Whether you're trying to build morale among your employees or generate fresh, new ideas, getting co-workers across different departments together from time to time is the way to do it. Unfortunately, bringing everyone together is easier said than done. Too often co-workers get into the habit of only meeting with the people on their team or those who directly affect their output. To remedy this situation, employees at NBF recently implemented a new program called Study Hall Fridays.

Millennials are the present and future of business in the United States, currently compromising the largest portion of the American workforce at about one third. While the need for hiring employees between the ages of 18 and 34 is undeniable, employers are finding a noticeable shift in what it takes to not only get millennials through the door, but to keep them working for the business in the long term. Gone are the baby boomer days of sticking with one company for an individual's entire career, but if you want to attract and retain millennial talent for as long as possible, consider these options.

Yes, you can deduct office furniture from your taxes! That new office furniture you bought in 2017 is tax deductible per Section 179 of the IRS tax code. Whether you redesigned your workspace earlier this year or are thinking about sneaking in a makeover before 2018 hits, here's everything you need to know about writing off business furniture on your 2017 taxes.

How do I clean my desk? Not all office desks are created equal, and you'll need to take the construction of yours into account before you jump into a potentially harmful cleaning routine. Read on for our recommendations for keeping your desk looking like new year after year.

What is Active Seating? Active seating is a tool that allows you to move around while sitting. While you may have heard that sitting is the new smoking, what you may not know is that extended periods of standing also have their negative health effects. To combat this, we recommend keeping at least one type of active chair or stool at your desk to sit at when you aren’t standing or relaxing at work. Below you'll find some of the most popular types of active seating available.

When it comes to your private office, it's important to create an air of professionalism that employees and co-workers can respect while still incorporating your own personality into the space. Unfortunately, this feat often comes with a lofty price tag. Whether in a corporate corner office or in the comfort of your own home, here are some tips for getting the look you want in your private office for a price you can afford. 

Years ago, in a much different environment than I work in now, a coworker said, "We spend more time with each other at work than we do with our families— I'm glad I like you guys." How true, I thought. I still think so today, in my corporate office environment. Unless you work with your spouse or teach in the school that your children attend, it is likely that you spend more waking hours in close contact with coworkers than with your family. Same goes for your office furniture. Even if you sit in the same spot on the couch at home to put your socks on in the morning and watch a show or two before the news at night, you still can't top the number of hours you sit in your office chair or use your desk or filing cabinet.

Outfitting an office on a budget takes a lot of research and careful planning in order to secure the best deal while still getting what your business really needs. If it's a beautiful breakroom you're after, you'll be happy to learn that there are plenty of affordable options to choose from that will still leave your lunchroom looking sharp and professional. Read on to learn a little more about our recommendations for achieving an expensive look for less in your office's breakroom.

Looking for an office desk built for two? No matter if you and your spouse want to work in your home office together or you need to save space in your small business any way you can, an office desk for 2 is an ideal option. Below you'll find some of our newest and best-selling T-shaped desks and dual workstations that will help you maximize your space while allowing every employee to work comfortably.

Whether you refer to it as a benching system or open concept office furniture, this type of desking has its benefits and drawbacks. Take a look at some of the top pros and cons to office benching to find out if this solution could be right for your office.

If you’re constantly on the go, traveling and working in different places, you’ve probably been presented with the problem of how to work on your laptop in the car or in another unconventional place. Enter the Zepolla Innovations, LLC Utilishelf—your on-the-run desktop solution.

Office chairs can cause serious damage to carpets over time, and certain types of carpeting can make rolling around your workspace quite difficult. For these reasons, a chair mat is necessary, but not just any chair mat will do. Standard mats are made to be used on hard flooring, and this type of matting will slip and slide around when used over carpet. The solution? Low pile chair mats with grips for carpet.

Whether your business is moving to a new building or you’re starting from scratch with a new startup company, furnishing a new office space is no simple feat. It’s easy to underestimate the amount of work and time it takes to select, ship and assemble new cubicle systems and open concept workstations. Fortunately, there are fast and easy solutions that make the process much easier. Here are some of the benefits of ordering furniture from the Open Plan Systems Lightning collection.

Tired of dry erase boards that show the stains of every message its held before? Whether in a classroom or a conference room, whiteboards help relay notes and bring ideas to life. When writing on the board becomes impossible to read due to ghosting, dents and other damage, messages are lost and communication falls through. The solution? Glass markerboards.

If you’re working as a caretaker in a senior living or assisted living facility, then you’ve probably experienced the trials and errors that come with transporting residents from one place to another. Mealtimes and various leisurely activities often require scooting a resident’s chair from its pulled-out place into the table. But how do you safely transfer a resident with limited mobility from a wheelchair to a dining chair and then safely scoot that chair under the table without risking injury? That’s where the Comfor Tek Titan chairs come in handy.

You may be asking yourself, "How do I soundproof my office?" We recommend using either modular fabric partitions or wall-mounted acoustic tiles to dampen the sound in your workspace. Read on to learn more about the ways acoustic wall tiles can bring about peace and quiet in your office.

By now we've all heard that sitting is the new smoking, but staying active at work is easier said than done in most offices. After all, what can you do when you're chained to your desk for 40 hours a week? The answer is that there's a lot you can do, and these are just a few of the tools that can help.

Whether you've just moved to a new location or are making rapid increases to your company's staff, incorporating entire cubicles into an office in a fast and affordable manner is easier said than done. Each employee needs his or her own workstation, but with the high cost of most commercial grade furniture, it can be difficult to provide a complete work surface, storage unit, filing cabinet and privacy partitions without having to wait for an installer or paying a pretty penny to get the work done quickly. The solution? Meet the Officient Reveal Instant Office.

If you’re finding that your employee breakroom is underutilized, it could be because it’s seriously lacking an updated, modern look and the comforts of home that employees enjoy. Most employees spend their days staring at a computer screen, so when they take what is often their only break of the entire day, they want to be inspired, and that’s tough to do when you’re surrounded by blank walls and ugly furniture. Here are some things you can do to update your breakroom and boost employee morale.

The simple answer to this question is once every six months. Just like your car requires regular oil changes to keep it working its best, your office chair needs to have its screws tightened on a regular basis to keep it in tip-top condition and safe to use....

By now it’s fairly common knowledge that sitting at your desk for 40 hours a week isn’t doing your body any favors. So how can you make is easier to alternate between sitting and standing throughout your work day? The right standing desk could be just what you need.

Whether you’re an introvert by nature or you just need some peace and quiet to work on tedious projects from time to time, finding privacy in an open concept office is easier said than done. So how do you create a sense of privacy without building new walls in your office building?

Whether you’re an introvert by nature or you just need some peace and quiet to work on tedious projects from time to time, finding privacy in an open concept office is easier said than done. So how do you create a sense of privacy without building new walls in your office building?

Cold at work? There’s a reason for that. New studies show that most offices are devised to accommodate men, who often prefer colder temperatures at work. Fortunately, there’s an easy solution to this office conundrum—heated office chairs.

Large or small, training rooms need to have extra seating options nearby for the occasions when conferences need to house more people than usual. The problem? Storing additional chairs can be daunting since they can take up a lot of physical space in a room. Due to space constraints, many offices choose to simply not offer extra chairs for their training spaces, which can lead to standing-room-only situations in large conferences.

If you’re feeling discomfort in your back, neck or legs while you work, you probably have your office chair to blame. Good chair ergonomics are hugely important when it comes to your level of comfort at work, and the problem with that is that every person has different needs when it comes to keeping his or her body in the correct position as they sit. Although there is no one-size-fits-all solution to office chairs, ergonomic chairs that feature a lot of different adjustments come pretty close.

If you find yourself with your feet dangling off the ground or with not enough seat space to stay comfortable, it may be time for a different size office chair. Employees in most office settings are equipped with a standard size office chair which, to be fair, will accommodate the majority of people. But for those who do not fit within the realm of being 5’ 5” to 6’ 0” tall and weighing less than 250 pounds, it may be time for a new chair.

It’s a common misconception that office chairs come in a one-size-fits-all solution. On the contrary, task seating is designed to accommodate people of specific body types. Every individual is unique, so finding the correct chair for your body type is essential. Read on to determine what size chair will be best for you.

In short, the difference between standard, counter height and bar height tables is:

• Standard Table Height is 28” – 30”H
• Counter Height is 35” – 39”H
• Bar Height is 41” – 43”H




As you can see, standard table height is the shortest of the three followed by counter height and then bar height. There are a number of pros and cons to all three table sizes, and we know how tough it can be when you’re trying to decide! Here’s a quick snapshot of the differences to help you make the right choice before outfitting your business’s café or breakroom.




What is Standard Table Height?

Standard table height is 28” – 30”H. The biggest benefit to standard size tables is that they are the most common, meaning you’ll be able to find them in a much broader range of styles, sizes and price points. These tables accommodate standard size chairs, which are also available in a much wider range of styles for the same reason. Even if your breakroom isn’t entirely outfitted in standard height tables, there should be at least a couple of these options available for disabled employees to use.




View our selection of standard height tables here.





How Tall Are Counter Height Tables?

Counter height is 35” – 39”H. These taller options must be used with stools that have a seat height of 24” – 27” tall. Benefits of counter height tables and stools are that they can give a space the illusion of being less crowded. In addition, these types of tables are much easier for employees to stand at for a more casual dining experience.




View our selection of counter height tables here.





What is Bar Height?

Bar height is 41” – 43”H. Bar height tables are often confused with counter height tables, but bar height options are, in fact, taller. These tables must be used with stools that have a seat height of 28” – 33” tall. This is often the type of table and stool combination you will see at restaurants and bars, hence the namesake. Bar height tables are the most casual of the three options, and they are most often tall and skinny, making them ideal for small breakrooms and cafes.




View our selection of bar height tables here.





To learn more about how to use breakroom tables to create a breakroom getaway in your office, reach out to our furniture experts at (800) 558-1010, or request a live demonstration from our virtual showroom.



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How do I clean my desk? Not all office desks are created equal, and you'll need to take the construction of yours into account before you jump into a potentially harmful cleaning routine. Read on for our recommendations for keeping your desk looking like new year after year.