Whether it’s chairs, desks, office pods or meeting furniture, investing in good quality office furniture can have a highly positive influence on the wellbeing and output of your employees. Indeed, research has shown how great quality office furniture can boost employee productivity by up to 32%.
Providing comfortable, fit-for-purpose office seating is incredibly important; after all, desk-based full-time employees can spend up to a quarter of their lives in the office. At best, feeling uncomfortable in an ill-suited chair creates an unwelcome distraction and feeling of dissatisfaction. At worst, it can result in issues for your employees such as back, neck and shoulder problems. Indeed, employers have a legal obligation to provide DSE workstation assessments to ensure the comfort and safety of their staff.
Lismark supply a great range of ergonomic office chairs designed to be adjusted to actively support different body types. As well as offering seven adjustment options for the perfect fit for the body and positioning at the desk, the Solo Ergonomic Task Chair features five degrees of movement on the seat angle, inflatable lumbar support and a flexible section at the front of the seat to protect the back of the thighs.
While high end office furniture designed with ergonomics in mind may not always be the cheapest office furniture option, investing in it will always result in increased employee satisfaction – and, as a result, increased motivation. Not only that, it guards against the expensive productivity issue of long-term employee absence due to the work-related health problems that can arise from using inadequate office furniture.
In the modern office, which may be designed for hybrid working and hot-desking, nurturing employee satisfaction and productivity with high quality office furniture goes far beyond the desk and chair.
At Lismark, we provide a wide range of great quality office pods. Our solo office pods are perfect for uninterrupted work and private phone calls. Ideal for the flexible modern office, our acoustic Milli Work Pod features air ventilation, automatic lighting and power sockets as standard, as well as built-in castors, so it can easily be moved around as requirements change.
We all know the importance of taking regular screen breaks during the working day. However, research by Loughborough University and The University of Leicester found that standing while working actually increased productivity. Lismark supply a great range of sit stand desks, designed to give employees the choice of sitting or standing while they get on with the working day. We also supply high meeting tables such as the Advance Sit stand Meeting Table, which is designed to transform sluggish sit-down meetings into energetic exchanges.
The ability to take a break or move around is key to productivity, which is why it’s so important to provide alternative spaces for staff to regroup or get a fresh perspective. Soft furnishings provide a welcome alternative to official workspaces and office seating such as our Libby Sofa Range offer a comfortable and chic space for colleagues to catch up or provide an on-brand welcome for clients and guests.
Meeting pods are the chic and contemporary space-saving alternative to the traditional office meeting room and do a great job of empowering employees to focus on the collaborative task in hand. Lismark supply a great selection of meeting pods including the Bea Meeting Pod, which is available in hundreds of colourways and is able to accommodate between 2 and 6 people.
No one wants to work in a drab, dimly-lit environment, which is why making the most of your workspace with colour, light and modern and attractive office furniture has such an important role in motivating employees and increasing productivity. High quality furniture should always be prioritised over good looks in the office, but the two can happily coexist together. The sleek lines and curves of the Neon Mesh Back Task Chair are designed with users’ posture in mind, as well as contemporary good looks. Available in a wide range of seating fabrics, you can add a splash of colour to fit in with your brand décor theme too.
If you’re interested in finding out more about how you can increase happiness and productivity with office furniture, please get in touch with our experts. Our service begins with a visit to your premises to understand and advise on your exact requirements. Call us on 0116 251 7741 or fill in our contact form to find out more.
Our carefully selected Added Privacy Meeting Pods, are ideal for conversations and collaborations that need enhanced confidentiality. They allow you to offer confidential meeting spaces, which may be located in open-plan offices, reception spaces and breakout zones. Choose from five different meeting pods, in a wide variety of great colours, including fabrics made from recycled plastics.
The Bob Meeting Pod collection offers comfort and privacy in beautifully upholstered walls. The design, based on mobile devices, utilises large flat panels and soft rounded corners which not only look great but reduce and absorb sound. With a glass door wall on the front, the sound both outside to inside, and vice-versa, is reduced to a very feint, undecipherable mumble. Seating available for 2, 4 or 6 people.
Four-seater Bob Meeting Pod with a glass door
Sister to the Bob range, the Bea collection utilises simple clean lines and deep soft cushions, to create an extremely comfortable and homely range of dens. The pitched roof gives Bea height, adding to the office landscape. The Bea seats 2, 4 or 6 people.
A 4-seat Bea meeting pod with a glass door
The Bill collection is an angular range of fully upholstered dens. The minimal lines of the Bill collection create comfort and a focal point for any interior. Bill is a great destination to encourage both collaboration and private work. Available to seat 2, 4 or 6 people.
A six-seat Bill Meeting Pod with a glass door
For those looking for the ultimate in acoustic booths, with a even greater degree of privacy, the Jensen Hut provides the answer. It features a high acoustic surround, with the addition of a completely upholstered roof, to create a fully upholstered seating booth for 4 or 6 persons.
Jensen Hut Meeting Pod
Aura Meeting Pods are sound absorbing, upholstered booths, that focus on the philosophy of creating a calm and collected space to work and collaborate. Whether you want a breakout area for employees, a calming place of concentration or simply an area to communicate with integrated media and power facilities, Aura has a solution. Available as a 2, 4 or 6-seat meeting booth, it features a sliding glass door for a more privacy.
Aura meeting pod
To find out more about our added privacy meeting pods, simply give us a call on 0116 251 7741, or fill out this form , and we will be in touch by email. If you would like a quote, fill out this form and let us know which models you like.
Here is a snapshot of the office furniture we have been selling, delivering and installing over the past few months. As well as desks and chairs, we have also seen an increase in demand for phone booths and meeting pods. Thank you to all our customers for their business.
Phone booths have really taken off in popularity during 2022. Shown here are our best-selling Penelope Phone Booths, upholstered in Agua Tones Rust fabric. These were installed in a co-working space in November 2022. The booths have lighting, ventilation and power sockets.
Privacy in the workplace has been another big theme this year. We installed two Jensen-Up Meeting Booths side-by-side in a company in High Wycombe. They are situated in a breakout zone, so can be used for meetings, private phone calls or just as a private place to relax.
People are moving away from traditional desk colours like Beech and White with Silver legs. These DNA bench desks have been specified in Forest Oak with Black frames. The Forest Oak finish is unusual as it has a ‘rougher’ texture than traditional desk finishes.
If we have tickled your fancy for some new, different furniture. please get in touch. Call us on 0116 251 7741 or fill out this quick form and we will be in touch.
Hot-desking is becoming more and more popular with businesses looking for space-saving solutions as they embrace new patterns of working. Done right, switching to a flexible office can bring fantastic benefits in terms of productivity and cost-effectiveness. But before taking the plunge, it’s important to consider various common pitfalls, which can be avoided with a bit of careful planning.
Most hot offices are designed to encourage a spirit of flexible collaboration, but this shouldn’t come at the expense of providing places for staff to work in privacy when they need to focus on a demanding task or have a confidential conversation. Privacy pods for offices provide a perfect solution to this issue. At Lismark we supply a great range of office pods for a variety of tastes and budgets with the following features:
Gone are the days when a personal landline was a key requirement for every team member, but although much of our business is conducted online these days, it’s still important to provide a space for employees to conduct phone and video calls, particularly if they are confidential, lengthy or require deep levels of concentration. Installing office phone booth pods means your staff can concentrate on conversations without having to worry about background noise or other distractions. Our phone booths offer:
As humans, we can be creatures of habit, which is why some people can initially be resistant to the idea of making the switch to hot-desking.
Not only that, in these offices, some people can still become attached to a particular desk, which can defeat the purpose of transitioning to a flexible workspace.
This type of issue can be mitigated by careful planning of the office layout to ensure that while there will always be desks people prefer for a variety of reasons, there is no one ‘bad’ workstation that everyone wants to avoid. Choosing the same standard of high-quality furniture for every workstation will also ensure every employee feels valued and content, wherever they end up working on any given day.
Our great range of bench desks, including the Martin Bench Desk, are a great option for the modern office. Not only do they provide a change from the traditional metal-legged office desk with their stylish solid timber leg frames, their intermediary legs mean they offer the option to grow with your team as they do the job of both a collaborative worktable and a solo workstation.
Although team members won’t sit in the same place every day, it’s still important to foster a sense of belonging in the workplace. This can be achieved by providing breakout areas for staff to socialise, take breaks and collaborate informally. An inviting and contemporary feel can be created by using soft furnishings like our stylish and contemporary Walter Sofa range.
When a more private setting is required for meetings, a meeting table is a must. Our Martin High Meeting Table creates a collaborative and contemporary atmosphere that blends seamlessly with the hot-desking environment. Or if space is an issue, why not create a striking statement with a meeting pod? Most of the meeting pods we supply, such as the stylish Brix-Up Meeting Pod are available in two, four or six-person configurations, and if you need a bigger meeting pod, take a look at our showstopping Ben Den meeting pod.
Here at Lismark we use our expertise in office design and furniture to create the perfect workspace for your business, starting with a visit to your premises to advise on what will work best for your space. To find out more, please call us on 0116 251 7741 or email sales@lismark.co.uk.
Open-plan offices have become the norm in the UK and worldwide, and although they facilitate collaboration and communication, they can sometimes raise questions about privacy and the ability to have sensitive conversations.
Luckily, there are some simple ways to create privacy for employees in open-plan office environments, without losing the benefits of ease of movement, versatile seating plans and flexibility for individuals who only work from the office for some of the time.
Here are some of the best ways to create privacy for employees at their desk, in ad hoc meetings and when making private phone calls.
Office pods give you instant privacy by enclosing a desk or meeting space with acoustic shields. This reduces the transmission of sound to the surrounding area and provides a visual barrier to passers-by too.
Work pods and booths have other benefits too. As well as protecting privacy, they can give workers the space they need to concentrate on a challenging or time-consuming task. Employees face fewer distractions than in a large open-plan space, ensuring productivity and the quality of their work are optimised.
Acoustic pods are not just for individual workstations. They can also provide a shielded area in which groups of colleagues can meet to discuss projects, problems, or anything else that needs their attention.
Depending on the size of your team, you might want to consider installing larger meeting pods. These can accommodate groups – in the case of Magna Extra Large Meeting Pods, up to eight people at a time – while serving as comfortable breakout spaces when not in use for meetings.
Office phone booths are a fantastic way to allow private phone calls to take place without the risk of eavesdropping. That’s not to say that any of your employees would listen in intentionally, but keeping calls separate from the rest of your office is a sensible precaution.
Modern office phone booths don’t have to be boxy. Even a low acoustic surround can shield conversations from people nearby, such as on our Brix 61 Solo Work Booth. It’s all about meeting the needs of your workforce, while providing them with comfortable, usable spaces for private discussions and phone calls.
You might not need 100% privacy or total soundproofing in order to reduce the risk of calls and conversations being overheard. High-back sofas are a great way to break up the transmission of sound, without completely enclosing your employees.
If you prefer to leave your acoustic pods open to the rest of the office, you might want to place them slightly further away from the busiest areas, where there is less chance of individuals in either area disturbing their colleagues.
You might not need 360-degree privacy. In some cases, it can be appropriate for a meeting booth to open on to the team’s work area, while being shielded from the rest of the office for security reasons, or just to avoid distracting co-workers.
Meeting pods with an acoustic surround can be orientated to provide maximum privacy in the desired direction, with ease of access to the seating area they serve, creating a best of both worlds solution in busy offices.
Our work pods and booths are designed to be as versatile as possible, with comfortable seating, optional mains electricity outlets and a range of built-in desks to choose from. All of this adds up to privacy with flexibility for your entire workforce.
Why does this matter? It gives your employees and managers options. Conversations can take place in surroundings that meet the privacy needs on the day. If a discussion is more sensitive, it can move inside a fully enclosed acoustic pod. This means you can rest assured that you have catered for your workforce privacy needs.
Even open-plan offices don’t have unlimited space, but with compact meeting pods and office phone booths available, you can create clearly defined private spaces in even the smallest offices.
Traditional square-footprint booths with straight vertical sides are among the most space-saving and standing phone booths work well as part of the modern sit stand office trend, allowing employees to stretch their legs while on a call.
Performance acoustic insulation materials mean pods and booths can be placed close to each other, with little to no audio leakage between adjacent pods, depending on which booth design you choose.
To find out more about any of our acoustic pods, work booths, meeting pods and office phone booths, please get in touch today and we will be happy to discuss your privacy needs.
Choosing good quality office furniture is fundamental in creating a comfortable and productive workplace. However, knowing how to place office furniture is also important to showcase the furniture and give your employees an office interior layout that works well for them.
A well-organised office makes it easier to move around, to store and retrieve important documents and to work without feeling uncomfortable or developing repetitive strain injuries.
Here are five top tips for how to place office furniture in a way that’s pleasant to look at, comfortable to work within, and maximises productivity and output throughout the working day.
Where not to place office furniture is just as important as where to place it. Open space is crucial to allow employees to move around, for safety in an emergency, and to give everyone a sense of comfort and spaciousness.
Keep entrances clear and avoid clustering large, heavy furniture such as floor-to-ceiling storage cabinets, in one part of the office. By dotting them around, you prevent any one area from feeling overly cluttered, and give everyone easier access to storage nearby.
Natural light can help offices to feel more spacious. In areas well away from windows, give employees a choice of bright overhead lighting and controllable task lighting, so they can give their eyes a rest over the course of the day.
You want your office layout to feel balanced, so extend the tip above to include the visual impact of different items of office furniture. Try to have roughly equal numbers of cabinets, cupboards, desks and shelves in different areas.
If you can’t balance items exactly, it’s not the end of the world. However, you may still be able to achieve a more balanced aesthetic, for example by placing a clock, notice board or wall art flat against one wall, to match the visual of a deeper piece of furniture placed elsewhere.
High-quality office furniture is designed to look great, as well as to be ergonomic during use, so choose some statement pieces and make them focal anchor points for your overall office interior design.
Office environments are rarely static for long, so be ready to reconfigure your office furniture layout to accommodate changes in team size, management hierarchy, or anything else that affects where your employees and line managers need to sit and work.
Modular office furniture is a fantastic way to achieve this. Just add more segments to modular seating to extend it, or to add a different configuration of arm rests and side tables. Modular office sofas can have optional back rests, or can be bench-style to allow seating access from both sides.
By using modular office furniture, you can create comfortable breakout areas, divide larger spaces into smaller ‘virtual’ rooms, and make the best use of open-plan office floors without having to put up any stud walls or temporary partitions.
Although open space can make offices feel comfortable and healthy, sometimes employees need privacy, whether that’s to discuss confidential business, or just a personal desire to work away from the noise and hubbub of the rest of the office.
If your office layout is dominated by open-plan or you’re still deciding how to arrange office furniture in a new workplace or refurbishment, consider whether private work booths could be the key to your office productivity.
Private work booths and individual office pods create cubicle-style spaces for employees to work in privacy and confidentiality and can be conducive to productivity when individuals need to focus on demanding or time-consuming tasks.
Not all of your workstations need to be assigned to a designated individual. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, more offices are allowing employees to work flexibly, and even when the pandemic is no longer a health concern, remote working can save on overheads and keep employees happy by reducing the daily commute.
Modular office furniture is again a great way to make sure you still give everyone the workspace they need, with comfortable hotdesking areas that can adapt to the changing nature of your flexible workforce in the years ahead.
Give your employees good quality office furniture and they will feel valued, even when they do not have an assigned workstation of their own. When you factor in the added bonus of reducing your office operating costs and capitalising on the positive lessons learned over the past few years, it’s a no-brainer.
The landscape of the office has changed dramatically over the past few years. In the wake of the pandemic, many employers are now offering flexible working solutions and opting for hot desking and open plan layouts in place of traditional office setups.
But what does this new style of working mean for productivity? A recent study found that one in three workers feel distractions and noise from open work spaces hinder their productivity, while one in six say it has a negative effect on creativity as well.
Privacy is also a major factor to consider. Some studies suggest the lack of personal space and privacy can cause a slump in communication, collaboration, and productivity in the open-plan office.
So how can employers combat the downsides of the open plan office? Providing private work booths or individual office pods for employees to retreat to could be the answer.
When it comes to furnishing offices, one size does not fit all, so luckily there is a wide choice of options when it comes to providing flexible, modern and attractive individual office pods for your employees.
Many individual work booths come in the form of desk booths, which give employees everything they need for a peaceful atmosphere to concentrate on the task in hand in private and without the passing distractions that working in an open plan office inevitably brings.
As well as built-in desks, many workstation pods come with electric sockets and lighting as well as comfortable seating designed with long periods of work in mind.
No workstation pod will provide sound proofing but most will provide a degree of noise reduction, depending on the design, as well as keeping some sound in, using materials such as sound dampening foam to reduce ambient noise. Also, the privacy and screening provided by work booths mean most workers find it easier to zone out from any sounds around them than they would if they were sitting at an open plan desk where they can also see the source of noise.
For increased peace and quiet and privacy, acoustic pods and office phone booths work well alongside your work pods for times when significant noise reduction or complete confidentiality is required.
Good quality work pods always come with the high standards of design you would expect in terms of durability and style. Due to the robustness of our commercial grade work pods, we carry out installation in your location, however they can be relocated at a later date with careful handling.
Our work pods are available in a huge range of fabrics and colours, meaning making an on-brand style statement is easy whether that involves the palest of pastels to boldest of primary colours.
The end result is a high-quality style statement that will enhance employee happiness in the workplace as well as their productivity.
When opting for a work pod with a built-in chair, it’s important to ensure the seating provided is contract grade and provides safe and supportive seating for a variety of users to work in comfort.
Equally, when choosing chairs for pods without seating, it’s crucial to opt for an easily adjustable and supportive chair to maintain employees’ wellbeing.
While a high-quality office pod will always involve a financial investment, it will pay dividends in terms of longevity and the flexibility it adds to the working environment. Not only that, the increase in employee productivity that providing this kind of space results in, will also save the business money in the long term.
Lismark offer a wide range of work pods and booths with options for any office space. Get in touch today to request a brochure or speak to our experts about finding the perfect work pod for you.
Noise disruptions, lack of privacy and low productivity are problems encountered in many workplaces. The acoustic pod, otherwise known as the privacy pod or meeting pod, is becoming more common in the office to rectify problems like this.
Acoustic pods give employees the opportunity to meet and work in a comfortable area without distractions. We’ve rounded up a few scenarios when having an acoustic pod in the office is the perfect solution.
BRIX-UP Meeting Pod
A meeting pod is ideal for getting together with visitors. This kind of pod can be placed anywhere that you have the space available including reception areas, breakout spaces, and even corridors if they are wide enough. Not only does this mean that guests don’t need to walk through your offices to get to meeting rooms, it also provides a more informal setting.
Zen Meeting Pod
A meeting pod with high acoustic sides and back panels can block out noise from the surroundings as well as keeping your conversations private. Whilst they won’t eliminate sound completely (so should not be used for confidential meetings) pods certainly provide more privacy than the open office. Fitted with a table, they are ideal for an informal, relaxed one-to-one catch up.
Magna Meeting Pod
With video meetings becoming the new normal, having a quiet and professional-looking space to conduct them is a must. Fitted with a wall-mounted monitor and a webcam, a meeting pod is ideal for video meetings. Not only does a pod provide privacy, but it also means your meeting will be less disruptive to those working around you.
It’s frustrating, when you want to have an impromptu get-together with colleagues or visitors but all the meeting rooms are occupied. If you have a meeting pod available you can just pop in there and fire away. Some of our meeting pods can take up to six people, making them perfect for that spontaneous team brainstorming session!
Need to get away from the buzz of the office to concentrate on a special project? Take your laptop, mobile or tablet and get yourself to a meeting pod. The acoustic sides cut through the noise and allow you to concentrate on the task in hand. You can also pair many acoustic pods with either a desk or a standalone laptop table, so working is comfortable and ergonomic.
With many companies choosing to be more flexible regarding when employees are needed in the office, we may be entering a time when having a fixed desk for every team member is not necessary. Acoustic pods work well as a desk option for staff who may just be dropping by the office to work for a short period. They can also work well as a meeting spot for teams who may no longer be sitting together on a regular basis.
Cavern 4-seater meeting pod, beech exterior, blue interior & white table
Whether you require an acoustic pod for meetings or as a quiet workspace for your employees, Lismark has a range of acoustic pods to help. We can also spread the cost over 3 years to make your purchase easier.
Ready to add acoustic pods to your office? Browse our full range of acoustic pods or give us a call on 0116 251 7741 to find out how our furniture specialists can help.
Jensen-Up Meeting Pod
Mark Brown is an expert in office furniture and design and has spent over a decade offering organisations advice on setting up office spaces to enhance productivity. Mark is the owner of Lismark Office Products, a high-quality Leicester based office furniture supplier.
The trend towards more open plan workspaces has led to a number of innovations, ranging from sit stand meeting tables and high meeting tables, to work pods and meeting pods.
Lismark supplies the meeting pods and meeting room furniture Leicester businesses need to create contemporary, productivity-enhancing office interiors, with a mix of open-plan and private areas.
In this article we’ll take a look at meeting rooms vs meeting pods, the advantages of each, and how you can choose which is best suited to your needs.
Office meeting pods are an increasingly popular modern alternative to a traditional meeting room.
Instead of four solid walls, meeting pods are freestanding and self-contained, taking the form of a high-sided meeting booth or hut, with or without a roof or other canopy.
Meeting room pods can also include essential features like mounting brackets for TVs and digital displays, USB sockets for charging mobile devices and mains power sockets.
The 21st century concept of a meeting room is not necessarily the cramped, dusty side room that rarely gets used.
In contemporary offices, meeting rooms provide a dynamic breakout space for informal chats, brainstorming sessions, interviews and training sessions, as well as a private place for confidential conversations to be held.
Meeting room furniture has evolved too and high meeting tables allow discussions to take place standing up, while sit stand meeting tables can be easily adjusted to different heights.
This helps modern meeting room furniture to support dynamic discussions and debates, and is also good for reducing the risk of musculoskeletal problems caused by sitting in low chairs for long periods of time.
Meeting pods are a modern and flexible way to create enclosed seating areas for 1-8 people within an open plan workplace.
They offer the best of both worlds, with enough separation to discuss confidential subjects when necessary, but without the seclusion of being fully walled off from the rest of the office.
Meeting room pods can be used for individuals to work without distractions, for face-to-face meetings between two people, or for larger groups of four, six or eight people.
Pods are fast and easy to assemble – Lismark will take care of this for you as part of our delivery service. They can also be dismantled and moved if you outgrow your premises and need to relocate at a later date.
Meeting rooms have their own benefits – the most obvious being that they are a completely separate area where discussions can take place, literally behind closed doors.
Contemporary meeting room furniture combines seamlessly with light, airy interior design to make modern meeting rooms feel more like breakout rooms than the stuffy, formal cupboards they once were.
A closed door sends a clear ‘do not disturb’ message to those outside and can even be locked during high-value meetings that must not be broken up prematurely.
When choosing between meeting rooms and meeting pods, it comes down to a combination of what you need from the space, how it will fit into your wider premises, and sometimes a simple question of personal preference.
If your premises already has side rooms, then equipping these with ergonomic meeting room furniture like sit stand meeting tables is a good way to make use of your real estate.
However, if you’re furnishing a large open plan area, office meeting pods are a modern alternative that avoid more permanent construction work, while creating inspiring spaces for private conversations and collaboration.
Lismark offers a wide range of office meeting pods in a variety of sizes and styles, as well as modern meeting room furniture including sit stand meeting tables and high meeting tables.
Please contact us here or call 0116 251 7741 with any questions about any of our products, or to request a brochure of our complete range of contemporary office furniture.
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