to the next table, thereby increasing table turns. And because serving staff are more productive, significant savings can be seen through decreased labor costs.

Another drawback to stationary POS terminals is that serving staff usually place a number of orders at once to the kitchen, overwhelming kitchen staff. Placing orders tableside eliminates this problem, as orders are more evenly spaced.

One important benefit to also consider with a wireless POS solution is that by placing orders directly at the table, order taking is more accurate and less food is wasted. This directly translates into decreased food costs. Also, serving staff can spend more time with customers, which significantly increases up-sell opportunities.

Utilizing wireless mobile computing in a hospitality environment also allows restaurateurs to approach staffing in a more cost effective and efficient way. Instead of scheduling a large number of serving staff who are responsible for all the order taking and food delivery, a wireless POS solution allows restaurant owners the opportunity to hire just a few skilled staff, give them larger sections, and make their primary focus greeting customers, taking orders and up selling. Non-serving staff can then be hired (at significant payroll savings) to dispatch food and clean sections. When serving staff are able to remain on the floor, the result is superior customer service and again increased sales through up selling and faster table turns.

One company, Volante POS Systems of Toronto, Canada has come along and revolutionized the wireless POS industry in a creative and innovative way. By using PC notebooks (not much bigger then a handheld) the entire POS software is loaded on the unit and it runs as a terminal with peer to peer, data synching etc. PDA’s don’t work in this manner- they require writing to the unit (in other words, new code, separate product) plus they’re not robust enough for Food and beverage. Volante has evolved its software into the peer to peer architecture, and now POS software can be loaded onto a small wireless notebook with amazing results. The technology is revolutionary - nobody else can do what Volante is doing.

This approach can work exceptionally well in venues that aren’t traditional table side establishments, such as stadiums, trade shows, casinos, arenas, race tracks and outdoor sales areas (such as rooftop patios for instance) where conventional POS terminals aren’t practical nor feasible.

Wireless mobile computing from Volante offers even more important and innovative features. For instance, the menus on the notebook or handhelds are the exact same menus as on the traditional register. The databases are in sync with one another. You don’t have to program them separately; they’re an extension of the host computer. This approach is less expensive because it doesn’t require separate servers for handhelds and traditional registers. And because Volante POS software is written in pure Java, its real time as well.

Another company, Double Diamond Group, is more of a payments industry consultant and offers a range of services including strategic consulting, project execution and business development, targeting companies across the electronic payments spectrum.

For more information on mobile payments consulting and how wireless POS technology and wireless mobile computing can help your business increase profits and productivity, visit Double Diamond Group.

Wireless POS solutions truly allow Hospitality leaders to enter the 21st century, while also giving them an extra edge in a fiercely competitive industry.