office matters

The 4 Office Personality Types – The Nice Guy/Girl

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The 4 Office Personality Types - The Nice Guy/Girl LondonOfficeSpace.com @officeinlondon

Continued from the Four Office Personality Types: The Fussy Perfectionist.

The Nice Guy or Girl is simply … well, nice! He or she is the one that welcomed you first when you started to work for the company, and who volunteered to show you around and tried to make you feel comfortable. You can spot the Nice Guy or Nice Girl a mile away, as their office desks are often decorated with pictures of peaceful landscapes and friendly family pictures. They might also be into yoga, massage, reiki, and every single alternative therapy that you know of (and some others that you don’t know of too). Nothing will make the Nice Guy or Girl happier than you accepting their invitation to join them in a yoga class. Seriously.

The Nice Guy or Girl speaks softly and tends to be an introvert, even though they talk to and try to get along with pretty much everyone. And here’s the thing: in most cases, the Nice Guy or Girl does not really want to do that, but he or she feels that they MUST. Nice Guys / Girls have a problem with conflict, and they will do absolutely everything that there is in their hands to avoid it. If that means being nice to co-workers whom they actually really hate, then so be it. What this means is that it is really difficult to get to know the real Nice Guy or Girl, as they are basically and essentially people pleasers. Continue reading “The 4 Office Personality Types – The Nice Guy/Girl” →

The 4 Office Personality Types – The Fussy Perfectionist

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The 4 Office Personality Types

Since most of us spend an average of 8 hours a day in the office and surrounded by our colleagues, it is not surprising that we end up getting to know their personalities pretty well. While most working relationships with office colleagues are pleasant enough, some days you just can’t wait to go home so that you do not have to deal with the quirks and eccentricities of your co-workers anymore. But as they say, knowledge is power, so by finding out more about the four most common personality types, you will be more prepared to deal with them. And who knows, maybe you even realise that you fit into one of these descriptions!

(Note: take these with a pinch of salt and with a lot of humour).

The Fussy Perfectionist

You surely know about this one: whether they have been working for the company for ages or have just been hired, they have a very particular way of doing things – and they insist that their way be respected! The Fussy Perfectionist usually prefers to work alone, probably because he / she really thinks that no one else would be up to the scratch. This office character has a strongly systematic personality, which extends to everything that crosses their path: from the office coffee machine (which has to dispense their preferred coffee just the way they want it – and don’t even dream about using their coffee mug or putting it away in a place other than its “designated” spot!), to their desks (which are invariably tidy and uncluttered).

You could say that the Fussy Perfectionist has some OCD-ish traits, and the most extreme cases will simply blow a gasket if anyone tries to “rearrange” their office space. The Fussy Perfectionist may have probably had a word with the cleaning staff, as there is nothing worse for this office character than coming back to work and finding that their computer screen is tilted a couple of degrees to the left, or that their strategically placed paper clip is no longer there!

Fussy Perfectionists are their own worst enemies and are highly critical of themselves, so avoid by all means questioning their work or the reasons why they do things in a particular way. Let’s put it this way: if you question their method, they will never forgive you. Continue reading “The 4 Office Personality Types – The Fussy Perfectionist” →

How to Declutter your Office

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How to Declutter your Office LondonOfficeSpace.com @officeinlondonGiven that on average we spend eight hours of our lives in the workplace, it is easy to understand why many of us try to give our office a personal touch. Objects like family pictures, your favourite mug, desk lamp accessories, and postcards from friends or relatives have become a common sight in many offices. However, it is also easy to see how an office can become cluttered in a very short time. In this article we take a look at the benefits of decluttering your workspace and we provide the best tips to declutter your office without having to sacrifice that personal touch that we all love.

The benefits of a decluttered office
There are several reasons why both managers and employees should seriously consider decluttering their workspace. The advantages go well beyond purely aesthetic reasons.

First of all, there are psychological factors involved. Whether at home or at work, when objects begin to pile up around you, chances are that you will end up feeling overwhelmed and disorganised. Efficiency and productivity can then be easily affected.

Moreover, a cluttered office gives a bad and unprofessional impression to clients and visitors, and more importantly, it could present some health and safety hazards and increase the chances of electrical fires or trips and falls.

By making an effort to declutter your office, you will feel lighter, more productive, and on top of things. A decluttering plan can save time and money and help increase productivity and efficiency in the workplace. So just how do you go about decluttering your workspace? Read on for some top tips.

Top tips for decluttering your office desk

When trying to declutter your desk, you might feel you don’t know where to start from. Your computer is a good starting point, as it is Continue reading “How to Declutter your Office” →

Time for a Cuppa… Having a Tea Break in the Office (Infographic)

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The British love tea but only four in ten office workers make a hot drink for more than one colleague every day in the UK. Are some of us ‘social tea drinkers’, prepared to sip tea just to get all the office gossip? As the International Tea Day – 15 December – is getting nearer, we at London Office Space decided to make ourselves a cup of tea (that’s how long it will take you to read through this tea infographic!) and get all the tea facts right. Fancy a cuppa?

It’s time for a cuppa… – An infographic by the team at London Office Space

Embed It’s time for a cuppa… on Your Site: Copy and Paste the Code Below

Video Conferencing Tips

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Video conferencing is becoming an ever more popular solution to connecting people in multiple locations by allowing the combination of both audio and visual interaction without the need to be in the same room. With rising fuel costs impacting travel expenses, video conferencing can not only be convenient and time efficient but can also reduce expenditure on conference rooms, car costs, airfares and entertainment. With more and more people, in both business and education, taking advantage of video conferencing, it looks likely this trend will continue to grow in popularity. Below are a few suggestions on how to make the most of video conferencing and ensure a good impression is made.

Be confident in using the system – perhaps the most important factor in video conferencing is being able to set up and manage the equipment you are using. Before going ‘live’ make sure you have researched and tested the system and are confident in its operation. Losing connection, changing a setting without realising or, worse still, not being able to rectify such a mistake could be disastrous. Continue reading “Video Conferencing Tips” →

How to Save Money on Your Office Energy Bills

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Maintaining a successful company and running an effective office within the current economic climate is challenging enough. Add to that the inevitable consistent rise in energy costs you may agree that now is a good time to think about implementing an energy saving strategy within your organisation. Successful focus on, and management of, making your office space more energy efficient does not only provide the benefits of becoming a greener organisation but the change can almost certainly make some positive adjustments to your balance sheets.

The quickest way to notice a difference in your electricity use is by adjusting your lighting set up. It is estimated that approximately 35% of electricity bills are made up of light associated costs and so replacing normal usage bulbs with energy efficient alternatives can make a significant impact on your energy consumption. Installing lighting and bulbs that operate at a lower current can increase efficiency by up to four times due to the more effective conversion of electricity to light as opposed to heat. Furthermore, encouraging your staff to turn lights off when not in use, or at least at the end of the day, can also save many kilowatts on a monthly basis. The installation of occupancy sensors may well be a worthy investment for areas such as toilets or rooms with limited use. Over time, this initial investment will be made back from the savings generated through keeping lights off when not required. Continue reading “How to Save Money on Your Office Energy Bills” →

Business Parking in London

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London is a bustling and innovative city, with thriving business industry across the majority of sectors. Most London residents make use of the vast public transport system to avoid traffic and congested streets. However, there are many businesses located within London that require the use of vehicles to operate. Additionally, London is also the centre for a lot of business from across the UK, resulting in an increased number of business visitors entering the city, often by car. With an estimated 200,000 cars driving in London everyday, there is high competition for finding the most convenient parking space. If you rely on a vehicle for your business, or are travelling to London on business and planning to drive, below is some useful advice on how best to plan, locate and obtain parking where you need it.

Parking schemes and permits for business users.

The vast majority of London council boroughs offer business parking permits which are available to businesses, based in restricted parking zones, that require parking for the essential day to day running of their business. Obtaining a business parking permit allows parking within residential parking zones and ‘shared use’ bays which usually require pay and display tickets and each business can usually apply for 2 permits. Continue reading “Business Parking in London” →

Central London’s Most Exclusive Offices

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If you are looking to locate your business in an exclusive area of London, then you will most definitely want to have a look at the Knightsbridge area, as this is one of the prime areas of London. London is an expensive place to relocate to any reason, including for your business needs but it is also the financial hub of the UK, so you will be making money back by being so close to all of the action in the business world.

There are few establishments that can compete with what the offices at 64 Knightsbridge have to offer. These amazing office spaces are located close to the green spaces of Hyde Park. The offices at 64 Knightsbridge have a beautiful old front to their building, adding to the appeal to the building, with a very modern feel to the interior. The building has a beautiful classical façade with a business centre that has modern artworks and the latest up to date business technology. The well equipped office spaces are of a very high standard, with meeting rooms, conference rooms and a large boardroom, everything that you will need to run your business to the high standard that is expected in this business capital.

These office spaces are also fully serviced, with all the supporting technology that you could possible want located onsite, including catering and also partner privileges at the five star Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park Hotel.

This exclusive centre is the perfect location for your business to be situated, as with such a prestigious location, it will be easy to impress potential and existing clients with the beautiful surroundings. You could take them for a walk through Hyde Park, to any of the fine dining establishments nearby or to the world famous Harrods store.

Notting Hill is also a very sought after location for the higher end of office location, which was of course made popular by the film of the same name. Ledbury Mews North is situated in the W11 area of London, close to Ledbury Road and Westbourne Grove. This office space is a beautiful example of a traditional mews and is in a nice and quiet location, being situated on a no through road which also has restricted parking, which also allows for easy loading and allows for temporary parking.

Regents Street in Mayfair is also one of the most desirable places to have you business located. There are offices available here to rent which have been recently renovated to the expected very high standard. The modern and highly equipped offices are situated in magnificent Grade 2 listed buildings. Rent available on these highly sought after offices can be paid for between 3 months and 5 years.

Additional information on commercial property, real estate, setting up your first office and renting versus buying office space.

Commercial Property Value in the UK Weakened in February

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The performance of commercial property in the UK weakened this February according to CBRE’s latest Monthly Index. Total returns for commercial property in the UK fell to 0.1% and capital values fell by 0.4%. The downturn in commercial property performance came in spite of the fact that Central London offices have seen an improvement, with returns up from January, from 0.3% up to 0.5%. The weakening of property valuations covered the three main commercial property market sectors, shopping centres, shops and offices located outside of the Central London area.

On a more positive note, Central London offices have seen renewed growth, which is responsible for offsetting the decline of most parts of the commercial property market. Central London office property values saw an increase of 0.1% for the month.

According to the CBRE’s February 2012 UK Monthly Index survey total returns on all property were 0.1% for the month, with capital values down 0.4%. The retail property market suffered the most in February, providing a return of -0.1%, while industrial property returned 0.4% and offices returned 0.2% overall. Office property values for the rest of the country fell to 0.9% in February.

Rental values showed an improvement over the previous month while retail centres, shops and shopping centres suffered weaker returns, at -0.3%.The report went on to say that a third of commercial property investors have said that London is the most attractive property investment in the EU, ahead of Warsaw by more than 20%.

According to the CBRE’s Senior Analyst, Nick Parker, foreign investors are continuing to target and focus on the UK, and London in particular. Mr Parker said “this was because foreign investors are less constrained by a tight domestic debt market.” He also stated ‘Combine this finding with a healthy skew of respondents who said they intend to increase their overall purchasing activity in 2012 compared to last year, and the picture for the commercial property markets in London and the UK looks quite positive.”

References: Property Magazine and CBRE