The Importance of Space Planning: Creating Mindful Workspaces

Before purchasing products to furnish a workspace, think about the importance of space design and planning.
Creating an office space is a process and every step must be carried out intentionally.

If we consider that the most important aspect of any space is the people who inhabit it, then it makes the most sense to create an environment that promotes comfort, productivity and well-being.

Did you know that 90% of employees believe that their workspace design affects their attitude toward work? Yet, only 49% of employees say their workspace is optimally designed for their tasks.

Effective space design isn't just about making things look good but about enhancing creativity, workflow and overall satisfaction.

That's where strategic planning comes in.

Having a well-thought-out workspace allows you to consider all crucial factors from layout and functionality to lighting and ergonomics.

Functional environments will always increase performance; It’s a no-brainer.
By understanding the unique needs of your space and the people who will live and work in it, you're setting the stage for success.

So, before you start rearranging desks or adding furniture, take a moment to think it through and ask the experts to help you.
Because like we at UOF like to say: “It all starts with a plan.”

Written by Kika Pérez for UOF

Your Sanctuary for Success

SHOWN: Veneto Desk collection

When building a workspace within your home, remember to create an inspiring ambiance.

As you design your home office, make sure you incorporate the same benefits found in any corporate setting, like professional-grade furniture, accessories and tools that will support our productivity.

But don’t forget about appearance and mood. Organization, privacy, noise management, proper lighting and soothing décor are some essential elements that are often overlooked but shouldn’t be, because they help determine the quality of our experience and our level of performance.

SHOWN: Concerto Collection

A home office is meant to be professional but also comfortable and stimulating, allowing us to find that much-needed work/life balance.
A powerful “workliving” space will skillfully combine functionality and well-being while keeping subtle boundaries between our personal and professional lives.

With a mindful approach and a whiff of creativity, we can build an adequate home workspace that will let us relax and recharge, so we can do our best work, remotely.

Your Kick-A$$ 2023 Workspace

As we prepare for a more prosperous 2023, let’s ponder on the physical suitability of our workspaces at home or in the office. If we consider the new challenges and needs of our workforce and consumers, we’ll be able to create a more appealing and productive space design strategy for the coming year.

Here are some our top 5 trends for your New Year Workspace:

1. Promote a collaborative climate.
Open office concepts often backfire, as some employees may feel distracted and exposed.
But that much needed collaborative magic can still happen if we set designated group spaces with adequate furniture, so your staff can engage in spontaneous interactions that lead to sharing, socializing and some amazing team work.

2. Support different work styles.
Talent means diversity. Your team members have different ways of operating and require specific set-ups to do their best work. Whether it’s your executive, operative, sales or creative teams, offer each group the particular setup they need to thrive.

3. Throw in a wild color card.
While it is certainly a safe investment to design a contemporary workspace with modern furniture in neutral tones, we must also avoid the big B: Boredom.

Mix up your furniture browns, grays and whites with a fun pop of color like the glorious Pantone Viva Magenta, chosen color for 2023. Play up your eclectic edge to concoct interior aesthetics that are stimulating but also sophisticated.

4. Consider all the feels.
How we interact with a certain space has both physical and psychological impacts.
The way our areas are configured, divided and furnished will determine our work environment, which will prompt a positive or negative reaction from our staff and visitors. The most important element to consider is peace of mind.

A space that is disorganized, cluttered or chaotic can be troublesome. Get ahead by offering a more residential experience within the workspace; a cozy, inspiring and pleasant ambiance that manages to feel comfortable and beautiful but still functional.

5. Use space design as a strategy.
An office is a limitless marketing opportunity to showcase your company’s vision. Don’t waste it with a messy, dated or and unoriginal space.

Give life to exceptional work areas that speak about your brand with every choice of color, furniture style, wall panel and signage. Build your office like a powerful arena where you can communicate, connect and conquer.

Written by Kika Pérez for UOF Editorial

How Small Businesses Can Manage Inflation

5 Strategic Tips to Keep your Company Afloat

As if dealing with the devastating effects of a lingering pandemic wasn’t enough, we are now juggling a 40-year high inflation that has left us with a sense of anxiety and uncertainty about the future.

Gas, housing and consumer product prices continue to skyrocket, as Americans keep seeking for new ways to streamline their spending, bracing for the long-term effects of not having enough to cover basic living expenses.

The same goes for the owners and managers of small businesses, who are trying to navigate countless economic challenges and stay afloat within this historically volatile time.

We had to chance to chat with UOF’s CEO Jose Trezza, an experienced business owner in South Florida who is also a seasoned economist and a member of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program.

As head of a leading workspace design retail and service company, Trezza has dwelled with the ups and downs of being a business owner within a niche market and has garnered a deep understanding of what it takes for an organization to remain resilient in times of hardship.

In an effort to help entrepreneurs and first-time owners, he offers these 5 tips to get ahead of the current inflationary trend:

1. Don’t Run Out of Cash!
Get your war chest ready. Be in control of your cash. Create systems that help you monitor sales and expenses on a daily and weekly basis, so you act immediately to avoid a negative cash flow.

Negotiate better terms with landlords, banks and vendors. Raise equity or debt, even if it is expensive because running out of cash is like running out of oxygen and odds are, you probably won’t get a second chance.
A cash problem is a business killer. Avoid it like the Covid plague.

2. Build Additional Revenue Streams
Create ways to generate additional revenue for your business. Offer new products and services and open up your operation to reach other market verticals to ensure more potential earnings.

3. Earn More from Current Customers
Offer your customers a reason to stay: make longer-term deals, promote subscription services and increase automation. Entice repeat-business from your consumer base by selling improved products and services.

4. Improve Profitability
Stay profitable by making cuts where possible and improve your ROI (Return On Investment). In trying times, less is more. Make sure you aren’t overspending in non-essential services and try to generate more sales that don’t significantly increase your operating costs.

5. Eliminate Excess
Wasted time and resources will hurt your business. Unprofitable customers and draggy operations will subtly eat away at your profits and exhaust your system. Rethink your specific needs as far as consumers, workers and processes that may be slowing down your growth. 

Written by Kika Pérez for UOF Editorial

Offer Them a Workplace They Can't Refuse

Featuring the AIRPAD chair by interstuhl.

Since the initial Covid-19 pandemic lockdown of 2020, much of our American labor pool has been working from home. Other companies adopted a hybrid model, keeping a part of the team onsite and virtually connecting with the rest. This dynamic continued through the changing stages of our health mandates, even with vaccination cycles and the scary Delta variant. 

In time, some companies realized that the performance levels of at-home employees soared, proving that for them, the social distancing approach was a great success.
Other employers, however, noticed that productivity suffered when employees were off site.
But what remains true for many corporations is that they need their people back: The return to the office is crucial for business.

When employers summoned their members to come back, they found themselves challenged with a great deal of resistance, refusals and resignations.

Now, a new pitch is needed. Business owners need to come up with rightful ways to entice their teams to give up the comfort and advantages of working from home and join a more attractive office environment.
These 3 tips explain some of the ways industry leaders can turn their workplace into a proposition of value no one in their right mind would turn down.

featuring the Country collection by bralco.

1. Offer them a SAFE workplace.
In Covid times, distancing, cleanliness and caution are imperative. Your employees will feel more comfortable with an in-person work scenario if the space they occupy feels healthy, well-maintained and protected.
Enforce a proper mask mandate for indoor spaces. Allow ample space between working stations and block off chairs for group meetings. Make sure the necessary dividers and shields are in place, and keep areas impeccable, with constant sanitation protocols. Vaccine requirements are also strongly recommended to make everyone feel more at ease and be able to perform their duties without the added stress of a lethal virus flying around. 

Featuring the vintage chair by interstuhl

2. Offer them a BENEFICIAL workplace.
At home work is a money-saving alternative for many employees. It’s also very convenient for those who care for children or family members.
Consider how much workers spend on a daily basis, just by traveling to their jobs: transportation, tolls, parking, coffee, snacks, lunch, clothes, even makeup, etc.

If companies reimburse team members for some of these unavoidable costs or contribute additional incentives, then the idea of returning to the office would be more tempting.
Your staff will feel appreciated and taken care of. That way, not many will want to miss out on a well-paid position that also offers free parking, gourmet coffee, food treats, a laid-back dress code, flexible hours and for some, even child-care options. 

3. Offer them a MAGNIFICENT workplace.
After everything else is taken care of there is still one very important element to consider: the quality of the office space itself. 
If you want your employees to truly choose the office setting and maximize their time there, you must create a workspace that is not only comfortable, functional and high-quality but actually beautiful and motivating.

No one wants to commute for hours through rush-hour traffic every day to arrive at their dated, uncomfortable, and dreadful workplace. Professionals want and need a space that enhances their performance. 
With all the time your staff members sit at their desks, holding meetings and collaborating, the most supportive thing you can do is to ensure their wellbeing by investing in an office that is equipped with the appropriate tools. Comfort, efficiency, and ease of movement will be fundamental for the level of performance you expect of them.

Let your employees know you respect and value their time, talent and presence, by arming them with a modern and functional workspace. Spark their creativity and awaken their love for the task by designing a mindful work experience within an environment that is pleasant, productive and thoughtful.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: If your team is bored and uncomfortable, your company will suffer. If your team is engaged and empowered, your company will thrive. So if you want your workforce back and excited about it, the best way to lure them in is to give them a workplace they can truly be proud of. 

Written by Kika Pérez for UOF Editorial

Your Best Customer

When Gravity Payments’ CEO, notorious entrepreneur Dan Price established a minimum wage of $70,000 at his Seattle company, a media firestorm ensued. 

The year was 2015. Mr. Price was all of 31 years old when he announced a radical idea that took the entire financial industry by surprise: He decided to cut his own annual salary down from $1.1 million to $70k and pay his entire team of 120 employees the same amount.

At the time, Dan was called everything from an idealist to a commercial genius by field experts, as he faced praise but also so much backslash for his groundbreaking choice. Some said his employees would end up “in the bread line,” while others, like the guys over at Harvard School of Business, made his company a case study subject. 
But even after the relentless attacks from his corporate peers, Price knew he had done the right thing. And now, he had the numbers to prove it. Gravity payments released the results of their 6-year experiment and the answer is simple: Revenue tripled.

It doesn’t take a psychiatrist with a math degree to understand why putting more money in the employees’ pockets actually resulted in more profits for the company itself. Especially when it reported that its workforce’s ability to purchase a home had increased tenfold. Not to mention, the day to day expenses that were a constant struggle for most before but had suddenly become something they did not literally need to lose sleep over. 

As it turns out, earning a livable wage to afford a proper life did make all the difference. In 2011, 32-year-old Gravity tech Haley went on a cigarette break outside the office and told Price: “You’re ripping me off…You brag about how financially disciplined you are, but that just translates into me not making enough money to lead a decent life…”

This declaration was traumatizing but also triggered the aha moment Dan Price needed. He then understood that his methods to “save the company” were actually hurting both the company itself and his employees: ”I was so scarred by the recession that I was proactively, and proudly, hurting my staff," he said. 
So after a brave cigarette confrontation and 6 years of field testing, we can now add Gravity’s tale of corporate justice and prosperity to the stack of evidence that supports this fact: When you treat your employees like they are the most important part of your company, they will love your company back.

Price’s method did not only change the lives of Gravity workers, it also opened up a long overdue conversation about poverty lines, income equality and the realities of the middle class. Access to affordable healthcare, childcare, education, housing and everyday commodities had always seemed to be exclusive to the top earning Ivy Leaguers and the 1%. In other words, the American Dream had gone from one becoming rich, successful and famous, to merely being able to have a roof over our heads and food on our tables. 

Raising the minimum wage to 70k might not be possible for some CEOs, not only because they wouldn’t be able to afford it, but because most might not agree with Dan Price or the data that supports his strategies.
But the proof is in the humanity pudding. It seems like giving your employees enough remuneration so that they can actually buy a car, a home, have a family and go to the hospital without drowning in debt, is not such an far-fetched ideal after all.

And it goes beyond the paycheck. Showing appreciation and support is also crucial inside the workplace. When you offer your team a healthy, efficient, inspiring environment they will feel valued, safe, enticed and actually become more productive and devoted to your brand. It is a two way work street.
When you invest in your business, don’t forget to invest in your people. Because, would you even have a business if it weren’t for them?

When you bend over backwards to offer the best products and services, don’t neglect your best customers: Your team members.
Because if your employees themselves aren’t well-compensated, well-rested, functioning within healthy standards and actually thriving, they certainly won’t believe your pitch. They won’t stand for your business, ideals or projections. And if those inside your own shop aren’t buying what you’re selling, you better believe no one else will.

Written by Kika Pérez for UOF Editorial
Source: November 2015 Issue of INC. MAGAZINE, Gravity Payments Official Statements. 

Working from Home: Pros & Cons

The 2020 Covid-19 pandemic has forced companies and employees worldwide to turn to a new work model: partial or total telecommuting.

At the beginning of the March quarantine and shelter in place mandates, when most of us had to move our workspaces to our homes, we adapted quickly and without much trouble at all. We did so well in fact, that many tech companies like Google, Twitter and Facebook announced they would consider remote work models indefinitely.

At first glance, telework seemed like the ideal scenario, didn’t it? But, as the months go by and the numbers go up amidst the Coronavirus crisis, which only seems to be getting worse, we can’t help but wonder: Is working from home all that it’s cracked up to be? In the long run, is it really better than going to the office?

Let’s look at some of the pros and cons of doing our work from our own living room.

PRO: Flexibility
Telework allows us to have our own schedule and manage our time. Off-site jobs also give us the possibility to take on other projects, which helps us diversify our income sources and therefore have more professional freedom and autonomy. Online gigs are also a life-saving option for caretakers who have responsibilities at home and couldn’t otherwise make a living. Product Hunt shared a poll that suggested “most people would take a pay cut if it gave them the ability to work remotely.” Other benefits like vacation time, free snacks and 401k packages didn’t seem as crucial as the option to work outside of the office when they needed to.

CON: Communication
One of the downsides of at home work is how more complex it becomes to communicate efficiently. Technical glitches on your Zoom meeting? Wifi weaker than your lower back? Unintended howling performances by your restless beagle?

Seems like a recipe for extra-strength frustration. Not to mention, all of the spontaneous interactions that we miss by only talking to our colleagues on the phone or through a screen when we have a scheduled call. No one actually sets a meeting for small talk. And forget about casual coffee chats on the hallways or lunches that lead to new ideas and successful breakthroughs.
Our 2020 State of Business Communication Report states that “face-to-face communication is the most preferred communication method by employees.”
“It’s important to have people in a room and see body language and read signals that don’t come through a screen,” says OpenExchange’s CEO, Mark Loehr.

PRO: No Commuting
This pro is probably everyone’s favorite. No need to get jolted out of bed at 5 AM by an evil alarm,  shower in a rush to run out the door with our hair wet and our breakfast in our hand, cause we’re already late and horrible rush hour traffic is always on time.

Instead, when working remotely, we wake up, drink our slowly brewed coffee and bam!: We’re ready to work, simply by sitting in front of our laptops. All it requires is for us to look semi professional, from the waist up (pajama bottoms always a must).

No one likes to be stuck on the road for hours every single day or have to take several trains back and forth just to get to their jobs. Working from home not only saves you precious time and money, but also allows you to relax and enjoy your daily rituals and hobbies without the constant torment of a ticking clock.

CON: It Can Get Lonely
The new Covid-19 reality and the scary amount of illness and death it carries with it has shed light on just how important is it for us to stay connected and support each other.

Going to the office every day can be vital to the emotional health of many. Although some enjoy their peace and quiet, thriving within a private environment, there are those who actually need constant human exchange and can feel dangerously down when forced to spend long periods of time in isolation. For them, sharing with their peers and co-workers is the only socializing they get to do.

It is not the same to be locked up in a house with your family than it is to be all by yourself.
A Kaiser Family Foundation poll warns that “Nearly half of Americans report the coronavirus crisis is harming their mental health,” and more than “1,000 percent increase in calls and texts” was reported by an emergency hotline for people in emotional distress at The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

PRO: Productivity
Through a study, the University of California, Irvine discovered that inside an office, a typical employee is interrupted every 11 minutes, and that it takes around 25 minutes for them to focus back on the task. That is certainly an alarming statistic in terms of just how scattered our office work can be.

When working remotely, we aren’t really exposed to that level of disruption or noise pollution. 
Our home office environment is far more controlled than that of our corporate spaces, which leads to a significant increase in productivity for the individual team member.

One good thing about the lack of social meetings that happen around the office is that at home, we don’t really experience those energy drains as we are usually working by ourselves and can better concentrate on completing our tasks.

CON: Performance
Productivity may be higher when telecommuting but actual performance may suffer. This is true especially for workers who started their job off site and didn’t have a chance to experience the face to face dynamics of the company. Young professionals depend on being able to watch their mentors perform to learn the tricks of the trade.  

“I am concerned that we would somehow believe that we can basically take kids from college, put them in front of Zoom, and think that three years from now, they’ll be every bit as productive as they would have had they had the personal interaction,” says Ronald Kruszewski, CEO at Stifle Financial Corp.

Training new employees is also challenging when all you have is a camera and a screen. Working alongside your colleagues allows you to make choices together and help each other grow. In other words, team work can be less powerful and more time consuming when members are far and away. 

PRO: Work/ Life Balance
The most intuitive perk of working outside of the office is the opportunity to better juggle our personal and professional selves. Our demanding jobs, as rewarding as they may be, also keep us away from our friends and families for longer than we would want. How many birthdays, anniversaries, school recitals and even everyday dinners have we missed because we got stuck in some meeting (that should have been an email) or prepping for a presentation?

Remote work can allow us to spend more time with our loved ones. Still, balancing our careers and our relationships, especially the one we have with ourselves, is perhaps the hardest part of success.   

CON: Unplugging
And after a long, tedious telework shift, all we have to do is close our laptops, crawl to the couch (which is literally a few feet away) and call it a day. But do we, really?

When we work from home, it can actually be harder to stick to a regular schedule that when we’re in the office. There is no 5 PM school bell ringing inside our houses to remind us that we’re done for today and shall continue tomorrow, and we can’t see all of our co-workers packing up for the night and running to the closest Happy Hour bar.
Instead, we apparently get sucked into a Las Vegas-type situation where we forget to check what time it is or if the sun is still out, because it is easier to just keep going from right there were we’re sitting.
This behavior may end up being more harmful than we think as it counteracts so many of the benefits of working remotely.

So the question remains: To home, or not to home?

We have learned there is no easy answer.  All we know is we haven’t found a one-work-fits-all solution that suits every company and employee across the board. Some may determine that “home is where the work is” and others will emphatically prefer an in-person scenario. Many may even adhere to a hybrid version, conveniently alternating between home and office as needed.

Like most matters, it will be up to each individual and organization to decide what works best for them and more so, if they want to stay afloat during this challenging time. What we can all agree on is that, regardless of where we are, our top priority is and always will be to protect each other’s health and integrity, through the present health emergency and beyond.  

Written by Kika Pérez for UOF Editorial 
Sources: Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Nextiva Blog 

La Creatividad es la Cura

Diseño: Marco Trezza

Por: Marco Trezza
Edición: Kika Pérez

Una de las actividades más afectadas a nivel mundial por la pandemia del Covid-19 ha sido el trabajo en las oficinas.  Luego de tres meses de confinamiento en todo el planeta y los consecuentes cambios en las actividades laborales, hemos quedado un poco desorientados en cuánto a cómo lucirá nuestro futuro profesional.

¿Seguirá reinando el concepto del tele-trabajo? ¿Qué pasará con las oficinas y sus dinámicas? ¿Cómo evolucionará la vida profesional mientras tengamos que seguir tomando medidas extremas de higiene y salud? Los nuevos paradigmas para ejecutivos se establecerán en el tiempo, pero sin duda, las soluciones serán las que logren combinar seguridad y comodidad. 

En los últimos años, hemos visto una tendencia a alejarnos de las normas de etiqueta y protocolo que solíamos seguir. Ahora, nos guiamos más por lo intuitivo porque entendimos que la comodidad está directamente relacionada al rendimiento. En términos generales, nos hemos vuelto mucho más flexibles y menos complicados.

Para ir al trabajo, ya no hace falta vestirnos de traje ni saludar al jefe con terror. En muchos campos ha desaparecido la ansiedad de mantener el teatro del ejecutivo riguroso e intachable. Ese tipo hoy ya es un acartonado con quien no nos sentimos muy a gusto.  Un escenario más casual ha ayudado a redefinir el concepto del joven emprendedor y a establecer una estética fresca y amable en las compañías. El tipo de los jeans y la camiseta punk-rock es ahora el CEO de la empresa y el de corbata es seguramente el empleado que atiende el front desk. 

Otra de las innovaciones que llegaron para quedarse es la fluidez en los espacios, no sólo para trabajo desde casa sino también en la movilidad dentro de las oficinas mismas. Estaciones itinerantes y escritorios compartidos es otra forma de mantenernos en movimiento constante, acoplándonos al orgánico crecimiento de las relaciones interpersonales.

El actual distanciamiento social, como medida de prevención, ha reforzado la necesidad de actuar con prudencia. Navegaremos los cambios y estaremos parcialmente aislados por un tiempo, pero me niego a creer que sea el final contundente de las oficinas en general. Tampoco creo que vayamos a trabajar todos en piyama y en frente del computador por el resto de nuestras vidas.

Si bien seguiremos obrando desde la cautela, no será sano dejar ir del todo el contacto con los demás. Ese compartir humano es fuente fundamental para nuestro desarrollo y prosperidad como civilización. Y también es esencial en la ejecución de muchos tipos de proyectos especializados, donde se vuelve imperativo contar con la contribución presencial de los miembros. No podremos dejar de reunirnos para el trabajo y tampoco podremos dejar de hacerlo en lo particular.

No dejarán de existir los encuentros entre familiares, amigos o colegas. No morirán los restaurantes, los cines, los teatros, ni los momentos para tomarse un café y conversar en persona. Todas estas son plataformas de vida que nutren nuestra supervivencia. 

Lo virtual no va a eliminar por completo lo real, como tampoco podremos comprar absolutamente todo online, ni celebrar cada cumpleaños que nos falta con fiestas en Zoom. Siendo objetivos y escuchando nuestra razón, sabremos discernir e ir construyendo un panorama híbrido, donde logremos reconectarnos con todo pero sin descuidar la seguridad de nuestras comunidades. Así iremos avanzando, distinguiendo lo útil y práctico, sin aceptar afirmaciones absolutas que nos condenen a la decadencia ni creer cada predicción ansiosa que leemos o escuchamos por ahí. 

Los ambientes de oficina se consolidarán entre una amalgama de espacios comerciales y residenciales, al que se conoce como “resimercial.” Inicialmente, se trataba de armar un ambiente hogareño y amable dentro de las oficinas, pero ahora es también una oportunidad para organizar un despacho especializado dentro de nuestros hogares, con mobiliarios atractivos, inteligentes y de calidad.

La idea es procurar que los lugares donde desarrollemos tareas sigan siendo eficientes pero también acogedores y que de igual forma, cumplan con las pautas recomendadas para cualquier actividad comercial. En mi experiencia como diseñador de espacios de trabajo, veo que lo más importante es tener una buena iluminación, sillas ergonómicas, muebles de grado profesional y cuando sea necesario, un control auditivo idóneo por medio de páneles acústicos. 

En tiempos de Covid-19, hay que pensar también en la integridad de nuestro entorno. La limpieza del aire y las superficies, y con ello la protección de cada miembro del equipo y visitante, se ha convertido en prioridad. Debemos entonces mantener los estándares de diseño pero también de seguridad, para construir estructuras que nos permitan seguir avanzando, juntos pero no revueltos, y sobre todo, con salud. 

Glider collection with Kubick Flexi glass. Designed by Bralco.

No creo que esto nos lleve de regreso al ya anticuado esquema de los cubículos. Lo que se sugiere es lograr separaciones seguras pero que sean sutiles o incluso, transparentes, para preservar la unión visual y la sensación de libertad que brindan los puestos despejados. El encierro está descartado y con él, la incomodidad de nuestros compañeros.
 
También es recomendable amoblar las zonas con piezas de alta durabilidad, que aguanten los constantes procesos de desinfección y limpieza a los que nos vemos obligados y que le inspiren confianza a sus usuarios. Así, lograremos superar la ansiedad colectiva en la que vivimos hoy en día y alcanzar un exitoso desempeño, con optimismo y vigor. 

Esta receta de protección y prosperidad se puede resumir en una sola intención: responsabilidad. Al comprometernos con el bienestar general, entendemos que sólo haciéndonos responsables de nuestros actos y sus efectos, podremos en realidad tomar las riendas, tanto a nivel gremial como individual.

Somos parte de un grandioso enlace simbiótico con todos y con todo a nuestro alrededor. Si los negocios siguen ese camino, el de la sensatez y el amor, entonces no habrá final fatal ni conclusión dramática, sino una luz al final de túnel, que alumbre el esfuerzo arduo de quienes no planean rendirse jamás.

Einstein solía decir que “la imaginación es más importante que el conocimiento.”  Y creo que se refería al optimismo que vive dentro de quienes se enfocan en solucionar los problemas, porque básicamente, de eso se trata la vida: contestar las preguntas y superar los obstáculos. Por eso, siempre volvemos al tablero de dibujo y desciframos, una vez más, cómo rayos vencer cada nuevo reto. La creatividad es y siempre será la cura a todos los males. 

Credit: pixelstalk.net

*Marco Trezza es Director de Arte y Diseño de UOF | USA Office Furniture.

Self-Love in the Time of Corona

By Kika Pérez

One day the world suddenly stopped. Everything came to a screeching halt. But it wasn’t Earth’s rotation that paused. It was the people living on the planet who were suddenly forced to hide from one of the worst enemies they had ever faced: an invisible, ubiquitous and merciless crown-shaped invader who would take their air and their loved ones. 

That could well be the opening of an eerie documentary, narrating the tragic doomsday tale we are going through with the Coronavirus (COVID-19) global emergency.  Now, let’s ask ourselves how else we could spin this story, in a way where, without denying or dismissing the suffering and pain of so many, it could still show a glimpse of hope and an ending that sounded more like a new beginning. 

For our own safety, most of us are now indefinitely forced to stay at home, isolated and distanced. But what if this could be a “make lemonade” scenario where, at the impossibility of going outside, we instead, go inside. Somewhere between the impotence and despair, we might finally comes across that breakthrough we’ve been needing for so long.

How to find your self-love in the time of Coronavirus:

1. Start by being grateful.
You’ve heard this one before and it is so powerful and important. Those who start their day by saying thank you for everything they have, are happier and experience less negative emotions and anxiety.

Appreciate everything around you; the roof over your head, the comfortable couch you are laying on, the food in your fridge (or your tummy), the furry best friend who licks your feet while you read this. Even the phone in your hand is a powerful resource. If you are safe and healthy, acknowledge and cherish that you have what you need and that despite the chaos, you are okay.

2. Prioritize what’s important.
We’ve developed a character; a public version of ourselves. How we look, our demeanor and agenda has to do with our need to fit in and be admired by those around us. Being stuck at home in our pajama pants, with no makeup or gimmicks, sure puts everything in perspective, about how much of our existence revolves around appearance, image, and superficial values. But in times of need, we realize nothing else matters except each other.

Our addiction to money and things proves pointless when survival is key. No amount of power or fame can save us this time. This virus is teaching us an invaluable lesson in equality as it attacks everyone just the same, regardless of gender, race or social status. So let’s heed the warning and change our mindset by growing into a new perspective, where awareness, solidarity and empathy become our most valuable currency. 

3. Time is your best friend.
For those of us who are not needed for essential duties (Thank you, heroes), being at home is mandatory. But that doesn’t mean you must get bored and start moping around, eating potato chips while you obsessively watch every stressful Coronavirus update. Instead, take a shower, look for a quiet place and make a list of rewarding things you can do during this time, that will make your forced staycation a bit more tolerable and a lot more successful.

Think of those hobbies you never get to indulge in: read that book, listen to the new Pearl Jam album, become the amateur chef you always wanted to be, do a closet clean-up with your kids, and please make your wife happy by finally organizing that mess in the garage. She’s been begging you since 2012.

We’re always complaining that we never have enough time; Time to rest, time to spend with our families, time to just be. Well, guess what? Right now you get to save the world by doing nothing and time is what you have most of. 

4. Create a proper home office. 
Working from home has become the temporary norm. And it can definitely be a challenging scenario when you’re trying to concentrate, hold virtual meetings, take calls from colleagues and get things done in the middle of a dirty laundry castle, decorated with an explosion of Legos thrown in the air by tiny “co-workers” running around in nothing but their Batman capes.

So we must adapt and design the live-in office our work deserves. Choose a corner that is secluded, has ample light and a neutral background. Order a professional desk and chair to ensure you are as organized and comfortable as possible, which will exponentially increase your desire and performance. You’ll also stay focused by setting the right boundaries to separate your time at the “office” (guest room) from your time at “home” (a.k.a. your bed).

5. Give yourself permission to be human. 
 This is still a very frightening, unsettling and painful situation, as many are currently battling the virus or have lost a family member or friend. So before following our list of tips, or doing whatever else you think you’re supposed to accomplish right now, remember that taking care of yourself is the first step.

Experts in Positive Psychology agree that embracing the nature of our humanity is fundamental and necessary. Feeling confused, scared, disoriented and even a bit depressed is exactly what’s expected from us right now. No one is asking you to build a house, get a Master’s degree or discover the laws of gravity (Newton did but he didn’t have Netflix) during your quarantine. Instead, take a deep breath and take it one day at a time. Let your emotional intelligence guide you.

Do your best to stay active and involved but understand that your entire system has gone into survival mode and you might not be up for a virtual wine party every night or much of anything at all, except hiding under the covers and hoping for this thing to pass soon. So let’s be compassionate with ourselves and others, because we’ve been harshly reminded that love is always the most effective cure. 

Working around the Coronavirus

Keep calm.
Stay informed.
Be safe.

By: Kika Perez

Now that the villainous Coronavirus (COVID-19) has been officially declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization, is it more than natural to feel anxiety and even panic, particularly due to the notorious lack of resources, containment power and overall shortcomings of our public officials and healthcare system.

But, regardless of the scary numbers, statistics and hospital nightmares, the best prescription for this and any other emergency is to always remain calm. Letting fear alone drive us is only going to make things worse for everyone. So let’s take a deep breath, keep our cool, look at the facts, listen to the experts, and prepare cautiously without losing our minds.

We paid attention to the World Health Organization, epidemiologists and infectious disease experts on how to keep our composure and slow down the spread of this alarming disease, and created our own “Prevention Checklist for the Office,” so that we may all stay informed, ready and as safe as possible.

1. Work from home.
Staying home is the smartest way to avoid getting the virus or passing it onto others. Working from a secluded, private space with minimal person to person contact and interaction will increase your chances of avoiding the virus altogether and making sure others remain safe too. Countless companies have currently opted for a telecommute dynamic, holding work communications and meetings via video conference and therefore, greatly reducing the chances of exposure and infection.

2. Keep your workspace clean and hygienic.
If you are unable to work from home, then make sure your office remains as safe as possible for your team and visitors. Keep an eye out for contaminated surfaces like desks and tables, and keep objects like telephones and keyboards sanitized by wiping them with disinfectant regularly, “because contamination on surfaces touched by employees and customers is one of the main ways that COVID-19 spreads.”
Another way of ensuring safety inside the office is “promoting good respiratory hygiene.” Ensure that face masks and/or paper tissues are available at your workplaces for those who develop a runny nose or cough, along with closed bins for hygienically disposing of them.”

3. Say hello the smart way.
Stop shaking hands, kissing or hugging. This isn’t a hippie music festival. It’s a serious time.
We can show just as much love or even more by waving from a distance, because we are protecting each other. Let’s keep those societal traditions and niceties aside while we get ahold of this thing.

3. Wash your hands. Wash them a lot.
Our best guess is that coronavirus is transmitted via close contact and surface contamination, so let’s wash our hands like our life depended on it, because it does. Wash them every time you can; after entering a new building or crowded space, after touching door knobs, elevator buttons, etc. Promote regular and thorough hand-washing by employees, contractors and customers and put sanitizing hand rub dispensers in prominent places around the workplace. Make sure these dispensers are regularly refilled and display posters promoting hand-washing.” Soap and water used properly goes a long way in killing the virus on your hands and preventing the spread of COVID-19.

4. Avoid touching your face.
“Or picking your nose, or putting your fingers in your mouth, on your lips, or in your eyes.” If your hands touch a compromised surface and then come in contact with your skin, you are pretty much inviting the virus in. We know it sounds a bit silly, but most of us are unaware of how frequently we touch our faces. It seems almost involuntary. “An observational study found that people sitting at a desk working, touched their eyes, nose or lips between 3 and 50 times per hour.”

5. Social distancing.
In layman terms, simply don’t expose yourself if you don’t need to. Social gatherings, heavily populated spaces, theme parks, subways, trains and of course, airplanes are not exactly the safest places to be at right now. Stay within 6 feet of each other and sanitize shared objects. Avoid high risk places where you can be in contact with sick people. “This public health strategy is our next line of defense, and its implementation is what will lead to flights and events cancelled and borders and schools closed.” Additionally, other measures to protect our communities both locally and globally will be enforced.

6. For the love of life, if you are sick, STAY HOME!
If you start to feel even a little bit sick within a 2 to 14 day period, you need to self isolate. Stay away from other people or pets in your household. Stop sharing household items with family members. Keep all frequently used areas properly sanitized and monitor your health closely. Look for a tiny tickle in your throat or difficulty breathing. Other symptoms include fever, runny nose and sore throat. Please talk to your doctor if you suspect having the COVID-19 and follow their instructions as they might advise you to stay home until you are no longer a contagion risk.

7. And more importantly, don’t panic.
Infectious diseases specialist, Abdu Sharkawy said it best:
“I am not scared of Covid-19. What I am scared about is the loss of reason and wave of fear that has induced the masses of society into a spellbinding spiral of panic… I am scared of the masks that are stolen from hospitals and urgent care clinics where they are actually needed for front line healthcare providers… I am scared that our hospitals will be overwhelmed… that epidemic fears will ultimately culminate in a global recession… The fact is the virus itself will not likely do much harm when it arrives. But our own behaviors and ‘fight for yourself above all else’ attitude could prove disastrous.” Let’s instead  “temper fear with reason, panic with patience and uncertainty with education. 
We have an opportunity to learn a great deal and meet… this challenge together in the best spirit of compassion for others, patience, and above all, an unfailing effort to seek truth, facts and knowledge…”


References: From the texts of The World Health Organization, Epidemiologist and Public Health PhD, Dr. Malia Jones and Infectious disease specialist, Dr. Abdu Sharkawy. 
For information related to the COVID-19 and any other global health issue, please visit https://www.who.int

6 Tips to a New You in 2020

By: Kika Perez

Tis the season to take inventory of a long year of relentless work, inspiring achievements and valuable lessons. Our brand and philosophy underwent a complete makeover and we celebrate it.
From the challenging journey of redefining who we are, we emerged bigger and stronger than ever, ready to take on the adventures of the future. 
This has been our best year yet and we couldn’t have done it without the engagement and support of our amazing team and customers.

As a thank you, we created a resolution checklist that would place business goals aside and focus on the mindful aspect of our operation, promoting prosperity, wellbeing and happiness.
Follow our full-proof recipe for baking a better you in 2020 and we guarantee you’ll have a very happy new year.

1. Start your day earlier than ever.
The more hours you have in your day, the more you’ll accomplish. Waking up early puts you in the right mindset for success because it allows you extra time to get organized, think more efficiently and diffuse the anxieties of completing daily tasks.

Plus, if you get a head start in the morning, you’ll be productive for longer and have more time to rest at night. This model agrees with your circadian rhythm, the biological process that regulates our sleep and wake cycles every 24 hours. We don’t want to disrupt our body’s natural needs by attempting to be up and about when we should actually be recharging our human batteries.

2. Journal, journal, journal!
A recent study conducted at the Dominican University in California, gathered two hundred and sixty-seven people from all over the world, and from all walks of life, including entrepreneurs, educators, healthcare professionals, artists, lawyers and bankers. The research concluded that you become 42% more likely to achieve your goals and dreams simply by writing them down on a regular basis.

Writing is fundamental for the development of our intelligence because it makes our logic connect with our emotions. Putting our innermost thoughts and desires on paper creates a visual conduit that goes from the creative side of our brain (right) to our rational side (left). This enables a bridge of electrical signals to travel down to our spinal column, making our entire bodies act out our words and intentions. It seems like a magic trick, right? Well, it’s actually just science, which is an ever better king of magic.

3. Put your kindness where your mouth is.
More than 300,000 people die every year due to heart complications from obesity, diabetes and other related illnesses, making it the second leading cause of death in the United States.
Think of these numbers the next time you pass through the McDonalds window or before grabbing that third donut from the box. 

Taking care of ourselves is far more important than many of the other standards we seem to prioritize. Eating well, exercising, meditating and releasing stress went from being a doctor’s recommendation to a requirement, if we want to be alive and strong. There are no gimmicks or fast tracks to staying healthy. It is an everyday practice that requires planning, commitment, patience and being kind with our bodies.

4. The 3 D’s: Do Device Detox.
We have become device-dependent zombies who cannot function without wifi, batteries, cables, outlets, USB ports, apps., bluetooth, etc. We are more connected than ever on a virtual scale, but as people, we seem to have forgotten how to even look at each other across the dinner table. There is an obvious, painful and very worrisome gap that is only growing deeper as we become more addicted to technology, gossip and immediacy than we ever thought possible.

To mitigate this epidemic, we suggest the occasional break from all electronic gadgets.
Yes, we’re serious. No Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat or any other social forum for at least a few hours a day or one whole day of the week. It’s not as scary as you think. You can do this. I mean, do you really need to know what Tim from your high school Biology class is doing every five minutes, even though you barely even remember him and haven’t seen him since Michael Jackson was black and alive? 

Turn that phone off and pay attention to your loved one, your neighbor, your loyal dog or even yourself. Contemplate what’s in front of you and make time to ignore the screen of a fantasy realm that is making you feel ill, like you’re never enough when there’s really nothing missing. You are perfect and part of a beautiful world, so look up and take it all in.

5. Ride your Wheel of Life.
A very powerful tool in Life Coaching guidance is to analyze our “Wheel of Life”.
Much like a pie, this graph divides the angles of our lives so we may better understand which area needs our attention. Work, money, love, friendship, health, etc., are some of the categories we invest time in. But what we’ll often find is that in our adult activities, we often neglect one or more parts while we concentrate on others. This asymmetry creates disruption and unhappiness because our fulfillment and joy as humans comes from being able to excel in all aspects of our humanity. 

So remember to make time for friends and family if you spend most of your days at the office, or go enjoy some self-care activities if you’re used to running around like a headless chicken and never take a second to breathe. Break the pattern and give yourself what you need moment to moment, so you may find the balance to savor every piece of your living.

6. Don’t forget to give back.
Nothing is more rewarding than doing our part for the better good. We depend on each other to survive and thrive, so invest a bit of time in selfless acts of generosity and we guarantee you sheer bliss once you see the smiles of those you helped. There are opportunities everywhere for us to offer a little and get so much more in return.

Happy New You, 2020!

Your Most Important Ride

The average American is now spending roughly 50 hours at work every week.
That’s around 200 hours each month and 2,400 each year.
Sitting for long periods of time in a deficient office chair
could trigger multiple body injuries and diminish inspiration and capability.
To promote health and productivity, choose a high-quality chair
that will encourage your performance and stand for your well-being.

By: Kika Perez

You get to the office every morning eager to accomplish powerful tasks. You’re a work warrior: pitching ideas, closing global deals, creating dazzling new products and innovating with groundbreaking technology, while you inhale half a chicken salad during a conference call, before your next meeting. You’re basically the office superhero. But you probably conquer the world without realizing that you actually do it all while sitting at your desk, so you pay little to no attention to your most important co-worker: your office chair.

Pure Is3 - PU213 | By Interstuhl.

The average American is now spending roughly 50 hours at work every week. That’s around 200 hours each month and 2,400 each year.
Compare that much sitting with the mere 8.5 hours a week we spend in our cars.

But we don’t choose just any car, do we? We google that pearly white Lexus SUV for months and fantasize, as we start spotting it everywhere on the road. Then we read up on all the features, specs and qualities of our desired vessel and we spare no cost to finally drive it home. After all, we spend a substantial amount of our time in our car so we’re better off owning a luxury, high performance vehicle that can make our lives convenient, more glamorous and protect our bodies from injury.

But the truth is, we sit in that car for only 15% of the time we sit at work, yet when we look for an office chair, we tend to go for the cheapest option that seems nice enough without really worrying about efficiency and durability.

In the game of work thrones, quality is key. Optimal seating should be prioritized and taken seriously. A deficient office chair will create more problems than it will solve, being the culprit for bad posture and hence, major body issues on the neck, back, legs and even hips. Hand and wrist pain are also possible, triggering Carpal Tunnel syndrome which is anything but fun.
Besides, the discomfort of sitting in an inadequate chair will also affect our behavior, inhibiting our capability, especially on those long, stressful office days.

Pure is3 | by Interstuhl

Stand up for your well-being and choose a chair that will promote performance and keep your mind and body safe. Shop for it as if you were picking out your fancy new vehicle and appoint a fitting sidekick to your success. No sense trying to save a buck when your health and achievements are at risk.

Make sure you select a model made of superior materials with ergonomic engineering, lumbar protection, adjustability, compelling body weight support, adequate arm and head rests and overall high-standards. And none of these impressive features means the chair has to be unattractive. There are excellent options out there that are also stunning and thrilling, which will definitely beautify your workspace and charm your staff and visitors.

So you can keep your Lexus, knowing that you already have another set of wheels that will drive you further, better and safer into greatness.

VINTAGE is5 | By Interstuhl