How To Create The Perfect Ergonomic Set Up

With office workers spending more time at their desk than anywhere else in the workplace it is important that the design and arrangement is suited to the user and the work they perform. By providing the right equipment that is easily adjustable, you reduce the risk of ergonomic-related injury and promote employee health and wellbeing.

Here are a few tips on setting up your workstation correctly:

• An office chair should be chosen based on the ability for a user to interact comfortably with their work environment. Sitting with your knees at a 90 degree angle with your feet flat on the floor or supported by footrest, leaving a gap of 2cm between the back of your knees and the chair and raising or lowering the back of the chair so it provides maximum lower back support ensures the best ergonomic seat is created.

• Your desk should allow room for all necessary equipment to be used comfortably without the need to continuously bend and twist your body. Many workplaces are integrating height adjustable desks to allow more flexibility in sit/standing positions to promote productivity and assist in a healthy ergonomic environment.

• Your keyboard should approximately be at elbow level with your mouse close to maintain a straight, neutral wrist posture. Position both so your arms rest comfortably at your sides or elevating your chair to meet this angle relieves pressure on your wrists and fingers.

• Position the keyboard and mouse directly in front of you and the monitor. The top of the screen should be just below eye level and titled to minimise the glare. Adding monitor arms allows for more flexibility in movement to ensure the correct ergonomic position is established.

Krost Presents Gold Medal Award To Sandy & Peter Geyer at The 2018 IDEA Awards

We were honoured to present Sandy & Peter Geyer, the founders of Geyer Design with the prestigious Gold Medal Award at the 2018 Interior Design Excellence Awards on Friday.

Over the past 40 years Sandy & Peter have made their mark on the A&D industry. The couple noted that their legacy is helping people to realise that interior design isn't just superficial application but rather a a change in the way companies operate - “Design can and does enhance a persons experience. It's everything, it's how we live and how we should live.”

The gold medal is the most prestigious award at the IDEA Awards, and is given in recognition of those practitioners who have made an influential and enduring contribution to Australian design culture over the course of a career.

Congratulations to Sandy and Peter and all of the IDEA nominees. It was a for pleasure for Krost to be the Gold Medal Sponsor of the event.

The IDEA Awards Countdown is On

It’s just a few more days until the highly anticipated Interior Design Excellence Awards 2018.

As the official Gold Medal sponsor we look forward to the awards presentation this Friday where we’ll announce who will take out the prestigious gold medal award!

We 're delighted to support this event and can't wait to find out who will collect the IDEA Gold Medal for 2018.

How to Plan the Perfect Reception Area

A reception area is the first thing a client sees when they walk into a business. On their first visit, it is an excellent opportunity to make a positive impression. With a shift in the traditional corporate environment, knowing your brand and message you want to convey to customers is important to determine which style of reception area is suitable for your workspace.

Here are 3 tips on how to design the perfect reception area:

1. Seating: Depending on the business, picking the right style of waiting chair is important to ensure clients are comfortable. For a more relaxed and welcoming environment, lounges like our Maya paired with a coffee table create a friendly and open atmosphere. For more formal reception areas like medical centers, factors to carefully consider include: quantity, dimensions, chairs for all types of people and materials to suit clients expectations.
   

2. Reception Desk: As the main focal point of your reception area, the counter should resonate with the culture and aesthetic of the business. Investing in a creative design with brand-specific artwork assists in shaping a company's identity. Knowing the practicality of your counter is important in determining what equipment you need to allow for.  If using computers, it may need to be obscured with a raised counter, like our Central which has the option of full or partial sides for more privacy.
   

3. A Welcoming Atmosphere: A reception areas furniture is extremely important, but the guests experience should be seamless in every aspect. Small touches of comfort to incorporate into your waiting area include: offering coffee or refreshments, reading materials to keep clients entertained, granting wifi access or a mounted television if suitable. Small gestures like the above make clients feel welcome and important.

Carefully planning your reception area ensures clients indulge in the ultimate front of house experience. By making sure it is comfortable, spacious, welcoming and aligned to your brand, it will turn a one time visitor into a regular.  

15 Fundamental Office Etiquette Tips

Office etiquette and professionalism in the workplace are crucial to every company’s success. Here are some essential tips to ensure your workplace remains a productive and pleasurable one:

1. Keep noise and distractions to a minimum - Loud voices and noises easily distract other people in the office, so unless everyone needs to know what you are talking about you should try to reduce your noise output.

2. Be punctual - Be on time to your meetings and if you are going to be late ensure you let people know in advance.

3. Be aware of odours - Eat lunch in the lunchroom/ avoid eating smelly food at your desk.

4. Clean up after yourself - keep your desk tidy and ensure that others don’t have to clean up after you, throw your rubbish away, clean your dishes and don’t let food go off in the fridge.

5. Keep personal phones on silent - and avoid distractions by responding to non urgent personal texts and calls on your lunch break.

6. Respond to emails - Acknowledge colleagues emails in a timely manner, good communication is key to a thriving workplace.

7. Think before hitting reply all - Consider whether everyone in the thread needs to see your response before sending your emails.

8. Use headphones sparingly - Be apart of the team rather than shutting them out, not responding to colleagues because you can’t hear them can be frustrating to others.

9. Don’t block the elevator door - If the elevator is full and others are trying to get out, step out and let them out, then step back in.

10. Be positive - If you are disengaged don’t bring others down with you, refrain from speaking negatively about your work to others.

11.  Don’t use speaker phone - Don’t play your voicemails or have conversations on loudspeaker for the entire office to hear.

12.  Give your undivided attention in meetings - Avoid being distracted by your phone or engaging in conversations with others whilst the main speaker is talking.

13. Share the credit - If you worked on a project with another team member ensure that they are also recognised for their efforts.

14. Present yourself appropriately - Dress for success! Ensure that your attire and personal grooming are appropriate for your workspace.

15. Knock first - Don't barge into an office without first knocking ór asking if you can enter.

3 Ways to Quieten The Workplace

The modern office has an enthusiasm for open workplaces. They are great at fostering collaboration and communication. However, the need for quiet spaces in an office design has increased to cater to all employee needs and wellbeing.

Here are 3 tips on how to create quiet spaces in your office:

1. Unassigned or Enclosed rooms:
   Designing an office with designated quiet spaces allows employees to make phone calls, hold meetings and escape office chatter without distraction. Quiet rooms should be open and uncluttered with minimal furniture to enhance focus and productivity. Integrating glass doors also creates privacy while maintaining visibility.
   

2. Furniture To Define Spaces:
   If structural changes are not an option, using furniture to mimic the feel a of a private office can have the same benefits. Products like high back and side lounges such as the Benj or Hush paired with a small table creates an ancillary area as an alternative to an employee's primary workspace.
   

3. Walls or Dividers
   Creating boundaries using walls or dividers within the open office defines private and focused individual spaces. Freestanding screens such as the Scape or Local screen allow employees to adjust their work setting to suit their needs without disrupting the overall design of the office. Walls and privacy screens maximise the potential of a space, absorb the cacophony and create a quiet havens

How To Maximise Space In A Small Office

When working in a relatively small space, you have to think big in terms of design and creative techniques to ensure a healthy and ergonomic environment is established.

Small scale offices can be discouraging and hinder productivity if the space is not maximised to its full potential.

Here are 5 tips to implement into your small office:

1. Pick The Right Furniture: Switch to slim streamlined furniture to visually and physically create more space. By measuring your office, workstations and desks can be customised to size to ensure every need is met. Define areas or zones within a small office by amalgamating workstations with partitions to avoid disturbing the flow of the space and feeling boxed in.

2. Choose a Layout For Your Function: Assess the space by measuring the dimensions of each room to to work out the limitations and best configuration. Collaborate with one of our sales executives for a free on site consultation.

3. Smart Storage: Think vertically in storage by incorporating wall mounted shelves and cupboards into the office to alleviate floor space. Custom-made storage considers your spatial requirements and are manufactured to fit the office’s proportions perfectly. For non-invasive storage, under desk drawers and pedestals utilises ordinarily wasted space. Alternate storage solutions include our Trak System which allows for storage boxes to be mounted above desk - eliminating clutter.

4. Switch To Digital: In an age where cloud based computing has become integrated into most businesses, storing documents and files in hard form has become less relied upon. This reduces the amount of large filing systems needed which take up office space. Limiting the use of paper also decreases clutter, aiding in a smooth and productive workplace.

5. Decorate To Your Advantage: The way an office is decorated can have a big impact on how small the space will feel. By keeping decorations to a minimum allows surfaces to be used to a maximum. Avoid dark colours and busy prints and incorporate light and neutral tones to create a sense of space. With a trend in office plants, introducing greenery alludes to a bigger office while also adding character. As mentioned above our Trak System also allows for planter boxes to be mounted above workstations for a simple and minimal solution to decorate.  

THE IMPORTANCE OF ACOUSTICS IN AN OPEN OFFICE

With a shift from traditional cubicle style workstations to open plan offices, workplace acoustics should not be overlooked. Without acoustics barriers the energy of conversations, phones and keyboard click are amplified, which can lead to a decrease in productivity due to distractions.

Here are a 4 products that will help with the acoustics in your office:

1. Workstation Screens:
   Research has shown placing absorptive materials as close as possible to the noise source is most effective. Our Screenwork, Trak, Vast and Local screens are all partition systems which fit to workstations to assist in the reduction of noise reverberations.  Available in a number of sizes and heights, there is a screen to suit every business.

2. Partitions:
   Dividing areas with portable partitions allows offices to split space and section off noisier environments. Our Local and Scape screens are a simple, non-invasive solution to the issue of acoustics. Both screens feature an internal steel frame for added stability and can be inserted into any contemporary context.

3. Mitesco System:
   From acoustic screens and in ceiling panels to phone pods, the Mitesco range makes it possible to meet various acoustic exigencies. Made entirely of polyester which has excellent absorbent qualities, it is then bonded to the inner wadding forming a single body without a break. The screens and ceiling panels can be mounted to the wall or ceiling to absorb further sound.

4. High Lounges:
   Creating spaces specifically for privacy and louder conversations can also assist in reducing noise in the office. Our Hush and Benj lounges feature high backs with high density padding to absorb sound. Doubling as a collaborative space or privacy area, both lounges are a perfect acoustic solution.

KROST CELEBRATES JEANS FOR GENES DAY

On Friday the 3rd August, the Krost team hosted a Jeans for Genes Day luncheon with every team member wearing their jeans and donating money to support genetic research.  

This year marks the causes 25th anniversary and every dollar raised helps scientists at the Children's Medical Research Institute discover treatments and cures to fight genetic diseases

Free Delivery on All Sydney & Melbourne Orders!

We’re excited to announce that we are now offering free delivery for orders of any value to Sydney and Melbourne metro areas.  

Visit our store for all our quick ship items or contact us to make your order today!

*Delivery charges for locations outside these areas will be calculated at checkout

WALK THIS WAY, TALK THIS WAY

With the average worker spending up to 9 hours a day at their desk, research has found integrating walking meetings into your work culture can have huge health benefits and increase efficiency. Here are a few reasons why your office should make the change:

1. Employee Health:
   Walking meetings allow employees to unplug, energise and introduce physical activity into their daily routine, reducing the health consequences of sitting all day. Studies suggest 30 minutes a day of walking can have a significant impact, so why not carry it out with ordinary meetings?

2. Increased Collaboration:
   Moving away from the more traditional setting of a conference room breaks down the organisational hierarchy of roles and promotes free thinking. Walking side by side or in a group reinforces teamwork, supporting cognitive engagement and focus.

3. Improves Creativity:
   Research suggests nature and changes of scenery promotes divergent thinking for employees. Different environments can inspire new ideas and problem solving, not only on the walk but also afterwards.  

The rise in a sedentary lifestyle has led to workers becoming conscious of their health.  By replacing time spent at their desk with more active exercises, physical and mental wellbeing will improve. While not all meetings are suitable to be taken outside, knowing your intention or goal for the outcome will help determine whether it is appropriate for you or not.

5 Tips to Create Sustainable Workplaces

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle has been embedded into our society to manage everyday sustainable practices. But how do we transform this ideal into common practice in the workplace? Here’s some tips on going green in your office…

1.  Waste Management: Create a recycling culture within the workplace by implementing simple strategies to reduce waste. Set printers to print on both sides of the page as a default, use reusable ink cartridges and ensure there are paper recycling bins located throughout the office.
 

2. Work Online: Encourage staff to go paperless as much as possible by switching to an online interface. This will not only help the environment but also save on expenditure. Activities such as reading reports, invitations, meeting notes and sending documents online minimise paper waste significantly.
 

3. Hit The Streets: Whether you’re heading to a meeting or going to lunch, reducing the amount of time spent in a car can have a big impact. Instead of driving solo, try walking, carpooling, cycling or public transport.
 

4. Energy Consumption: With the amount of electrical products left on or in standby mode after business hours, small changes in electrical consumption can make a huge impact on your carbon footprint. Power-saving tips include turning off lights when not in use, switching to LED lights or investing in automatic switches that detect people’s activity. Streamline your company’s computer efficiency by disabling screensavers, turning all electronic items off when not in use and recycling them once obsolete to reduce landfill. Installing solar panels is another great long term power saving solution.
 

5. Extra tips: Further reduce your footprint with effortless practices such as switching to simple cleaning supplies, providing reusable dishes, silverware and glasses and encouraging employees to use reusable coffee cups and plastic containers.

With every small action adding up when it comes to office waste, introducing a holistic approach to create a workplace that cares for both people and the environment can have significant impact.