The Office Isn’t Dead, Just Different
The numbers of people continuing to work at home remains high and several major firms are pushing their office re-opening dates further into the future. In this final article of our series on ‘Home Relations – The New HR’, we are examining whether this continuation of home working signals the end of the traditional office. Continue reading
Safeguarding Without Walls
In the second of our current series ‘Home Relations – The New HR’, we look at how this new army of home workers can be protected and supported by their employers. Any parent will know how much easier it is to shield and encourage their offspring while they are within the four walls of the family home. The problems and risks multiply when they are released into the big, wide world. Managers have a similar problem where now their team, no matter how well connected digitally, are still operating away from the safety and security of the office. A number of issues need to be formally addressed, perhaps in some cases with the challenging job of re-writing contracts. Continue reading
Working From Home or Living at Work?
With Covid cases rising again and the change in advice on going to the office, it seems likely that many traditional office workers will continue to work from home for the foreseeable future. Indeed, a recent survey by the Institute of Directors found three-quarters of firms are likely to continue with the increase in home workers. Continue reading
National Fitness Day at Wellworking
Across the UK, stress levels are no doubt rising again as new Covid restrictions come in. The Wellworking team took time out of our day this morning to not only create a little bit of calm, but also to get involved in National Fitness Day. Run by ukactive, the aim of the day is to get the nation moving and … Continue reading
Video: Home Working Solutions so Staff Can Work Well
As we are once again advised to work from home, here at Wellworking, we can make sure your team has everything they need to do that comfortably, safely and productively. Our Home Working Solutions include a range of products for remote workers that can be delivered straight to their homes. We also do Virtual Home Assessments so you can be … Continue reading
Video: Top 5 Chairs for Working From Home
Wellworking’s leading Workplace Ergonomics Consultant, Lee Jones, has put together his favourite chairs if you want comfortable and practical seating for working from home. He features products from Vitra, HAG, Profin and Herman Miller including the iconic Aeron chair. All of these chairs are available to buy from the Wellworking online store.
Wellworking in the Media: IN Magazine
The latest edition of IN magazine from Workplace Insight features a spotlight on Wellworking’s Home Working Solutions products. We an help you get your employees working well at home with ergonomic seating, lighting and accessories. We can also carry out virtual assessments to make sure they are set up comfortably and to recommend suitable products. IN magazine is a thought-provoking … Continue reading
Video: Lee’s Top Tips for Working From Home
Working from home is increasingly becoming long-term for more people. Yet just because you are setting up a home office, it doesn’t mean you can’t be productive and comfortable. Wellworking’s leading Workplace Ergonomics Consultant, Lee Jones, shares his top tips for working well at home.
Product Focus – Roost Laptop Stand
If you have ever worked on a laptop for an extended period of time without using any kind of stand then you will most likely have felt the discomfort, and possibly pain, that comes with that. The Roost Laptop Stand is one of those products that can really help. This lightweight, collapsible stand enables you to raise your screen to … Continue reading
Let Us Choose Where We Work
We have all adapted to life under the ‘new normal’ as we wait for a vaccine or treatment to become available for Covid-19, but what happens if this isn’t possible? New research confirms a large proportion of the population is ready to accept significant long-term changes such as choosing where they work. King’s College London has been monitoring attitudes to … Continue reading
Product Focus – Vitra Rookie
When setting up a home office, as many of us have done over the last few months, a comfortable chair is high up on the shopping list. When all you have is a corner of the living room or bedroom though, the choice of chair becomes a little trickier if you want to complement the existing décor. This is where … Continue reading
The End of the Full-Time Office-Based Job
For several months we have lived by the mantra of ‘Stay Home, Save Lives’ and our working habits have changed completely. The once bustling streets of London and other city centres have been almost deserted as millions of workers have converted dining tables and corners of their living rooms into home offices. We have got used to video conferencing and … Continue reading
Herman Miller Chairs Get Greener
As well as being design classics and among the most comfortable ergonomic chairs on the market, some of Wellworking’s favourites are now even more environmentally friendly. Herman Miller have managed to increase the proportion of recycled material used in some of their best-selling products including the Aeron, Mirra 2 and Sayl task chairs. The Aeron is now made of 53% … Continue reading
Home Working Made Better
When creating a home working environment, the first thing most people sort out is a comfortable chair to sit on. We shared some of our In Stock favourites last week that should help prevent common aches and pains. Now that you’re sitting better, what’s next to create a productive work area? We’ve picked some key items to complete your home … Continue reading
In Stock Chairs You Can Have Next Week
Furniture is often one of those items that you have to wait several weeks for. Here at Wellworking we keep a selection of our most popular items in stock so we can get them to you in just 2-3 working days. If you are in need of a new office chair then these are three of our favourites, used throughout … Continue reading
Lockdown – Three Months In
Today marks exactly three months since lockdown in the UK began. While some of the restrictions are being lifted across different parts of the country, there has been little sign of a real return to traditional office-style working. Thousands of us are still commandeering one end of the dining room table while fighting over the home broadband. During 2019, fewer … Continue reading
Product Focus – HAG Capisco
It may look a little unconventional but the HAG Capisco task chair is a popular choice for those seeking to upgrade their home working experience now that more people are remote working. The iconic shape and unusual design by Peter Opsvik allow the Capsico to fit in with the home environment while still providing an ergonomic advantage. First launched in … Continue reading
Making Homeworking, Positive Working
For many, working from home used to be a rare occurrence caused by a snow day or car trouble. Your laptop would be propped up on a cushion on your knee while you sat on the bed, or perhaps it was in front of you on the coffee table. However, now that homeworking has become a full-time position for many … Continue reading
The Currency of Trust
Today we hit a milestone by achieving our 1500th review on Trustpilot, a service we find extremely useful to connect with our customers. We are incredibly grateful that so many people who have used our services are willing to take some time to give us feedback. As a business that has a large customer-facing element, independent reviews are enormously important to us. … Continue reading
The New ‘Screen-Working’
With many firms slowly seeing workers returning to the office, here at Wellworking we have been testing some of the new products designed to help staff feel safer at work. In this post-COVID-19 landscape, there is a real need for fresh thinking on office design. BakkerElkhuisen’s Safety Screens are one solution to help employees feel shielded and assist in maintaining safe distancing. … Continue reading
Getting Back To The Office – But What Will That Mean?
Later this week, the government will set out its thinking on getting people who work in offices back to their place of work. It’s a huge undertaking, for companies and for individuals, many of whom are very anxious about how they can work safely. First and foremost, it is about keeping colleagues safe. But if, in doing so, they have … Continue reading
From Workplace Wellbeing to Workplace Belonging
In front of our eyes, part of the workplace conversation is evolving, from workplace wellbeing to workplace belonging. This is in part a solution to a new question in the productivity puzzle. How can you keep your teams performing well when they are largely working at home, on their own? Now, more than ever, colleagues need to be inspired by the work … Continue reading
Lockdown – One Month In
My kids are now back at school. By which I mean they’re sitting at home, back at school. And it reminded me of all those years ago, when for those first few days of term, you didn’t really get much done in class. You’re all getting still into the rhythm of it. Then, without really noticing it, you are into the … Continue reading
Working From Home – What Could It Mean?
I am not a philosopher. I sell home and office furniture. But I’ve been thinking a lot recently about how radically different things will be – both in how we work and how we live – once we get through this dreadful period of our lives. We have the opportunity to embrace a whole new way of working which recognises … Continue reading
Wellworking – an update on COVID-19
We want to update you on how we at Wellworking are handling the developing situation around the COVID-19 virus. Our first priority is the health of our customers, colleagues and suppliers. So we’re following closely the advice from the government, Public Health England, and the World Health Organisation. As a result, we are going to make a few temporary changes … Continue reading
Wellworking’s 5 Tips for Working from Home
It’s a rapidly developing situation currently around coronavirus, and we aren’t here to offer advice on this. But we did think it might be useful to share some of our experience for colleagues who find themselves suddenly working in a home environment, given how so many of our clients are asking for guidance around home working in the current crisis. … Continue reading
ukactive National Summit 2019 – The backbone of a modern Britain
When it comes to meeting the challenge of the sedentary workplace and its associated ills, few organisations are more relevant than ukactive, working tirelessly to get more people, more active, more often. Wellworking were proud to be a Breakout Sponsor at Westminster’s impressive Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre for their 2019 National Summit. Chaired ably by former Secretary of State … Continue reading
5 Tips to promote Movement in the Office
The human body is not designed to be static, yet we are able to maintain static postures for far longer than we should. We need to find ways of combating this sedentary work style we’ve become so good at. From the thousands of workplace assessments we’ve carried out, the number one answer for what makes us get out of the chair … Continue reading
Sounds Too Good To Miss. Acoustics Panel Discussion Review
Wellworking and Flokk joined forces once again at this year’s Clerkenwell Design Week for an insightful panel discussion around workplace acoustics. And given the quality of the panel, featuring some of the leading figures in the sector, one message came through loud and clear. Acoustics is a critical area when it comes to driving performance and improving workplace wellbeing. A stellar panel comprised of Michelle Wilkie from TP Bennett, Dr. Nigel Oseland from Workplace Unlimited, Joachim … Continue reading
Wellworking at NeoCon 2019
A highlight of the calendar each year for the commercial design industry, NeoCon 2019 didn’t disappoint once again with its scale, positive energy and friendly enthusiasm. If anything, it seemed to run smoother this year, with circulation round the floors quicker, lifts organised more sleekly, and an abundance of breakout, touch down and collaboration space across all levels. The US … Continue reading
Wellworking Celebrate CDW’s 10th Anniversary!
This time last week the Wellworking team were taking on the best showrooms, exhibition stands and parties that EC1 could throw at us. The weather was in our favour, as it seems to be every year, and there was a real buzz in the air. One of my highlights was Herman Miller’s aeron hockey installation. Throughout my experience with CDW … Continue reading
Salone del Mobile, Milan 2019
The 58th edition of Salone del Mobile proved to be as successful and interesting as ever, with 386,236 visitors over the 6 days, from 181 different countries. Comfortable shoes at the ready and armed unusually for this time of year in Milan with umbrellas, we sent our step count into overdrive trying to see all that Milan had on display. … Continue reading
Helping computer users Work Well
Wellworking were delighted recently to host many of our Clients and specifying colleagues at Chelsea Football Club in partnership with our friends at BakkerElkhuizen, leading ergonomic product suppliers whose focus is very much the same as ours, helping computer users work well. On the agenda was delving a little deeper into the current … Continue reading
Global Challenge 2017
With the Global Challenge now complete, some of our colleagues who took part in the 10,000 steps for 100 days share their overall thoughts. “Even though I’m active outside work, it gave me a target to reach each day and reaching that target gave me a sense of achievement for the day. I wasn’t expecting much to change but surprisingly … Continue reading
Save the Children Spin – October 2017
Phil reveals how he completed a challenging spinning session of 201 miles. Deciding to revisit and effectively re-energise a previous Sportive endeavour on behalf of our charity of the year, Save the Children, isn’t always wise as very often, what makes the original effort so very special is the fact that as the original, it’s often very hard to top. … Continue reading
The Virgin Global Challenge
Paul Simons gives us an update on how he is finding the Global Challenge, doing 10,000 for 100 days. The Virgin Global Challenge has, in my case, lived up to it’s name – quite a challenge. To achieve the 10,000 steps per day has meant a few changes in my daily routine, as having a desk-based role there isn’t a … Continue reading
London Design Festival 2017
Shriya Parmar shares her experience of attending London Design Festival 2017. Being fresh to the furniture industry, I was excited to get to the London Design Festival this year. I wasn’t too sure what to expect, but I was eager to dive in and learn about the fascinating world of design. As soon as I stepped out of Kings Cross … Continue reading
Wellworking Tough Mudder – 16 September 2017
Philip Connolly shares his thoughts on his first Tough Mudder experience. We all have days which are soon quickly forgotten, lost in the ether that is the normality of mundane everyday life. Saturday 16 September 2017, however, was NOT such a day. It was a day when friends with varying history placed their trust in each other in pursuit of … Continue reading
The 2016 Global Corporate Challenge – 6 months on
Philip Connolly shares his thoughts on Global Corporate Challenge 2016 and its long term effects. It’s fair to say that when I was first invited to take part in the Global Corporate Challenge, later to be renamed Mission Stepossible, I had absolutely no idea what I was letting myself in for. The GCC was suggested as part of Wellworking’s Workplace … Continue reading
Stockholm Furniture Fair 2017
Luke Munro shares his experience from a recent visit to the Stockholm Furniture Fair 2017. Last week saw Wellworking visit the Stockholm Furniture Fair for the first time, and we left wondering why we had left it so long. The early morning flight proved a bit of shock to the system, reinforced by the bracing cold once we arrived in … Continue reading
National Ergonomic Conference and Expo 2016
Luke Munro shares his findings from the recent NECE, held in Las Vegas. With thousands of attendees, hundreds of exhibitors and dozens of workshops and sessions, the National Ergonomics Conference and ErgoExpo bills itself as the Industry’s most important event. While the Event’s location itself was quite rightly described by one speaker as enticing “packaging”, the seminars in particular once … Continue reading
Wellworking Volunteers refurbish the Southall MIND Charity office
Amalie Ditlevsen shares her volunteering experience on refurbishing MIND’s Southall office on October 10th 2016 – World Mental Health Day. Wellworking recently redecorated and refurbished the MIND Lotus Centre in Southall. The centre runs daily activities, including classes in yoga, creative writing, gardening and healthy living classes for people who struggle with mental and social difficulties. After a meeting with … Continue reading
The Aeron Re-mastered
Paul Simons is excited by the launch of new remastered Aeron chair by Herman Miller. After over 20 years, the Herman Miller Aeron chair has been Remastered. Available from early 2017, the Aeron has been developed to meet the needs of today’s work, workers, and work environments. Co-designer of the original Aeron, Don Chadwick, has once again worked with Herman … Continue reading
London Design Biennale 2016
Jayapriya Rathinam shares her experience of the London Design Biennale 2016. Designers and architects from 37 countries converged for the first edition of the London Design Biennale 2016 at Somerset House under the theme ‘Utopia by Design’, celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Sir Thomas More’s classic, Utopia (1516). This theme has served as impetus for an eclectic treat of … Continue reading
London Design Festival 2016
London Design Festival and 100% Design show how the office is transforming into something else entirely. If art holds a mirror up to nature, shouldn’t the design of the workplace hold a mirror up to the way we work? By definition, the things with which we surround ourselves should tell us something about the way we see ourselves and what … Continue reading
Global Corporate Challenge 2016
Beata and Leanne share their experience about the 100 day challenge with ‘Get The World Moving’. We are writing this blog together as our experience mirrors each others. We had both made the personal decision to make a change to our lives to increase our wellbeing and improve our work life balance for the better, so jumped at the opportunity … Continue reading
Herman Miller Chic-ago!
Justin Miller reports from Herman Miller’s newly refurbished showroom at the iconic Merchandise Mart in Chicago. The epicentre of the world’s office design industry is to be found on the banks of the Chicago River. It is home to one of Herman Miller’s flagship global showrooms, but unlike the firm’s rural, lakeside idyll to the North, it is to be … Continue reading
An office temperature to suit everyone
Magdalena O’Sullivan of Wellworking shares her experience of using the new Klöber Klimastuhl. The eternal debate in most offices; who is too hot and who is too cold. Because we each enjoy a different level of temperature to work at our best, the climate control sometimes becomes the most hotly contested piece of equipment in the office. Kloeber may have … Continue reading
A Trip to Herman Miller’s US Headquarters
Justin Miller of Wellworking reflects on a trip to the epicentre of modern workplace design, Herman Miller’s Design and Research facilities in Michigan. There is a place that has possibly done more than any other to influence the way we work and the design of the modern workplace. It is a place that was built on the foundations of mainstream … Continue reading
Wellworking review of CDW 2016
One of the great things about an event as concentrated in one area as Clerkenwell Design Week is the chance to see what people are talking about and the forces that are inspiring the new generation of office designs. A number of themes were ubiquitous at this year’s show, reflecting both the things that occupiers talk about to their suppliers … Continue reading
Preview of Clerkenwell Design Week 2016
Although it may not have Milan Design Week’s usually fine Spring weather and bella figura, when it comes to office design shows Clerkenwell has a distinctly more advantageous geography. Most of its firms fit nicely into a square mile of hothoused design talent that attract tens of thousands of visitors from around the world each year to Clerkenwell Design Week’s … Continue reading
Mayor of London’s Healthy Workplace Charter Award – April 2016
Richard Patricio from Wellworking’s Workplace Wellbeing team describes our recent London Healthy Workplace Charter award. As part of Wellworking’s Workplace Wellbeing Services team I was thrilled to get the news this week that we have been awarded the London Healthy Workplace Charter at Commitment level. The Charter is a self-assessment framework that recognises and rewards employers for investing in workplace … Continue reading
Milan – Day 3
Justin Miller concludes his Milan visit by reporting on his 3rd day at the fair. The third and – for us – final day at Milan Design Week arrives along with a degree of design fatigue and the bleary eyes that are the inevitable result of the many miles covered each day. The bleary eyes are alleviated with a good … Continue reading
Milan – Day 2
Wellworking’s Sales Director, Justin Miller reports on his 2nd day at Milan Design Week 2016. The perils of combining trend and weather forecasting were in evidence last night. Just hours after we’d extolled the joys of Milanese Spring sunshine and the opportunities it offered to enjoy Milan Design Week in the outdoors, the heavens opened. Fortunately you’re never more than … Continue reading
Milan Design Week 2016
Justin Miller sheds light on Day 1 at Milan Design Week. There are few better places to be at this time of year than Milan. Tuesday arrived warm and sunny which always lifts the spirits of all involved, especially when so many of the events surrounding Milan Design Week take place either in the open air or at the showrooms … Continue reading
Copenhagen: Trends and Traditions 2016
Paul Simons reflects on his recent trip to Copenhagen’s freshest furniture show. Copenhagen’s Trends & Traditions show is one of the new kids on the European Furniture Exhibitions block, and this year it reflected the overall philosophy of what makes Scandinavian design different – recycle, reuse and reinvent. The event was held for one day in late March in a … Continue reading
A chair is just for sitting on, right?
Stuart Garside finds out more about Kloeber and their KlimaStuhl story. I was delighted to visit the Klöber Headquarters in Owingen, south west Germany, recently. On the shores of Lake Constance, I found their ecological sensitivity matched only by their desire to push the boundaries of what office seating can do for the office worker. Originally founded back in 1935 … Continue reading
National Awards are only part of the Win great Customer Focus can bring
Wellworking’s Online Director Paul Simons on the 2016 Institute of Customer Service Awards – March 2016. It’s one of the first lessons in business. Look after your customers. So how do you measure your performance in this vital area, and how valuable is it to be scrutinised, evaluated and judged by experts in customer service, in front of many of … Continue reading
The Revitalised RBM Noor collection with Form Us With Love (FUWL) launching at CDW 2016
In 2012 RBM embarked on a project which took furniture design to new levels. RBM Noor is the result of a very different approach to the design process – the union of three well-known design studios: Norway’s StokkeAustad, Sweden’s FUWL and Denmark’s Grønlund Design. It quickly won the coveted Red Dot Best of the Best Award and was featured in … Continue reading
Should I Sit or Should I Stand Now?
Lee Jones from Ergostation discusses the impact of reminder software in helping him to get the most out of his sit stand desking. Sitting for long periods of time isn’t good for you. We know that from a raft of compelling recent health studies. But if the argument about the health risks of sedentary behaviour has largely been won, the … Continue reading
Portal Mill Visit
Luke Munro shares his experience of visiting Herman Miller’s new manufacturing and distribution hub, Portal Mill. We were delighted last week to visit Herman Miller’s recently opened Portal Mill facility, the 170,000 square foot development bringing together the company’s regional research and development, manufacturing, and logistics operations into one state of the art building. Cementing their position as one of … Continue reading
Herman Miller NDC Dubai Visit
Justin Miller enjoyed visiting Herman Miller’s Dubai showroom. One of the great joys of working with global office furniture designers is the opportunity it offers to see how their products and ideas are interpreted in different countries. Concepts may be launched to a worldwide market, but each region has its own tastes, culture and legislation that means they must be … Continue reading
Sit-stand – Striking the Balance
Wellworking and Wellnomics look at the significance of sit stand workstations. We’ve focussed over the last few weeks along with our colleagues at Wellnomics on how to get the best out of sit stand, but like anything in life, can we have too much of a good thing? There is plenty of on-going research into the best ways to achieve … Continue reading
Future Workplace from ‘Workplace Invaders’
HAG commissioned a workshop called ‘Workplace Invaders’ with young Londoners to discover how Generation Z imagines their future workplace. They beamed with innovative ideas like handing pods, holograms on walls, interactive tablet desks, virtual reality rooms and communal vegetable allotments. The four key themes emerged from the workshop were: Health Some inspiring ideas include a health centre, gym and a … Continue reading
Our Tips for getting the most out of sit-stand workstations
We at Wellworking are very much looking forward over the coming weeks to contributing along with our friends at Wellnomics towards the important debate around sit-stand workstations. Each week we will be adding a helpful tip to our blog so do keep coming back to find out more, and contact us or leave a comment below to give us your … Continue reading
Wellworking Health Checks 25th January 2016
Amalie Ditlevsen reports back on her annual health check at Wellbeing. As part of Wellworking’s ongoing Wellbeing programme we were all invited for a basic annual health check this Monday. Our friends from Healthy Performance came down to our office to do individual tests for all those who wanted to take part. We were given an online questionnaire about lifestyle … Continue reading
Wellworking’s New Offices
Moving office is one of the best opportunities you’ll get to improve your organisation’s workplace wellbeing. So what did we do when it came to our own office relocation? Luke Munro, Wellworking’s Managing Director, explains. At Wellworking, after 15 successful years, we had outgrown our offices once again by 2015. Our team had more than doubled in size since the … Continue reading
Ergonomics Conference 2015, Las Vegas
Luke Munro, Managing Director of Wellworking Ltd, looks at a key lesson learnt from another successful National Ergonomics Conference & ErgoExpo – companies can no longer afford to let their colleagues sit still. It is said that Sir Isaac Newton was sitting down when gravity hit him in the form of an apple. One of the Eureka! moments at this … Continue reading
Wellworking – On The Move
Wellworking are moving! From Monday August 10th we will be located in our new offices at Unit 7 Western Avenue Business Park, Mansfield Rd, London W3 0BZ. With our new ‘working showroom’ featuring products from Herman Miller, Vitra, Brunner, BuzziSpace, James Burleigh, Muuto and more launched in early September it’s going to look great and work well. Our new … Continue reading
Mirra Chair – The Evolution
The Mirra chair from Herman Miller was designed in 2003 by Studio 7.5 in Berlin, Germany. 2003 doesn’t seem so long ago, but to put that in perspective this was years before Twitter, YouTube and the social media revolution began! Now, some 12 years later, the Mirra chair is going out of production, being replaced by the sleeker, lighter and … Continue reading
A Reflection on CDW 2015
Three key messages from Clerkenwell Design Week The dust has now settled on Clerkenwell Design Week for another year and we are presented with the usual opportunity to take a step back and discern. Workplace Wellbeing It’s not so long ago that the prevailing themes of office design exhibitions would be focussed on coldly corporate objectives to do with things … Continue reading
Making Sure It Is The Real Thing
It’s great that more is being done to protect iconic furniture designs, but the real work now begins It’s been a long time coming but the UK has finally set a deadline for the introduction of its new copyright protection law. From April 2020, it will be illegal to make or sell copies of mass produced designs. The new law … Continue reading
Vitra – Europe’s best furniture campus?
Luke Munro shares his experience from his visit to the Vitra campus in Weil am Rhein. Time to reflect on a memorable visit to the remarkable Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein last week. While we may dream of collecting furniture, Vitra have been busy collecting buildings, and not just any old buildings. Works from the likes of Frank Gehry … Continue reading
Clerkenwell Design Week Starts Today
CDW Preview Today marks the beginning of Clerkenwell Design Week. Now in its sixth year and running for three days, if you discount the hangovers and washing up on Friday, the event takes place in the creative heartland of the most vibrant city on Earth. As well as forming the epicentre of the UK’s workplace design industry, Clerkenwell is home … Continue reading
Eyestrain in the Digital World
Digital presenteeism and the growing problem of eye strain. The consequences of presenteeism are not restricted to the number of hours we put in at the office as we strive to be (or appear to be) more productive. As digital presenteeism becomes more prevalent, with many of us spending more and more time glued to our screens, so the associated … Continue reading
What Does Green Mean?
Why it pays to check the green credentials of office furniture manufacturers and their products. Cynics might argue that when companies talk about issues such as corporate social responsibility they are doing so because it helps them to achieve their business goals. However that does not explain why so many companies do more than they need to in order to … Continue reading
Milan 2015 – The Wellworking Review
It’s wise never to underestimate the scale or importance of the annual Milan Salone De Mobile. 24 halls stretched out across more than a mile featuring the cream of European furniture manufacturers for both the residential and commercial markets. 2015 (its 54th edition) saw the continuing convergence of these markets with brands such as Danish manufacturer Carl Hansen displaying products … Continue reading
Milan Salone Furniture 2015 Preview
One of the least remarked upon consequences of the digital revolution of the past two decades has been its impact on the world of exhibitions. Not so long ago, these were one of the few ways people had of finding out about new products, firms, services and technologies. Now we can find as much as we would like at any … Continue reading
Flexible Working, What Does It Really Mean?
We shouldn’t rely on narrow outmoded ideas to define what we mean by flexible working. One of the particular issues that raises its head in any debate about flexible working is what we mean by the term. We’ve been talking about new ways of working for a good quarter of a century now and what is generally understood about the … Continue reading
Working 9 to 5 or a lot more?
The Malcontents of Presenteeism and their Solutions One of the foundations for our success as a business is the partnership we have with the world’s most progressive and well-informed designers of office furniture. Not only does this allow us to offer customers the world’s best furniture products but also allows us to share with them the findings of research and … Continue reading
Love and Productivity
The psychological roots of good ergonomics and workplace productivity One of the most famous and illuminating experiments into workplace productivity is nearly one hundred years old, yet it continues to influence the way we think because it taps into an eternal truth about people. Namely that we are influenced as much by the attention of others as we are by … Continue reading
Modern Office Acoustics
A new generation of workplaces is helping to resolve the problem of office acoustics. If there is one subject that crops up more than any other in any contemporary debate about office design, it is acoustics. There are now lots of reasons why staff have difficulties coming to terms with the sounds that form the backdrop to their working day, … Continue reading
Top 5 Wellworking News Articles from 2014
It’s the end of the year, so time to have a quick look back at our Top 5 most read news articles for 2014 – thanks to everyone who contributed and enjoyed them. Happy New Year from all of us at Wellworking. Number 5 From July – The UK’s Home Workers Need to Look After Themselves Too! Discussing the implications and … Continue reading
New Cascando Coat Stands
Released at Orgatec 2014, Wellworking are pleased to offer the Cascando range of coat stands. Each design brings a unique look and feature that makes them stand out from the crowd making them both practical and visually interesting. These are now available to buy online from our Home and Office Accents section here or if you are looking to purchase for … Continue reading
Christmas & New Year 2014 at Wellworking
Wellworking would like to thank our clients, suppliers and colleagues for making 2014 such a fantastic year and look forward to seeing you all in 2015. Wellworking festive opening times; Dec 25 – Closed Dec 26 – Closed Dec 27 – Closed Dec 28 – Closed Dec 29 – Open 9am – 5.30pm Dec 30 – Open 9am – 5.30pm … Continue reading
Elite On The Apprentice
Great to see the Elite Evo modular sofa on The Apprentice this year – they looked and performed perfectly (guess even Lord Sugar can’t fire a sofa!) as the nervous contestants waited to find out their fate….
Blue Friday?
Feeling a little blue at this time of year? You’re not alone. Here we are in the depths of the British Winter and in spite of all of the Christmas cheer that goes along with it, most of us are just about ready for a break from work and the chance to recharge our batteries. There’s little doubt that this … Continue reading
National Ergonomics Conference 2014
No surprise to hear that this year’s National Ergonomics Conference & Expo is all about movement. This year Wellworking are represented at this important global conference by leading Ergonomics Consultant Lee Jones, alongside our friends at Wellnomics, and the feedback is of increasing awareness of the importance of taking breaks and fighting sedentary workstyles. It’s great to see Suppliers such … Continue reading
UK Government & Wellbeing Policy
The UK Government is very big on evidence based design these days and it is applying this approach in a number of new areas of policy, including wellbeing. Invariably the outcomes of its research and analysis are first refracted through a political prism on their way to becoming legislation, but the approach is very welcome and we should greet it … Continue reading
The Human Physics of Mobile Devices
The latest person to contribute to the ongoing debate about standing at work and our changing relationship with mobile technology is Dr Kenneth Hansraj, chief of spine surgery at New York Spine Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine. In a new study which has just been published in the academic journal Surgical Technology International, Dr Hansraj points the finger not only at … Continue reading
Mobile Devices, Flexible Working & MSDs
The leap in the number of MSDs in the UK is almost certainly down to mobile devices and flexible working. As we reported last week, the UK has witnessed a huge jump in the number of reported cases of musculoskeletal disorders associated with the nation’s workplaces. The numbers make for somewhat depressing reading and include a 20 percent hike over … Continue reading
The New Herman Miller Collection
Herman Miller are adding to their extensive catalogue with the newly released, in the UK, ‘Collection’ products. Mid-century classics from Ward Bennett (Sled & Envelope chairs) sit side by side with modern design stars such as BassamFellows (Tuxedo chair) & Sam Hecht and Kim Colin (Wireframe Sofa), but in an entirely cohesive manner! These are now available to order via the Wellworking … Continue reading
The Rise of MSD's in The Workplace
While the UK remains one of the safest places to work in Europe, work related ill health continues to rise for British employees according to the latest data from the Health and Safety Executive. The HSE claims that there are some 28 million days lost each year, costing the economy over £14 billion. While the most dangerous professions continue to … Continue reading
Orgatec 2014 – Watch This Space
Watch this space. Five key workplace trends from Orgatec 2014 Old lags from the office furniture industry will always tell you that Orgatec isn’t what it was. Even allowing for their rose tinted hindsight, there is truth in this but primarily only in terms of its scale. Staged every two years in Cologne, Germany, it continues to offer a unique … Continue reading
Orgatec 2014 – Collaboration and Noise
Wellworking will have a full review of Orgatec 2014 shortly, but here are a couple of photos from the show. The emphasis on collaborative spaces and acoustics were definitely at the front of a majority of manufacturers thinking this year, with some innovative and eye catching designs – more soon!
Orgatec 2014 Starts Tomorrow
The next generation workplace. There is a well travelled international circuit for those interested in what office furniture design tells us about the way we work that has, for a number of years, taken in London, Milan, Chicago, Stockholm and Cologne as its main stopping off points. This week sees the launch of Orgatec, the longstanding biennial workplace festival in … Continue reading
Return of ‘The Apprentice’ & the Furniture
This week saw the return of Lord Alan Sugar and ‘The Apprentice’ to our screens via the BBC. This year will see twenty hopeful applicants put through their paces during the ever changing tasks as Lord Sugar whittles the applicants down to one winner who will receive a £250,000 injection into a business partnership. However what really interests us is … Continue reading
Orgatec 2014 is coming
Orgatec 2014 is the bi-annual furniture show held in Cologne that is the ‘go to’ event for the office furniture industry. Starting on Tuesday 21st of October this year and running for 4 days, it showcases all the latest innovations and designs from manufacturers around the world. This year the theme is Modern Office & Facility. Asking the questions – … Continue reading
Well Done Magdalena!
Big congratulations to Wellworking Health & Safety Advisor Magdalena Molecka for her recent excellent result in Site Management Safety which is part of her NEBOSH certificate. NEBOSH is a degree level qualification in Occupational Safety & Health which is one of the highest qualifications in this area in the UK. As part of the Wellworking Ergonomic Services team Magdalena can … Continue reading
Walking on Air for Cancer Charity
Client Services Executive at Wellworking, Phil Connolly, is is taking a big step to raise money for the Macmillan Cancer Research charity – by leaping out of a plane at 10,000ft (with a parachute!). Wellworking are backing Phil for his big leap on October 11th and wish him good luck (he may need it considering his fear of heights). Macmillian … Continue reading
Wellworking Precision Service Video
Wellworking offer a service called ‘Precision’ for customers who purchase Herman Miller products for delivery within 50 miles of London. We often thought about the best way to explain what the ‘Precision’ delivery service was, and decided that a short film would be perfect! So if you are thinking of getting a new Herman Miller chair, desk or bundle for … Continue reading
Hag SoFi Executive Meeting Chair, Design Excellence and Comfort
The Hag SoFi seating range has expanded, it now includes the Executive meeting chair that blends Scandinavian design elements with more traditional boardroom looks. With it’s ‘built in’ ergonomics and soft Antigo leather, meeting chairs can be now be both stylish and comfortable. To purchase online please visit the Wellworking Online Furniture store here.
Wellworking & Nomique On TV
Great to see the Nomique Coco Sofa supplied by Wellworking on Double Your House For Half The Money on Wednesday night (if you missed it check it on 4oD) – looks great on screen & in your home or office. Coco has an extravagant combination of fabrics, retro design and modern comfort that makes this sofa a truly signature piece. … Continue reading
Shedding Some Daylight On One Of The Most Important Aspects Of Office Design
One of the most underrated and least talked about aspects of a productive workplace is not only completely free; we enjoy a limitless supply of it. Daylight is very much an underrated commodity as an element of building design and new evidence from the University of Illinois proves just how important it is to our wellbeing. The study of two … Continue reading
New Furniture Online This Week!
Wellworking have added some great new products to our website this week. First up is the Boss Design Cuba Coffee Table – a glass top coffee table with polished frame that has great presence and looks great in the corporate environment. Also the Herman Miller Tato range – is it a ball or a seat or just decorative? … Continue reading
The Multi Generational Workplace
Amongst all the talk about Generation Y and its impact on the world of work, it can be easy to miss the fact that the modern workplace is not defined by one particular generation, but a number of them. The multi-generational workplace has significant implications for the way we design and manage offices. While we must avoid the more obvious … Continue reading
News UK – New Ways of Working
This is a great video update on the new offices for News UK, good to see Wellworking furniture being used to help create new ways of working. Wellworking are delighted to be part of this impressive project and look forward to seeing more results soon.
What's New At Wellworking This Week
A couple of interesting new products for the Wellworking Online Store this week – the Dynamobel Slat C task chair offering great value for a well specified mesh office task chair. The new Herman Miller Anywhere case takes the brand in an exciting new direction – the perfect product for the modern, flexible worker! More soon!!
Benefits Of The Stand Up Desk
The benefits of the sit-stand workstation and the business case for it are both pretty well developed, if not exactly widely appreciated in the UK. That is why we should embrace campaigns such as Get Britain Standing as it seeks to popularise a product that can have genuine and long-lasting beneficial effects for the people who use it. Office furniture … Continue reading
Striking The Right Balance When Working From Home
As long ago as 1977, the then Health and Safety Commission’s annual report claimed that its ‘overriding concern is to stimulate awareness of risks and encourage the joint participation of workers and management in efforts to eliminate them.’ The world has changed dramatically since then, but the basic premise about the balance of managing risk still holds true. However, the … Continue reading
The Enduring British Love Affair With Scandinavian Design
The British have an enduring love affair with Scandinavia. From Norwegian Wood to Ikea, Abba to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the country’s love affair with everything Nordic shows no sign of abating any time soon. We have a particular affinity with Scandinavian design, which is both familiar to our shared Northern European sensibilities and exotic at the same … Continue reading
The UK's Home Workers Need to Look After Themselves Too!
The number of people who work from home in the UK is now officially so large that we should stop referring to this particular work practice as a ‘trend’ and simply see it as a perfectly normal way for people to work. The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics, published at the beginning of June, show that around … Continue reading
Future Proofing Offices – Being Aware of What May Come
Given the track record of people when it comes to making predictions about the future, it’s easy to grow cynical. But while we should be wary of more fanciful and long term thinking, any natural scepticism shouldn’t blind us to those predictions that we know will largely come true, especially those based on what we know is happening already. For … Continue reading
Public Sector Purchasing Needs An Image Overhaul
There has always been a certain degree of skepticism within the UK’s business community about the way the public sector goes about buying goods and services. Some of it is justified but some is unfair. The efforts of successive governments to address the problem demonstrates that there is always a will to improve things. So while a recent BBC Panorama … Continue reading
Customer Expectations in the Digitised World
The face of customer service has been changing for some time. Driven by the digital revolution, customers have often been one step ahead of businesses, using technologies in unexpected and advanced ways and so developing new expectations about the speed and quality of service they expect. The challenge for firms was laid out in a recent study from Deloitte called … Continue reading
Activity Based Working is Nothing New
One of the most talked about office design trends right now is activity based working. The principle itself is pretty simple: it means work that is based on a range of specific activities which people do in a number of different and appropriate locations. Because it is something of an alternative to the tradition of personal workstations and because it … Continue reading
Wellworking 5 A-side Cup
This Summer sees not only the FIFA World Cup 2014 take place in Rio de Janerio but also, and perhaps just as importantly, the Wellworking 5 A–Side Cup. Run in partnership with Scandinavian Business Seating, this fun event also is raising money for charity. Take 4 leading architectural practices from the London area, give them a ball and pitch them against each other to … Continue reading
Clerkenwell Design Week 2014 Review
Another event in the design world has been and gone – Clerkenwell Design Week once again brought a festival atmosphere to one of the most world-renowned areas for design and architecture. We featured on a recent blog post what we were most looking forward to – but now that the event is over, it is good to look back and … Continue reading
Herman Miller At Neocon 2014 – Living Office
Every year Neocon forms a highlight of the US and Global office furniture calendar, and for Herman Miller in 2014 it provides the opportunity for them to build on their Living Office concept, unveiled in 2013. Running from June 9-11 in Chicago and attended by over 40,000 Architecture and Design professionals, Neocon remains the single most important industry event … Continue reading
Happy Birthday To The Aeron
By common consent, the office is a little over 100 years old, with most commentators agreeing that the first true office as we now understand it was the Larkin Building, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1904. Yet ninety years after this building ushered in the 20th Century workplace, there was another seismic shift in office furniture design that heralded … Continue reading
Clerkenwell Design Week 2014
Clerkenwell Design Week runs from 20-22 May 2014 and is a showcase of leading UK and international individuals, brands and companies. 2013’s event brought over 50,000 registered attendees and over 250 exhibitors, so here at Wellworking we are excited to see what 2014 brings. Home to more creative businesses and architects per square mile than anywhere else worldwide, Clerkenwell is … Continue reading
50 Years of the Cubicle
Originally designed in 1964, the trusty cubicle turns 50 this month. It was a bright idea, thought up by Robert Propst, who was working for Herman Miller. At the time, the company was focused on home furnishings, but now the brand is more known for office furniture, thanks to this invention. Robert Propst wanted to improve the office that he … Continue reading
Home Working – Out of Sight Should Not Mean Out of Mind
It has been over twenty years since we first started talking seriously about flexible working. Interest in the subject was so intense at its peak during the mid 1990s that we were at times asked to consider nothing less than the death of the office itself. The world with which we were presented was one in which we could work … Continue reading
Upcoming Furniture and Design Shows
We recently visited Milan Design Week and iSalone, but there are a number of other design shows and trade shows which exhibit and influence the current and future market trends of the design and furnishings world. Four of the most important events in addition to Milan are Neocon in Chicago, Stockholm Design Week, Furniture Fair and Northern Light Fair, 100% … Continue reading