Wondering how to inspire employees to return to the office? Your workstation design might be the answer. According to the 2022 Gensler  US Workplace Survey, workers cited the ability to “focus on their work” as the number 1 reason to work in the office. 

Employers have also been learning more about not only how to get teams in the office but also how to get the most out of workers return. Want to create an office that makes remote workers want to come back? A recent Forbes piece tells you how. “Inspire, enable, and empower them to co-create a culture and office experience they want to be part of."

Let’s talk about ways that you can harness 2023’s workstation trends to create the ideal space for workers to focus—accented with soft touch-down areas where they can connect and enjoy that hospitality-rich feel—so that they want to spend more time in the office. 

Mixing Traditional Workstations With Soft Touch- Down Areas

Soft touch-down areas are smaller seating vignettes, typically outfitted with cushioned ottomans, club chairs, a loveseat, or a small sofa. Post-pandemic, many organizations are incorporating soft seating areas into their workstation planning. 

The new hybrid work model has contributed to workers’ changing expectations of what kind of experience the office should provide. The Gensler survey found that in addition to library-like spaces for heads-down work, workers also want comfortable spaces where they can connect—similar to a clubhouse, coffee shop, or boutique hotel. 

Top Tips for Furnishing Workstations in 2023

As you outfit or make adjustments to your workstation design, keep these factors in mind for results with the biggest ROI. 

Let people work how they want to. Workers want a variety of experiences. Provide them with options so that they can move from space to space. Adjustable-height standing desks allow people to move throughout the day. Soft touch- down areas provide cozy nooks for breaks, collaborative conversations, and an opportunitiesy to experience that lounge-like feeling. 

Offer robust ergonomics. Robust ergonomics are one of the amenities the office can provide that the typical home office may not. The more adjustments an ergonomic chair offers (adjustable arms, seat tilt, lumbar support, etc.), the more people will be able to customize the furniture to their body. Sit-to-stand desks offer the ability to move throughout the day, which can provide additional support. 

Work/Life Balance When Working From Home

When work makes its way into the living space, it starts to feel as if work is everywhere. Work/life balance has always been a challenge, but it’s especially difficult to conceptualize and enforce when working from home. 

While it might feel like work is everywhere and everywhere is work, that's just not the case. Acknowledging your needs, enforcing your boundaries, and remembering you're only human is the start of creating a healthy relationship with work, even when it's so close to everyday life.

NBF partnered with Kelton Global to survey more than 1,000 American workers. We examined how people feel about their work-from-home workspaces and what they need to make their days better and brighter using a combination of finding the right furniture, designing a beautiful workspace, and building behaviors that can create long-lasting workplace wellness.

Ergonomics Are Essential

At the office, your company chose desks, chairs, and supplies they thought were ideal for the entire company. At home, you might not have these workplace essentials ready to go. As you settle into your workspace, consider furniture that is a net benefit for physical health.

We found that 22% of those frustrated with their current space are using outdated furnishings or equipment that impact productivity. Meanwhile, 3 in 10 believe their workspace needs an upgrade. If you're part of either group, make sure that your new-and-improved setup is doing its best to help you stay on task.

Take a Seat

It's no surprise that seating is a constant struggle for work-from-home employees. As you look for the right seat, you aren't bound by traditional office options. Consider finding a task chair with the same support and features that are staples of workplace seating.

Size and Shape

Whether you're big and tall or petite and small, there's a chair that's suitable for your stature. Find a chair designed to fit your body type with as much or as little padding as you'd prefer.

Materials

While the colors and styles are endless, a few standard materials are used in office furniture. Polyurethane and other faux leathers are easy to clean and durable, while real leather is a luxurious option for an elevated office. Cooling mesh can make working a breeze, and fabric can add style without sticking to your skin.

Ergonomic Adjustments

The right combination of adjustments can make your workday experience feel like a dream. Mix and match the right tilt (synchro, knee, or center), lumbar support, arm movements, and seat depth that works for you.

Desk Decisions

From traditional tables to storage-rich setups, desks come in a wide array of configurations and features to help you customize your workspace. No matter what size space you're working with, there are endless options to fit every floor plan, design scheme, and budget.

Desk Height

Standard-height desks are the standard for a reason, but people are turning to standing-height solutions for an added ergonomic benefit. Height-adjustable options marry the best of both worlds for those who like to sit or stand at any stature.

Storage Options

Pedestal desks have a wealth of supply and file storage, while others are lighter on storage and encourage users to use mobile filing cabinets and other storage units to conceal their workday musts.

Tabletop Organizers

Coordinating hutches, both big and small, are there for your right-at-hand needs. These can occupy valuable vertical real estate to further enhance small space work areas.

Set (and Stick to) Boundaries

The boundaries you set with management, coworkers, and yourself will determine the success of your work/life balance. Likewise, leaving loopholes, creating exceptions, and relaxing boundaries can quickly erode any positive groundwork.

After determining reasonable boundaries, communicate them to managers and colleagues. Then? Stick to them. Calendar programs often can set available hours to establish a rough guideline that's visible to everybody, while other nuanced boundaries may need more direct communication.

• Determine what hours are available for meetings and reasonable for responding to emails, calls, and instant messages.

• Decide whether you will check incoming communication during nights or weekends. It's OK if you keep all work-related communication to working hours only.

• Select what applications you'd like to install on personal devices and set notifications to correlate with your available hours.

• Realize that it's OK to keep work time separate from personal time. If possible, determine who can take care of emergencies in your absence should you be unreachable.

Build a Routine

Thoughtful boundaries will naturally establish a workday and workweek routine. Once your working hours are defined, begin to schedule important activities at easy-to-anticipate times—and don’t forget to include what's important to you. These little rituals can have a big impact on workday happiness.

Start Strong

Find the right way to start your day on a positive note. Brew a great cup of coffee, tidy up your desk, or do a quick sweep of your mailbox while listening to your favorite podcast.

Take a Break

Real, scheduled breaks can feel like a luxury when working from home. Build in time for lunch, a quick walk, or any necessary appointments that might conflict with the workday. Even a 15-minute meditation session can make its way into the daily routine as a way to clear your mind and get ready for the next task.

Add a Little Personal Time

While it's ill-advised to blend your work life and personal life too much, it's OK to schedule some time to accomplish a household chore during the day. Use one of your breaks to run a recurring errand or quickly tidy part of your house without feeling guilty for wasting work time.

Make a Perfect Playlist

Everybody has a different ideal soundtrack for their workday. Find a great auto-generated playlist, explore curated collections on your favorite streaming service, or subscribe to a podcast you can play in the background. White noise apps are another great way to keep the room tone lively without adding distracting words or lyrics.

Wrap Up and Wind Down

Ease your way out of the workday mindset with a relaxing task that will leave you in tip-top shape for the next day. Take the last 15 minutes to leave your workspace organized, sterilized, and clean so that your early morning self can start the day off right.

Need a Helping Hand?

When you're alone at home, it's easy to forget that resources are available through your employer.

Employee Assistance Programs 

Employee assistance programs (EAPs) aren't all created equal, but look into what your company offers and keep these benefits in mind. Some EAPs offer free counseling for workplace and personal issues, which can be used as a singular solution or a stepping stone to additional help. Childcare support, legal advice, and gym discounts are commonly available in EAPs, but these programs differ from company to company.

Talk to Your Manager 

The pandemic presented a new set of challenges that impacted every employee differently. Discuss your needs with your manager, including how your personal needs intersect with and affect your work. Accommodations can be made to ensure that employees' professional success and mental health are all accounted for, but sometimes this takes input from one's supervisor or human resources.

The Design Guide for Painting Your Office

The shade of paint you choose can make or break a space. The all-around wrong color, clashing accents, mismatched lighting, and myriad reasons can create a disaster that's all-surrounding during the workday. As you choose your color palette for your home office or corporate workspace, consider the factors that go into a great color scheme that becomes the foundation for a great workspace.

Corporate Offices

It doesn't matter if you're a small business or a corporate giant—designing a professional office space is less about one's personal taste and more about what's best for everybody. Sure, this sounds like it might be a bit restrictive, but that doesn't make any of your choices any less meaningful.

Consult a Professional 

An educated and experienced interior designer will have a wealth of knowledge and recommendations for your space. There's no harm in reaching out to a person who's used to finding the right fit; in the long run, it's worth it. Especially if you're painting multiple rooms, a designer or planner will know how to tell a visual story that compliments your entire office.

Try Before You Buy

No matter who is calling the shots, paint samples are vital to better understand your choices. While conventional paint chips might help, if larger swatches are available, take advantage of them.

No-Brainer Neutrals 

Your primary color will probably be a variation of off-white, light gray, or a faint taupe, and that's not just OK—it's advisable. These no-nonsense colors are tried and true, though they're not as harsh as a bright white.

Agreeable and Accessible 

Be mindful of different employees' needs that may be applicable now or possibly down the road. For instance, colorblindness can affect the way a person perceives bolder accents. People with visual impairments may need an emphasis on bright spaces and proper lighting. Even if this doesn't apply to your current staff, looking toward the future is never ill-advised.

Different Space, Different Mood 

The open office isn't the only space worthy of consideration. Think about how your paint choices tell a story throughout the office, and aim for a cohesive experience that won't distract employees or guests. Be particularly mindful of your reception area. For workers, it's symbolic of the start of the business day, but for guests, it's necessary to make a great first impression with tasteful design.

Acceptable Accents

If you have a big room, it's a given that you have big walls. If you're trying to add an accent wall, avoid doing so on any wall close to employee desking. Entryways, nooks, or infrequently used spaces can benefit from an accent that doesn't overwhelm you. Especially in a main space, consider using your company's colors to offset the ubiquitous neutrals.

Consider Your Upholstery

Are you designing your color palette around your furniture, or are you designing your furniture around your palette? Make sure all choices are well-coordinated, and you're not pairing cool and warm tones that will clash and distract. Be mindful of upholstery on seating or even on cubicle panels.

Creative Conference Rooms

Especially if your business has a plethora of conference rooms, this is a great opportunity to get creative with your color schemes and furniture choices. While you'll certainly want to reserve one as a highly professional space, use smaller collaboration areas to choose interesting colors or out-of-the-box furniture without committing to a large space.

The VIP Treatment

Allow incoming leaders to personalize their private office. Use a wall that isn't completely occupied by large furniture as an accent wall. When one person leaves and another person moves in, ask them what color they'd like it painted. It's a personal touch that won't break the bank or take up too much time.

Home Offices

There's a big difference between an office designed by you, for you and a multiperson office that needs to appeal to all. While you have a lot less space but a lot more flexibility, several considerations can still improve productivity, increase energy, and promote workday wellness.

Push the Boundaries of Neutral

Eggshell, ivory, and alabaster are played out shades of off-white that can stay in the past. In the home and the home office, neutral color palettes can play with different shades of gray and taupe. More daringly, a pastel palette can create a peaceful atmosphere in your workspace that's far from drab.

Invigorate With Paint

If you're trying to create a high-energy space, ditch the neutrals and pastels and embrace bolder, more stimulating colors. If your space allows, use a combination of palatable neutrals and exciting hues for accent walls or details.

Dark Colors Aren’t Dull

For some, dark paint colors can make a room feel serious or studious, which may be what you're going for. If this fits your personality, don't shy away from working with deeper tones to get the right look. If you're working within a small space, try to mix dark and light colors on different walls to keep the space from feeling too cramped.

Avoid Antagonistic Colors 

As you work your way through the rainbow, there are a few less-advisable colors to avoid. For instance, reds are known to inspire anger and intensity. 

Add Accents

Accent colors aren't just reserved for accent walls. Baseboards, molding, fixtures, and other odds and ends are often painted. If you're going to deviate from your wall colors, make sure that you pay attention to these bonus colors so that they don't stand out negatively.

Let There Be Light

If you're lucky, your at-home workspace will benefit from natural light. Even when the sun goes down, there are still major considerations with what lighting you use. Whether overhead lighting or dedicated task lighting, choose light bulbs that fuel your mood. Some people enjoy brighter blue-toned bulbs while others benefit from softer, more docile tones. Not sure? Your smartphone can control many digital light bulbs to find the perfect balance.

Think Long-Term 

We perceive color differently as we age. If you're designing for the long haul, go with a color and design scheme that will be pleasing as you advance. This is particularly true if you're putting together an office for an elderly person. If you've got multiple occupants, collaborate on your palette to ensure it's pleasant for everyone.

Optimizing Outdoor Workspaces

As dinner on restaurant patios and weekend trips into the wilderness become mainstays of summer 2020, days at the office are spent more sequestered than ever. Instead of eating in cafeterias and gathering in conference rooms, employees are highly deskbound to stop the spread of COVID-19. But add the open air to office productivity, and you've got a great solution for any company culture.

Depending on your location, there may be room to transform outdoor spaces, such as patios, surrounding green space, or even smaller entryways, into an outdoor oasis for employees. Create areas for collaboration or solitary work with a few easy upgrades. No matter the climate, you can harness the end of summer or a temperate fall and make long-lasting outdoor spaces that employees will love. 

Step Up the Wi-Fi

A major hurdle for outdoor enjoyment starts with technology. Employees can only do so much work without laptops, and even meetings require some tech to keep things running smoothly these days. Add Wi-Fi extenders and additional routers to the edges of the outdoors, ensuring that there's a strong enough signal to run your most necessary operations from anywhere.

Choose the Right Seating

Choose seating and tables that can facilitate all sorts of working needs. While there's always room for laid-back, relaxing options, more traditional tables and benches can accommodate meetings, lunches, or independent work.

Outdoor mainstays are readily available for these workspaces. Picnic benches can replace conference tables, though keeping employees well-spaced with tape or markers to show proper spacing is imperative. Portable acrylic screens can be grabbed and utilized to make face-to-face seating safer.

Materials Matter

Use materials designed and proven for outdoor use to protect from the elements and ensure that your outdoor furniture will make it to summer 2021. Solid plastics, resin, and outdoor laminates will be indicated for indoor/outdoor use. If you're looking at anything metal, make sure that it's stainless and will stay corrosion- and rust-free indefinitely.

Create Some Shade

To keep laptops glare-free and protect against midday sunburn, ensure your space has enough shade to keep employees out of the sun if they wish. Umbrellas, either mounted through tables or in a cantilever style, can provide a temporary solution, but areas with a partial overhang may benefit from an extended awning. Whether automatically retractable or removable at the end of the season, temporary shelter can also keep your furniture in tip-top condition in any climate.

Expand Your Area

Not all offices are equipped with ample outdoor seating or a prime location for a patio. Leverage the areas available, even if they're small, to add a little bit of respite from the office. A couple of chairs out front, simple benches, or off-to-the-side seating can still make a huge impact.

Seating alone doesn't suit everybody's working style. Even in the most constricted areas, keep a few folding tables off to the side for employees to grab, use, disinfect, and return for quick and casual use. Movable outdoor furniture may need to be secured depending on the location, but semi-mobile choices can encourage employees to move meetings outdoors without committing to a conference-like setup in a small space.

Power Up

Make sure employees keep charged with any necessary extension cords or power stations they can move throughout the outdoor space. Keep a few of them handy and easy to extend, ensuring that there isn't any need to crowd around scarce outlets.

Embrace the Great Outdoors

Throughout the office, fake plants reign supreme. When the weather's right and the sun is shining, a few potted plants or pleasant landscaping can elevate the mood in an outdoor area. Take advantage of seasonal foliage and beautify your outdoor oasis. Use taller greenery to create separation between tables to ensure proper social distancing.

Don’t Stop the Cleaning 

Small Space Solutions With Serious Style

Where you work is as unique to you as how you work. Sometimes, you might be stuck working with less real estate than your ideal. These unique layouts pose interesting challenges with creative solutions that need a little extra thought, careful planning, and a selection of furniture that can make the most out of any situation.

Our Brite collection is a mainstay in the modern, minimalist, and flexible home office. With a wide variety of desk sizes and storage types, it's easy to mix and match pieces to optimize your environment. ach piece features superior quality at an affordable price point, allowing you to pair multiple selections from Brite to highlight the qualities of your home.  

The Double-Duty Desk

It's not fair to have to choose between work and play when you're short on space. Instead, find a furniture setup that does both, like the Brite Compact Home Office Set. When building a double-duty space, select furniture that can be assigned a purpose or, for some items, a dual purpose. For the most part, make sure your desktop has enough room to accommodate both your workday mainstays without needing to do much when the day is done. Use storage pieces to keep your intentions separated, dedicating one rolling pedestal to workday supplies and the other to the tools of the trade for whatever you're passionate about.

The Two-for-One Special

Working from home might mean you have coworkers who don't even work at your company. For home offices with 2 or more people, blend form and function with coordinating desking tailored to each person's individual needs. Expansive collections offer a wealth of design options that differ in height, width, configuration, and even tech-ready details, such as wireless chargers or cable management. Let each person pick the right fit for their needs while still adhering to a beautiful design scheme, right down to coordinating seating with the same patterns on different pieces.

The Angular Approach

Many renovated flats, urban apartments, and quirky old houses have curious bonus areas that embrace difficult-to-use spaces. When your main rooms are occupied, it’s great to take advantage of these attics, enclaves, and under-the-stairs escapes. Sometimes you'll need to split your workspace to work within these difficult layouts, opting for multiple desks that are close within reach but not quite together. Fill in the gaps with décor or open-air storage to keep the area from getting overwhelmingly cramped while still giving it a sense of style.

The Cozy Corner

A sliver of the living room or a corner of the dining nook might be your best bet for a work-from-home workspace. While you might share space with a completely different purpose, the need for a focus-friendly setup remains. Choose a desk with built-in storage so your workday musts can all be concentrated in one space, eliminating the need to interact with the world around it and risk becoming distracted. A standing-height desk can also offer flexibility and comfort, especially when paired with a stool that's just the right height for a quick rest.

The Simple Setup

We've learned a lot since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Everything in our working worlds changed seemingly overnight, and it became clear we'd all have to get used to a "new normal" in the workplace. New data and best practices emerged, but as cases began to decline, those practices have continued to change and evolve.

Returning to work poses challenges that, while complex and daunting, can be made easy with proper planning. We've talked about facilities management as well as policies and procedures when restrictions were at their tightest. Now that restrictions are relaxing, it's time to take another look at what the new new normal means to the workplace.

Pragmatic, Pedantic, or Both?

Early on, there was no precaution too egregious. We didn't have enough data or understanding to know what was necessary or what was overkill. Especially for frontline workers and essential businesses, there was no way to be too safe while infection levels were high and information was low.

Now, we better understand how the virus can be transmitted, who is at risk, and how vaccines can protect fully-vaccinated people. Policies and procedures should take new, appropriate, and attainable approaches:

• Masking: At a minimum, follow the guidelines and requirements set by your state and local government. There's no harm in mandating masks in communal areas to ensure that everybody is comfortable in a shared space. However, it is less necessary to require masks at private workstations.

• PPE: Sanitizer, disinfecting wipes, and masks are still tools of the new normal. A generous supply of each item should be kept handy. While most employees have their own masks, keeping extras on hand is suggested to accommodate visitors, accidents, and breakage.

• Meetings: Relaxed regulations and vaccinated populations have made it less risky to meet in person, though appropriate distancing is still recommended. If you invested in clear partitions, it's still worth keeping physical barriers up during meetings.

Here, There, or Anywhere

After making a quick transition to working from home, many of us stayed settled in our at-home workspaces. For some, this is a permanent change due to the elimination of space at HQ. For others, it’s a personal preference. Companies that quickly decided to allow indefinite remote work are starting to see the benefit of in-person work while understanding how flexibility and independence increase employee morale and trust. Your company has hopefully found its sweet spot for now with plans for the future, which might look like this:

Level 1: Office Abandonment

Heading home led to staying home. Some companies have completely vacated their physical presence and are now completely digital for the long haul. Ideally, technology put in place early on was selected with the robust features necessary for a completely remote operation. If not, it's well past time to improve tech infrastructure, beef up VPN services, embrace collaborative software, and streamline the WFH process.

Level 2: Forever Flexibility

The new workday is in the hands of the employees. Everybody can choose when to come in, when to stay home, and how to structure their workdays. While there might be occasional "let's get together" days, there are few rules or regulations as to who's where and when.

Level 3: A Gentle Welcoming

Even if you're in the "forever flexible" phase, many companies are using the early summer months to gently welcome employees back as they wish, offering a great deal of flexibility in schedules with a little management. Interaction between managers and staff is key in these situations so everybody understands hours and expectations.

Level 4: Scheduling Refresh

It's not quite as lawless as lower "levels," but it's not like the days of yore. Employees are encouraged to spend some days in the office, though it may not be the same 9 to 5, 5 days a week scheme. Set up your "office hours" on a team or individual employee basis, and embrace the best of a collaborative atmosphere and a focused WFH environment.

Level 5: Business as Usual

It's probably not like we never left, but it's close. Regular full-time hours are reestablished, and most on-site employees have returned to their desks. For essential workers, low-risk areas, or industries that deal with sensitive information, this may have been in practice long ago.

Transitions and Hybrids

Even in offices encouraging a full return, some employees may transition to a fully-remote position. Maintain the technological progress made during peak WFH and ensure that these forever off-site employees are still included in meetings, brainstorming sessions, and other collaborative activities. It's a great time to ensure that meeting spaces and conference rooms are permanently equipped with screens and video cameras to keep the whole team in the loop.

Keep Cleaning

The rigorous disinfecting and cleaning guidelines established in response to COVID-19 led to one of the least virulent flu seasons of all time. For now, additional cleaning staff should be retained, ensuring the facility is constantly clean (especially as an increasing number of people return to the office). For years to come, keep the same cleanliness standards in play during cold and flu season, encouraging employees to practice good personal hygiene and increase disinfecting measures throughout the facility.

Desking Dilemmas

While traditional cubicles offer adequate separation and privacy, some forms of collaborative desking are ill-advised for illness. However, not all open office desking is created equal:

Hoteling

Especially in workplaces that intend to remain somewhat remote, a hoteling system might seem like an appealing option. This keeps desks completely void of personal items and supplies, allowing any on-site employee to sit at any open desk or cubicle. Hoteling has considerable downsides: Employees are often frustrated by the lack of personal expression and consistency.

Benching

This marvel of the modern workplace had its time in high-tech offices and agencies, bleeding into companies worldwide that sought a system that aims to create employee-enforced accountability. Inherently close-quarters benching is not only risky for spreading COVID-19 but is a risky option during regular cold and flu season. Providing more employee privacy in the form of stand-alone workstations or moving to a cubicle-based system can prevent the spread of illnesses and increase employee morale.

Bullpens

Offering less privacy than a cubicle, bullpen-style desking often situates 4 or more workspaces with employees sitting back-to-back. While they're a bit more exposed than a traditional cubicle, the back-to-back configuration is considerably less risky for spreading germs. Avoid using the pathways between bullpens as means of egress and, for particularly tight quarters, consider adding acrylic partitions between employees that sit close together. 

Cubicles

Cube, sweet cube. Even though the idea of a "cubicle farm" sounds like a drag, semiprivate cubicles offer a higher degree of employee privacy and a wide variety of options to customize your space. These days, lower partitions can be supplemented with glass stackers on top, allowing for more natural light and a visually open atmosphere that still offers adequate protection from COVID-19, along with some privacy. 

Private Offices 

A completely sequestered office offers 2 huge benefits: a blissfully quiet workspace and the ability to have private meetings with 1 or 2 people. These intimate meetings are difficult to accommodate during COVID*19,  and, in the interest of distancing, it should be advised to use a larger conference area to conduct even small-scale meetings. Alternatively, collaborative portions of desks can be separated by acrylic partitions to create physical barriers for one-on-one meetings.

Meeting Musts

Getting together in one room is becoming more and more commonplace. Preparing your conference rooms should still follow many of the initial return to work guidelines. However, it is possible to start introducing more seating so long as barriers and spacing are maintained. For now, it's best to keep a few conference chairs in storage to ensure that people are not crowding around tables. You can also keep meetings in larger, better-ventilated conference areas whenever possible.

It's more important than ever to make sure conference rooms and touchdown areas are tech-equipped so WFH employees can stay engaged with their on-site counterparts. Seek wall-mounted screens, video cameras, audio equipment, and computer docks that employees with varying degrees of tech skills can use.

See a breakdown of post-COVID-19 conference room best practices and sample layouts to optimize your space.

Better Forever

We picked up a lot of healthy habits throughout the COVID-19 pandemic—some of which we can carry on as ways to live a healthy and productive life at work, home, or work-from-home.

From ways to live a healthier life:

• Take Sickness Seriously: Playing it safe and staying home can start with a work-from-home day when you're feeling just a little under the weather, stopping a potentially contagious illness from spreading needlessly. This also decreases spread and speeds up recovery time for ill employees.

• Maybe Mask Up: After COVID-19 passes, we can still take a page out of other countries' books and wear a mask during the onset of a cold when you have no choice but to leave the house.

• Healthy Hand Hygiene: 20 seconds with soap and water sure beats a quick rinse, and there's no harm in keeping hand sanitizer nearby.

To lessons learned about our working world:

• Work-From-Home Works: Employers don't need to be hesitant to trust their employees while operating off-site. The collaborative tools we need to succeed are implemented and at the ready whenever we need them.

• Go Remote: More remote positions can be made available so employers can find the perfect fit, even if they're outside a densely populated city center or entirely in a different location.

• It's Time for Tech: Workplaces without screens aren't going to cut it anymore. Taking meeting spaces into the 21st century is a great way to foster collaboration, software such as Microsoft Teams can be a game changer, and quick video calls can solve a problem faster than a 15-part email chain. A tech-ready workplace takes the guesswork out of working together and makes space for the important human elements of collaboration.

• There Are Many Ways to Work: Some people work better from home, while others need a more structured, on-site approach. We have learned a lot about the tools we need to succeed, giving opportunities to those who have previously struggled with an on-site workday.

When to Relax

A lot has changed since we started talking about a possible return to work in late 2020. Nearly every state has relaxed or eliminated restrictions, businesses of all kinds have started reopening their offices, and, most importantly, we know more about the virus than we once did.

Many of our previous recommendations were based on worst-case scenarios in offices that needed to open their doors while being as safe as possible. While there are numerous best practices to keep up with and many ways to go about a safe return to work, there are new priorities:

• Focus on person-to-person interaction in communal spaces. Instead of eliminating interaction, focus on making it easy to stay safe in shared spaces.

• Keep cleaning supplies in every area, which will help make disinfecting an easy step throughout the workday without creating too many off-limits areas.

• Encourage under-the-weather employees to work from home even if they're at the edge of a cold. Keeping the rest of the on-site staff healthy can foster the return to work process without triggering a mass infection of any type.

• Set up outdoor outings to bring staff back together for casual interaction. Outfitting a patio space with durable, weather-resistant furniture can benefit a business for years to come.

Remember HIPAA

A pandemic is still a medical crisis, and peoples' healthcare information is still protected by HIPAA and ethical best practices for Human Resources departments. While asking for an employee's vaccination information is tempting, the employee is not necessarily required to share it. These requirements may differ by state and situation. Ensure that your HR department communicates expectations for medical privacy in a way that legal counsel has vetted. When in doubt, assume the person you're working alongside is unvaccinated and take proper precautions for a safe workspace.

16 Super Simple Upgrades for Your Home Office

The happier you are with your workspace, the happier you will be during your workday. An exciting, energizing workspace is easier to attain at home where you have fewer rules on office décor and can be ambitious with your aesthetic. Here are a few simple, affordable, and fast upgrades you can make to immediately adore your home office.

1. Go One by One

If you don't have the money for a costly home office overhaul, start by gathering inspiration for your finished look and work a timeline into your monthly budget. It's quite costly to get an entire new office furniture suite, but saving up to buy a chair, a pedestal, a desk, etc., can be just as rewarding.

2. Define Day and Night Vibes

If you're using a workspace that shares a room with your bedroom or another often-used space, find ways to differentiate how the room feels during the workday and after it ends. Use an essential oil diffuser to have a "workday" scent for just those working hours, or put hue-changing bulbs on a timer to make sure there's a shift in tone after your work shift ends.

3. Whistle While You Work

If you're the type of person with a workday soundtrack or a penchant for podcasts, think about stepping up your room's audio system for something a little stronger. If you're trying to stay quiet for others around you, a nice pair of headphones can be both noise-canceling and a welcome increase in quality for your tunes or otherwise.

4. Go Green

Fresh foliage can instantly bring your workspace to life! Be sure to pick out plants that match your indoor gardening skill level, amount of sunlight, and climate to make sure that you and your plants will both stay happy.

5. Feel Good, Look Good

When picking out an upgrade, remember the place ergonomics plays in the modern workday. Go for style alongside substance as you choose chairs in particular. The prettier the piece, the less equipped it might be—especially at a lower price point. Splurge on items that help with your posture to get an attractive look with a lot of comfort.

6. Change-Ready Customizations

If you're always ready to hop on a trend, choose easy-to-customize items with replaceable components that don't require buying an entirely new piece. This can be as simple as a slipcover for an accent couch, removable contact paper on your desktop, or a swappable rug topper that adds easy machine washability as well.

7. Love Your Lighting

It's already difficult to enjoy the ambient lighting of a shared office, especially at a larger corporate headquarters, with outdated overhead lighting. At home, small desk lamps, task lighting, standing lamps, and other relaxing ambient setups can make your workday shine, especially if you don't have a lot of natural light in the room.

8. The Sky Is the Limit

Taking advantage of underutilized vertical space is a quick way to add storage and décor. Floating shelves, a tall bookcase, or a corner unit can take advantage of this oft-ignored real estate. You can even use a series of small baskets to add concealed storage for small supplies.

9. Make It Make Scents

Curate fragrances that complement your space and enhance your workday. Bright, energetic citruses and light florals are energy-building options. Stay away from heavy, sleepy smells and overpowering aromas.

10. Do Double-Duty

If you have a dedicated workspace, consider its utility and whether or not it can do double-duty with another area. On the off-hours, a home office can be shared with a middle or high school child to be used as a homework hub, outfitted with a separate workspace for arts and crafts projects, or made into a makeshift music space for instrument enthusiasts to practice within. The options are endless.

11. Switch It Up

Add a second "workspace" to your home office so you can quickly and temporarily work from another peaceful locale. This can be as quick and easy as a C-shaped pull-up table over a lounge chair or a lap desk that can go with you to another area of the house.

12. New Pens, New Stuff

The home office isn't bound by what the office admin ordered for the supply closet. Every staple supply—even staplers—comes in a variety of fun colors and finishes. A sleek new pen cup, desktop organizer, and all the accouterments can give you a new vibe without a big commitment.

13. Like, Really New Pens

It might be a strange take, but fountain pens are are old-school pens with new-school style. Fun inks, colors, wacky designs, and personal flair make shopping for pens an adventure and opens up a community of people who are big fans of this esoteric office supply.

14. Do the Trend; Use the #Inspo

It may seem impulsive to follow a trend you saw on TikTok or Instagram, but these fleeting ideas are often the work of inherently creative people who aren't paid experts. Lean into this easy advice, and don't be afraid to ask influencers or creators questions.

15. Gone Fishing

Bringing an office buddy to your workday is a quick but committed pick-me-up. Even the common goldfish or single betta fish require more care than a simple fishbowl, so consider proper care before deciding if this idea is for you.

16. Try, Try Again

Sometimes you'll try a strategy and just won't like it. Don't be afraid to tear it down and start again if you're not in love with your changes. These are all simple tips, designed to be easy and more affordable than a large overhaul.

Picture this: It's 2020, and you've all but worn a hole in your dining room chair. Every night you have to sweep away a stack of papers to make way for dinner. Maybe your legs are permanently burned from sitting on the couch as your laptop overheats in your lap. Finding a quiet corner to take a conference call? Good luck. Your new "coworkers" are distance learning, taking their own meetings, and barking (Fido is a really hard worker). Your calls are just adding to the fray. Sleeping spaces are occupied all day and all night.

Take your pick from these subpar options—any one of them might hit a little too close to home.

It's probably been a while since you've made your way into the office. And if you're still working through your workflow from home, you're probably past due for an upgrade. Shape your living space into a workspace that's fit to make for a positively productive home office. It's partially intuitive, partially tedious, but 100% worth it for whatever way you work.

The Bare Necessities

Pop quiz! What makes an office an office? We're going beyond "makeshift" and moving toward "ideal.” Whatever defines your workspace, it starts with furniture you can build a room around. There are still some things to consider while you're making the most of any size of space:

Diving Deeper: Delightful Desks

Make sure to measure before you look for your dream desk:

Who doesn't love a well-used corner space? Corner desks are often more compact than their L-shaped desk brethren and often have slopes at the workspace to encourage a diagonal sitting position. This is ideal for maximizing unused spaces or nooks within your house that might look unbalanced with a typical table desk.

Diving Deeper: Spectacular Seating

A superior sit starts with the right features:

An ergonomically-minded workspace is essential for both WFH and at-work workstations. You may have settled for a kitchen chair or gone for a chic seat that pulls the room together, but if there isn't enough support, you’ll feel the effects down the line.

Diving Deeper: Stylish Storage

There's no reason you can't be filing and styling:

Aim for ‘Inspired’

When you're browsing catalogs or eyeing blogs, it's easy to envision your space in the perfectly propped, effortlessly chic interior design of a professional photo. When you're balancing your budget and assembling your needs, that perfection may not be within reach.

The choices you make go beyond a photograph. The aesthetic you desire and the items you can't live without might be at odds, so a few careful concessions can maximize your capabilities.

Trade This for That

Mid-Century Marvelous: It's tough to go top-to-bottom within the ever-trending MCM style. Keep a clean, uncluttered, and minimalist background with a few stand-out statement pieces that feature the splayed legs, blond wood, and skillful slopes of both Scandinavian and mid-century modern design.

Super Simple: Taking MCM out of the equation, a truly minimalist space is often deeply focused on the form and function of your furniture. Since other design items aren't of much concern, make the most of your budget by investing in storage solutions that can keep necessary supplies uncluttered and visibly out-of-the-way. Shop collections that have everything you need to furnish your office or mix-and-match well-coordinating finishes.

Maximalist Impact: #inspo often goes wild, combining potentially impractical décor decisions that you know might break the bank. If you're going for this "more is more" appeal, look for secondhand supplies or delightful discounts to add visual noise while keeping a little budget for more important purchases.

Leave It for Later: Rome wasn't built in a day, and your office might be a work-in-progress for a while. Start with the necessities and aim for the pieces that will make you the most productive, such as a chair that's fit for the long-haul and a desk that has everything you need. The rest? Pencil it in for later.

Do Double-Duty

Pro: Double-duty furniture can expand the possibilities of your workspace, giving you a place to work to pursue hobbies outside of the workday. Make sure that these supplies can be stored out of the way during business hours to limit distractions. Your workspace could masquerade as another piece of furniture during the day, though this may make it difficult to set up in the morning.

Con: If you're working from home for the long haul, having a dedicated space for work is important so it doesn't take an emotional toll on your day-to-day. If your space allows it, keep a dedicated working desk that doesn't clash with other activities. At the same time, be mindful of what you might use this space for if you return to the office and any possibilities for future use.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

Maybe you can’t hide your at-home workspace completely, but you can strive for out-of-the-way. Folding furniture is a great space-saving solution, giving you the option to truly separate your space from the workday. Secretary desks are an expandable stationary option, while wall-mounted folding solutions are a collapsible treat. Gate leg tables have convenient foldout workspaces with legs that swing into place to create an on-demand desk.

As with any shifting solution, it's important to establish dedicated storage so your workday tools aren't scattered throughout your space after business hours. A mobile pedestal is a great movable solution that can be adjusted as needed—or opt for a decorative cabinet that can always stay nearby.

All About Acoustics

Soundproofing solutions are a must for shared households. There are a lot of ways to mitigate noise to keep everybody working well while working from home:

• Invest in Headphones: Sometimes, it's just about noise-canceling headphones for all. Especially when there's an integrated microphone for taking meetings, active noise cancellation can keep 2 people in close proximity without conversations bleeding over.

• Leverage Layout: Intuitive space planning saves the day. Keep desks facing walls with acoustic panels or soft fabrics to muffle conversations. Wear headphones so the other end of the call isn't projected into the middle of the room.

• Be Wary of Windows: Glass and other shiny surfaces are known for reflecting sound, so direct your dialogue away from panes of glass or mirrored surfaces. The same goes for any art or photographs behind glass frames.

• Decorative Deflection: Aside from tasteful curtain panels, using fabric or canvas prints instead of acoustic panels can add an aesthetic twist to noise cancellation. Facing a busy bookshelf with a ton of tomes can also absorb extra sounds with ease.

• Simple Separation: Sometimes, it's best to stay in separate areas. Designate a "conference room" away from your regular workstation that's well-suited for calls and conversations when the time arises. Make sure to communicate any upcoming meetings with others in your shared space, and consider a backup area if a multiperson household has multiple calls going at once.

You're Due for an Upgrade

If you've made it this far, it has probably been a long time since you've seen your corporate office. None of us expected the COVID-19 crisis to last so long, and as days turned to weeks and weeks to months, work conditions—and locations—have shifted.

The scramble to create a workable workstation may have led to a few hasty purchases or tenuously-assembled workarounds, but that can’t cut it forever.

If you haven't already, we truly urge you: Think about the impact your workspace has on your well-being and workplace success. Think about the lasting impact on your physical health due to an ergonomically-unfriendly chair or the impracticality of a not-quite-the-right-size desk. Think about the lasting impact on your mental health that a hard-to-navigate, needlessly cluttered, and deeply disorganized workspace can have.

As companies have started their return to the office, many of us have found ourselves occupying liminal spaces throughout the workweek. Any number of return-to-work policies may create these situations, but many employees aren't quite office-bound or fully remote. While it's tempting to recreate all the luxuries of the office at home, sometimes this isn't fully attainable.

Consider your situation and design an at-home workspace that makes appropriate compromises with the tools you're provided at the office. For employers, this may involve making concessions or providing assistance to ensure productivity doesn't wane when the workforce isn't under one roof.

What's Your Situation?

Not all work-from-home vs. work-from-work situations look the same. Depending on your structure, your priorities might shift as you create a home office that works with the corporate office:

• A-day or B-day: A common tactic has been a structured staggering of employees alternating days in and out. Some offices aren’t as rigid, allowing employees to set their own on-site/WFH schedule.

• Here and There: There might not be any rhyme or reason why an employee is on-site or at home, but there's still a healthy amount of time spent in both places. This might be on an as-needed or "I'll be there a couple of days throughout the week" basis. Time spent in either space can be increased or decreased depending on need.

• Fully Ready for Remote: As cases rise and fall, there's still massive uncertainty surrounding everything. You may be maintaining an at-home workspace that's fully functional but largely unused… For now.

What Isn't Necessary?

A few accommodations are nice to have—a giant purified water cooler, 4-tray copier, or industrial coffee pot at the ready—but aren't feasible in residential spaces. While many of these can be replicated on a smaller scale, a few things can only be available during on-site hours.

Structure your workload and workflow around larger or unique items. Shared supplies, organizational tools, mailroom needs, and other items are difficult to accommodate outside the workplace, so plan your day around what you need versus what you can work with at home.

What Is Non-Negotiable?

You can probably get away with a Brita, Mr. Coffee, and a simple printer, but your workday needs go beyond luxuries or shared necessities. These are often the tools we use to make our workday workable from our designated workstations. As you design your home office space, look toward these easy add-ons to mirror the comforts of the office with the comforts of home:

• 2 Monitors? More Like 4 Monitors: If you need to have multiple programs running at once or are simply used to working with 2 monitors, a worthwhile investment might be an at-home set of monitors in addition to your setup at work.

• You Raise Me Up: If you're used to a sit-to-stand desk or are experiencing posture problems at home, outfit your desk with a desktop riser. This will offset the cost of an expensive motorized height-adjustable desk while providing ergonomic comfort all day.

• Delightful Desking: As you power through workdays at home, you may have noticed that the kitchen table or living room couch isn't a great place to work. Invest in the right desk and chair setup now, as there may still be quite a bit of work-from-home left. It was understandable to put off outfitting a corner of your house or a lesser-used spare bedroom—we all thought this would be over with much sooner—but there's still time to get a lot of use out of your home workspace.

• Simple Storage: While keeping in line with your home décor scheme, add storage solutions into your workspace to keep office supplies, files, and workday necessities tucked away outside of work hours or on your on-site days. These can do double-duty with household storage, ensuring you still get the same use out of your residential space, even when it's a makeshift office.

• Take It With You: When you're stuck between 2 places, you'll need a way to bring your must-haves with you. Invest in a padded, safe laptop case that's designed to take a hit. If you also use a lot of files, ensure that your bag is large enough to contain them.

How Can Employers Help?

Besides making the policy decisions that dictate work-from-home schedules, employers' choices can ensure the success of every employee, no matter where they work. Even though 2020 has been rife with catastrophe and entropy, there are surefire ways to make sure that your employees can keep working as well as possible. Accommodations to make sure everybody is comfortable and safe can take on many shapes and forms, but to facilitate at-home productivity, it's worth providing assistance through your HR department.

Some companies have had success in creating a rebate, discount, or package program to help their remote and partially-remote employees feel comfortable in their homes. This can range from assistance with a desk/chair/storage setup or something as simple as extra office supplies to stay stocked in either location. As for extra monitors—you may have some old technology in storage or consider negotiating a deal to bulk-purchase screens for employee at-home use.

NBF partnered with Kelton Global to survey more than 1,000 American workers. We examined how people feel about their work-from-home workspaces and what they need to make their days better and brighter using a combination of finding the right furniture, designing a beautiful workspace, and building behaviors that can create long-lasting workplace wellness.

Then vs. Now

Somewhat surprisingly, we discovered that 35% of people miss what their workspace used to look like. It's easy to assume that corporate offices are nothing but a series of cookie-cutter workstations, but the reality is that these spaces use design elements that are tried-and-true solutions for workday needs.

At home, there's ample opportunity to create a perfectly personalized workspace that builds on the core tenets of workplace design. Embrace your highest office aspirations and add a personal touch to your office oasis.

Design Matters

We've all heard the adage "dress for success," but in your home office, it's all about designing for a successful workday. Put a little personality into your workspace with picture-perfect touches that can inspire your mood and aid in your workday productivity.

Decorate for Success

The hues you choose have a major impact on your overall emotion. A bright and sunny color palette can add pep to your workday—use inspired yellows, pastels, and bright whites to wash the room in light. Darker, more brooding colors aren't necessarily sleepy; they can create a studious and serious atmosphere that inspires a sense of pride in your workday.

Art for art's sake is a must for interior design in both the workplace and living space. As you select decorative pieces, look for items that aren't too cluttering or distracting, opting for positive and inspiring imagery on the walls.

Bring in a bookcase to expand your storage for workday supplies and decorative pieces. With new and inventive designs dominating the market, a bookcase can add an artistic appeal to your space—opt for something with an inventive combination of storage cubbies in fixed and adjustable heights.

All About Ambience

Wake up and smell the roses—or whatever scent works best for you. Candles, wax melts, and oil diffusers are a great way to enhance your space, and invigorating options are ideal for workday productivity. Seek bright and vibrant scent profiles, such as lemon, orange, or peppermint, to keep it upbeat or alleviate stress with the calming scent of lavender or chamomile.

Soothing sounds are a luxury that is hard to recreate in a shared office. While many prefer podcasts, others work well with white noise, and some are interested in inspired instrumentals. Find what works best for an ambient out-loud soundtrack instead of sticking to office-friendly headphones.

Workday Must-Haves

Design your desktop accessories to match the vibe of your workspace. Online marketplaces have taken desktop staples to another level, offering fun and funky designs that can add to your overall design scheme. Gone are the days of simple Swingline staplers and drab tape dispensers. Find something that's fun to use and functional at the same time.

The smallest stuff matters, including the office supplies you use to get the job done. Find the perfect pens or choose fun paper clips that are more than simple curves. When purchasing for yourself, it's less necessary to blend into the status quo than when buying for an entire office.

Go Green

Pick a plant or maybe many plants. Home offices with ample natural light are ideal for thriving greenery of a maintenance level of your choosing. While some prefer fickle ferns, the tried-and-true ease of a pothos is great for those who might not have a green thumb.

Go with faux plants if you're in a dimly lit area or don't have it in you to keep up with a watering schedule. The options are endless—more hyper-realistic options are available every day.

Fresh might be best for a quick pick-me-up. A bouquet of flowers or quick-blooming seasonal plants can instantly invigorate your space and add a nice little oomph to the air with a sweetly-scented selection. 

Fun and Functional Needs

The stuff you store is just as important as how you store it, be it in bins or baskets on a bookcase or a concealed cabinet. Expand your storage capacity with solutions that look great and blend in with the rest of your interior design scheme. New designs are available that go beyond the basics. Accent these pieces with clever bins and storage boxes to make it easy to conceal pesky small supplies and unsightly clutter.

Let there be light! While home offices often feature more natural light than a corporate workspace, we’ll always need lamps and lights that are easy on the eyes and just right for your vibe. Choose bulbs that emulate the sun or go with vibrant options that can invigorate your space. For the winter months, SAD lamps are an easy way to keep your spirits up during long hours working from home.

Many employees spend more than 8 hours at their workstations each day, eliminating the time that could be spent at the gym, running through the neighborhood, or committing to other physical wellness tasks. These simple workday exercise options may not be particularly rigorous, but they’re great for getting the blood flowing in the body, all without a gap in workday productivity.

Bring the Gym to Your Desk

Convenient exercise equipment comes in all shapes and sizes. Some items, such as stretchy bands that can anchor beneath your desk or chair's leg, can give you the ability to squeeze in a few resistance exercises throughout the day. Small hand or ankle-mounted weights can give you a quick way to do basic exercises passively while you're off-camera during a meeting.

For the more die-hard, under-desk elliptical machines are an option to keep your legs moving throughout the workday. These seated solutions are a quiet and subtle way to mix your workday with your workout.

Take a Stand

Adjustable-height desks and active seating are movement-friendly solutions and posture savers. Active seating often involves fidget-friendly solutions designed for adults that need some external stimulation. Gently rocking stools, wobbling ottomans, and round-bottom standing stools are designed to work your core and promote healthy movement throughout the day. Similarly, standing engages your core, and a sit/stand solution is ideal for those who aren't settled on either style.

Work(out) Well With Others

Forego a stop at the watercooler and opt for a quick walk around the building with a coworker. You'll build accountability by including another on-site employee in your wellness journey while also satisfying the need for social interaction during the workday. You can do as little or as much as you'd like. Invite a diverse group of coworkers from different parts of the building to take part in lunch walks, yoga sessions, or other activities to add a more concerted wellness-focused break to your workday. You can also do these activities before or after work to accommodate schedules.

Workday-Ready Exercise Equipment

While less common than their sit/stand counterparts, treadmill or training bike desks are an option for those who need a little more workout during the workday. 

If you're working from home, try planning a fun DIY to make a fitness-friendly solution that works with your existing treadmill or stationary bike setup. Not all treadmills are created the same. Look online at the oodles of available DIYs on YouTube, blogs, and social media sites to find a tutorial that closely matches your treadmill. 

Remember that you'll want to make sure you have added as many beneficial safety features as possible to keep yourself and your equipment safe. Anti-slip pads for your laptop or peripherals, well-secured straps, and high-quality materials will ensure that your treadmill desk adds health and not hazard to your workday.

Greener is greater! Making sure your home office is a sustainable haven is an emerging necessity in today's interior design. From top to bottom, it's easy to integrate eco-friendly aspects into your workspace. Remember that it's OK to only follow a guideline or 2. Every effort matters, even if you aren't completely diving into a fully-sustainable space.

Start With Packaging

No matter how your furniture arrives, it will be packaged or protected in some way. From freight-delivered to ready-to-assemble pieces, the packaging may be made from different materials. Avoid plastic or foam wrapping, Styrofoam, packing peanuts, and other plastics when possible. Corrugated cardboard or molded paper solids are excellent alternatives that can be just as effective. Brands that focus on being eco-friendly will note their initiative, so pay attention to these pleasant disclaimers.

Prioritize Sustainable Materials

Even if it isn't always possible, it's important to prioritize materials that are sustainably harvested, easy to recycle, or free from finishes that make it difficult to recycle. Many solid wood products cannot be recycled by traditional means, such as curbside recycling, due to treatments, coatings, or paint. Laminates and MDF are equally difficult to recycle. Find dedicated programs through your recycling center to take advantage of material-specific recycling.

Metals—even aluminum—are often powder-coated or finished in a way that makes recycling difficult. As a rule of thumb, try to disassemble furniture as best as possible and take a visit to your closest recycling center. If you can, hold on to screws, nuts, and bolts to reuse them for other projects.

A Little TLC Goes a Long Way

The more care you put into your furniture, the less waste you'll introduce into the world. Learn how to best clean different materials (hint: a little bit of mild dish soap in a bucket of water can work wonders on many surfaces) to ensure they stay looking just as good as the day you brought them home. Invest in quality furniture to extend your length of use, and look for finishes, such as high-pressure laminate, that are made to last.

Look for Timeless Trends

As you're shopping, look for pieces that can blend in with trending décor styles. As styles come in and out of fashion, your furniture shouldn’t be replaced repeatedly. Especially if you're shopping for well-made, sustainable furniture, it's best to ensure that you won't have to constantly replace these costly pieces. Basic silhouettes are always a sure shot, but finishes are often a topic of trend. The more neutral and agreeable, the better.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

When your existing furniture has run its course, there's a wealth of ways to extend its life to reduce waste. If you need to dispose of it, there are always eco-friendly ways to make sure you're recycling as much of it as possible:

Repurpose in Another Area

When your desk has run its course, think if you have any other uses for it. Could it become a work surface in a downstairs workroom or a storage shelf in a shed? If you're feeling ambitious, there's no shortage of upcycling tutorials online to give your pieces a new look and life.

A Second Chance Somewhere Else

Whether you're using an online marketplace like Facebook or Craigslist or donating your pieces to a charity, finding a second life for your furniture is a great way to reduce waste. Even if it's older or of poor quality, furniture rehabbers are often willing to make a project out of older solid pieces. Less expensive RTA furniture may find a second home at a low price or free exchange.

Recycle the Right Materials

Look at the different parts of your desk, chair, or other furniture piece and determine if any of the components are recyclable. Because regional recycling programs differ, consult your local waste management authority for information on how to best recycle different types of laminate, manufactured wood, textiles, and more. You might even be able to find specific recycling programs that will disassemble and properly recycle your components for you.

Sneeze guards: Once a simple staple of salad bars, now they're one of our best tools for returning to work after COVID-19. Every industry—from retail to food service, healthcare clinics to corporate offices, and everywhere in between—has found some applications for these easy and innovative barriers.

Acrylic, plexiglass, polycarbonate? Pass-through, wraparound, easy-attach feet? What does it all mean? We're here to help you find the right sneeze guard or room divider for your workspace, ensuring safety without sacrificing visibility.  

Sneeze Guard Materials

Acrylic

It's the prevailing material choice for sneeze guards and clear partitions. Available in a range of thicknesses, acrylic is a transparent material that maintains your line of sight while providing a protective barrier.

Let's get nerdy—there are 2 ways to manufacture acrylic. Extruded acrylic will keep costs low and price points favorable, allowing you to purchase more partitions for less. Its more durable counterpart is cell cast acrylic, which is inherently more durable, more transparent, and cracks less often during cutting. 

Plexiglas (aka Plexiglass)

Not unlike Kleenex or Jacuzzi, Plexiglas is a brand name of acrylic. However, the debate between Plexiglas vs. acrylic isn't quite so clear-cut. While all acrylic can be manufactured 2 ways, all Plexiglas is cell cast, ensuring its strength, lack of impurities, and ability to be cut without cracking.

What's the difference between Plexiglas and Plexiglass? Over time, Plexiglas gained the misnomer Plexiglass. It also became shorthand for acrylic in general. When you're buying, assume all acrylic is just regular acrylic and instead rely on the thickness of the product.

Polycarbonate

You've heard the term at the optician's office; polycarbonate is often used in non-high-index glasses and much thicker applications, such as bulletproof glass. If you're installing a sneeze guard for the long haul, it's worth considering this plastic polymer with a lot to prove. While it's still heavier than acrylic, the lightweight nature and thinner profile still beat glass by a mile.

When purchasing, think about your application and the thickness it needs first. If you need an extremely durable and large coverage area, consider polycarbonate; otherwise, opt for a thicker acrylic or a piece with metal edging.

Glass

Admittedly, glass isn't particularly common in movable or temporary sneeze guards. Its weight is prohibitive, it's a lot harder to work with, and it requires framing that just isn't feasible. The appeal of acrylic or polycarbonate outweighs the benefits of glass, though it is the most scratch-resistant material and can be tempered to prevent dangerous shards. 

Sneeze Guard Thickness

Thickness will be a major consideration when selecting the best sneeze guard or room divider for your workspace. Get your calculator out—it's possible companies might list their thicknesses in fractions, decimals, and or even millimeters.

Every thickness has benefits:

• Thin: Whether it's a piece called 1/8" or 0.118 – 0.125 thick, these thinner sheets are widely available and great for small spaces, such as table dividers or partitions on conference tables. They're significantly less expensive, allowing for bulk buying to add protection in many areas. Use these sheets in spaces that need temporary protection. Usually made from extruded acrylic, can be cast.

• Thicker: At the middle of the road, 1/4" or ~0.25 sheets give added stability and durability to your sneeze guard and room dividers, allowing for wider use in larger applications. Especially when finished with a lightweight aluminum frame, these moderate thicknesses are durable yet easily movable. Can be extruded or cell cast.

• Thick: If you're investing in a long-term solution or looking to purchase a large sneeze guard to cover a wide counter, look for significantly thicker materials. 2/3" to 1" thick guards will resist impact, cracking, and shattering while providing more than enough protection against a cough. Especially in large formats, this is the best solution that will show its strength without sacrificing visibility. Usually cell cast, sometimes extruded.

• Extra Thick: Extreme situations call for extreme measures. Enter the thickest acrylic. We'll admit—this is overkill for office retrofits after COVID-19, and its benefits are better suited for high-impact applications. For most applications, look toward material under 1" thick. Mostly cell cast acrylic.

Features, Benefits, and Options

While you're evaluating your needs, consider some of the features and benefits that can be built into prefabricated sneeze guards:

• Pass-Through Windows: For reception areas and welcome desks, a pass-through window at the bottom makes transactions possible, giving room to pass pens and papers between the transparent barrier.

• Full-Body Panels: For valet stands, service areas, and other customer-facing, standing spaces, a full-body sneeze guard is totally transparent option that stands at employee height.

• Easy-Attach Feet: Often designed in a triangular shape with a slit down the middle, these feet slip onto a solid sheet of acrylic to get your shield upright instantly. Sometimes they're acrylic, sometimes they're wood, and sometimes they're a different material entirely.

• Aluminum or Metal Frames: Metal framing is an option for sneeze guards in all shapes and sizes. This frame adds durability to thinner sheets, enhances the aesthetic appeal, or finishes off sharp corners.

• Wraparound Designs: A sneeze guard with wraparound sides adds see-through security from every angle for all-over protection. Stand-alone reception areas benefit the most from these all-in-one solutions.

• Small Sizes: Find smaller tabletop dividers to suit conference tables, breakroom tables, or benched desking to add an easy barrier without limiting face-to-face visibility.

• Desktop Designs: There's an emerging trend in attachable privacy panels that clip onto existing cubicle panels or desking via brackets to provide see-through solutions for employees.

Ready to retrofit, reconfigure, or reinvent your office? NBF has the tools you need to get the job done. Visit our Return to Work Essentials page or call our sales team at 1-866-405-0112 to see how we can help you make a successful Return to Work.

It's not just a spaghetti-crusted microwave, uncleaned coffee maker, or crumby table anymore—breakrooms have become a whole new battleground in the fight against COVID-19. Unlike nearly every other area of the office, this leisurely space is where we're encouraged to step back from the day-to-day grind and take time to ourselves. Be it a quick chat between meetings, a casual lunch with a colleague, or a moment to breathe while the microwave whirs away, we tend to see the breakroom as a place full of positivity.

Food safety is a unique school of thought built into the fabric of service operations. However, these standards aren't often imposed in a corporate environment. Building off of best practices in hospitality as well as what we know to be protective against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the right steps can make the lunchroom, breakroom, lounge, café—whatever you may call it—as safe as any other area.

Add Signage

Maintaining a high-touch space comes down to a series of routine and repeated cleaning measures taken by everybody every time. To best communicate these policies and procedures, use a combination of different posted signage to keep all expectations transparent and highly visible.

This signage includes instructions on cleaning up after oneself, etiquette while using shared appliances, refrigerator cleaning measures, and other area-specific details. Standing sign holders, wall-mounted acrylics, and laminated printouts can be used in varying places, but make sure that any paper products are covered or laminated, as these are the hardest to clean.

Consider putting copies of other guides or instructions in a communal area, laminated and cleanable for everybody's safety. These pieces can serve as quick reading material while reinforcing the transparency and availability of all company communications.

Seating Arrangements

Capacity is the biggest hurdle in space planning for breakrooms and lunchrooms, and it affects everything. From the overall capacity of the space to the maximum seating of every table, determining these benchmarks puts everybody on the same page, communicating clear expectations for breakroom behavior.

Room Capacity

Overall, consider cutting your maximum capacity by at least half, including people standing around or preparing food. For larger companies, this might mean establishing lunch shifts to cut down on crowding. For others, this might involve converting other large spaces into temporary eating areas to allow more people to break at once.

Table Capacity

Space out tables with more than 6 feet between them while trying to maximize scenarios where employees are back-to-back. For each surface, cut the seating in half, turning 2-tops into singles, 4-tops into doubles, 8-tops into 4, etc., and make these changes known by removing excess chairs and tables from the space. Consider spacing booths out and turning tables lengthwise to create 2-person seating.

Stagger Seating

Even when dividers are being used, try to stagger seating to keep parties from sitting directly across from one another. While this isn't exactly possible on 2-tops, it is a working strategy for longer tables with higher capacity.

Remove Excess

As mentioned above, the only surefire way to scale back seating is to completely eliminate the ability to sit somewhere. Put excess chairs and tables in storage to dissuade anybody from pulling up a spare seat.

Add Barriers

Create physical barriers between people by placing acrylic table dividers between parties. From simple partitions or sneeze guards to innovative X-shaped dividers, these lightweight and easy-to-place solutions maintain visibility and allow people to stay social during their lunch hour. It's important to note that barriers should be of sufficient height, and social distancing measures should be maintained as best as possible.

An innovation that's been popping up in the hospitality industry has come from an unlikely source—the shower. Transparent shower curtains, hung from the ceiling, can serve as temporary barriers between tables and, in the right environment, can be nonintrusive and less awkward than sourcing large, standing-height acrylic partitions.

Cleaning Supplies 

To best clean up after eating, cleaning supplies must go beyond simple sanitary wipes. Place several cleaning caddies equipped with food-grade solvents and paper towels to encourage thorough cleanup. If possible, purchase pop-up dispensers for towels, as they reduce touchpoints on paper goods.

That's not to say that disinfecting wipes aren't a powerful tool in quick-touch areas, such as appliances, microwaves, refrigerators, vending machines, the sink, and any other space. Try to keep these goods in strategic places to encourage use but make it clear in signage and policy that a more effective solvent should be used to wipe down one's dining area after use.

Hand Hygiene

No matter what—wash your hands before you eat. Now more than ever, this step is absolutely necessary. Place appropriate signage indicating that hand sanitizer isn't totally adequate; direct employees to wash their hands before engaging with appliances, refrigerators, or any other breakroom supplies.

Single-Use Supplies

You use it? You lose it—in the trash, that is. Single-use items are preferred to commingled supplies and can remain beneficial even beyond return to work preparations:

• Individually-Wrapped Utensils: Seek out single-use forks, spoons, and knives; stay away from packages that combine all 3 to avoid waste.

• Single-Serve Condiments: Instead of shared supplies in the fridge or pumps of creamer on the counter, stick with prepackaged condiments and amenities. Many of these can also be shelf-stable.

• Napkins: To avoid cross-contamination, purchase napkin holders that only allow you to grab 1 at a time. Bonus: Dispensers with holders on the side can serve as a spot for quick tips or notes.

• Paper Dishes: Use paper plates, bowls, and cups to keep dirty dishes from piling up in the sink or dishwasher.

Try to maintain scarcity on all single-use items. By only putting out a small number of supplies at a time, the chances of contaminating an entire stack or bin of items become lower. Instead, replenish small amounts as needed.

All About Appliances

Refrigerators

Refrigerators are constantly in use and high in risk. Strategically-placed wipes can take care of touchpoints, but on the inside, lunch bags and food items are a more complicated situation. All employees should bring their lunches completely contained in a washable bag instead of disposable paper. Every night, all belongings should be taken home and washed accordingly.

While it's tempting to keep one's own salad dressing or condiments in the refrigerator, these should be prohibited. Replace truly communal goods with single-serve packaging that's ideally table stable. Without lunch bags or condiments, the refrigerator should be completely emptied at the end of each business day.

Small Appliances: Microwaves, Toasters, Toaster Ovens, Etc.

After refrigerators, small appliances are one of the highest communal-use items. Adequate spacing, ample signage, and plentiful cleaning supplies should be present between all small appliances, encouraging a complete wipe-down after every use. Provide these guidelines in area-appropriate signage.

For breakrooms with multiple microwaves, spread multiple stations for heating up food throughout the area. These spread-out spots reduce congestion and encourage individual wipe-downs between use. Providing a cleaning caddie at each station also increases access from tables in the area.

Coffee Makers

Outside of typical lunch hours, coffee makers see a lot of active use on a casual basis. Next to each coffee maker, provide hand sanitizer to use before use or small disinfecting wipes to keep handles and knobs clean. Routinely wipe down these touchpoints with stronger solvents.

If possible, have certain staff members approved to make communal coffee, ensuring they follow the proper procedures while cleaning the carafes between use. Thankfully, coffee is usually hot enough to discourage virus and bacterial growth in the final product, but this doesn't prevent the touchpoints from becoming contaminated.

Ice Machines

For the time being, shut off stand-alone ice makers and those that might be in communal refrigerators. Even when scoops are provided, these amenities are in proximity to hands and, consequently, mouths, creating unnecessary spread.

Vending Machines

Low-touch vending machines, when accompanied by disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizer, are low-risk and can tide employees over who may otherwise leave the building for snacks and beverages. As kiosk-based vending services become more popular, those become high-touch areas that don't have the same easy-to-clean properties as a contained system. Suspend these services in the interim and opt to resume their use at later phases of your return to work.

Water Fountains and Water Coolers

Compared to a faucet or a water jug, water fountains (or, as a Wisconsin company, we might say "bubblers" around NBF HQ) put faces in proximity to the water source. Prohibit their use as personal fountains and place disinfecting wipes nearby to encourage using them to fill water bottles or cups instead. As for jugs, these function similarly to coffee or hot water dispensers, requiring a small amount of touch that should be accompanied by a quick wipe.

Garbage Management

To keep germs at bay, opt for covered garbage cans that are either foot-operated or feature a restricted opening to reduce airflow. Conversely, a fully-covered can with a lifted lid can increase unnecessary touch. While aluminum holds the virus for a shorter time, maintaining adequate can and glass recycling management retains similar requirements. 

Paper, by its nature, is still heavily porous and should be treated carefully in recycling operations.

Manage Egress Points

As they are often large spaces, lunchrooms and breakrooms often have multiple points of egress, some of which might lead outside. To control traffic flow, limit the use of doors or implement in-and-out wayfinding for entry and exit. Remember, these points of egress exist for a reason, and doors should be marked clearly with signage but left unlocked in case of emergency.

Lounge Seating

Aside from paper, fabric is one of the most porous materials that can hold on to COVID-19 and other bacteria. Even antimicrobial coatings and water-resistant shields can't completely stop the spread of viruses, germs, and more. At the start of your return to work, eliminate any additional soft seating, such as couches or lounge chairs. While these can be gradually reintroduced, their lack of cleanability can prove problematic.

The Great Outdoors

If your organization has an outdoor patio, you're in luck—this added real estate provides the opportunity to add more well-spaced seating with a little bit of sunshine.

Follow the same guidelines as you would for indoor spaces—the great outdoors doesn't eliminate risk—but consider adding more single-person seating for relaxation and reflection. Whether it's a lounge chair or simple bench seat, ensure that these items are made from durable resin or another washable, nonporous plastic.

In today's world of small-space living and full households, it isn't the norm to have a dedicated home office. Especially for those who aren't planning on working remote for the long-haul, it's likely that your workspace is doing double-duty at least part-time. Not all "make it work" workspaces are created equal. As you find the perfect place for your WFH home base, consider the way that your physical area may impact your working hours.

You can't be the best employee, colleague, or teammate if you're not operating at 100%. Being self-aware of self-care is the first step to being a productive, reliable person in every aspect of life. Especially in the workplace, everybody's job is important for the success of the greater organization. Taking time to fine-tune yourself is key to everybody's collected success.