What's New

Changing Spaces

As your business grows and evolves, your current office space may need a change, too. Do you need more space? A new location? Or maybe a renovation?

Here are some basics to help you in your space decision:

Square Footage

Assess your space needs. Consider the total number of employees, and the type of space you'll need; the number of offices versus cubicle space; adequate and appropriate IT space; and the number of conference rooms and storage rooms. Be sure to plan for future expansion requirements. A standard density rule for work and common areas is to allow 250 to 285 square feet per employee, with call centers requiring about 180 square feet per employee. If you require significant square footage—perhaps for a headquarters location—you may also wish to consider having a facility built-to-suit for your business.

Configuration

Do you like the way your office is configured? If not, you may want to reconfigure the space or move to newer, more efficient office space. When renovations are necessary in more than 20 percent of the space, it often makes sense to consider changing spaces. The efficient use of your space is key.

Location

Does your location still work for you and your staff? Consider commuting time for employees, traffic flow, access to highways and mass transportation—and don't forget—proximity to clients and customers.

Technology

What are your present technological requirements? Today, most buildings have high speed Internet, but not all. Do you require satellite or specific bandwidth and fiber optic service? Computer equipment may require supplemental HVAC for cooling and/or backup generators for power redundancy. The amount of energy a building can supply and its efficiency in delivery must be carefully evaluated.

Moving Expenses

Moving expenses—including company downtime and construction costs—can be significant and should be evaluated based on the quality and efficiency of the improvements you gain if you move to new space.

Amenities

Today, properties with a variety of amenities are strongly appealing to employers who wish to help their staff balance work and family life. From dry cleaning services, on-site cafeterias, banking and childcare to fitness centers and walking trails—consider what's important to your employees' environment and lifestyle.

Property Ownership and Management

You'll want to consider the strength, stability and reputation of the property owner and manager. Look for an on-site management team that's receptive to your needs, and make sure the owner has the financial strength and stability to commit resources to maintaining the building.

Remember—Mack-Cali can assist you with your space decision—whether you require a renovation, expansion, relocation, or brand new facility. Contact your Mack-Cali leasing representative for more information.

No one disputes the need for staff meetings.

But do they have to be so time-consuming? And do organizers and participants have to be so rude?

"My first recollection is utter and complete boredom because they could all be over in 10 percent of the time," said Jean Marie Fish, who recently retired after working 28 years in corporate media and media buying for Unilever, first in Englewood Cliffs and later in Manhattan.

Fish is not alone. Disorganized, rambling meetings top the list of pet peeves, cited by 27 percent of workers polled by Princeton-based Opinion Research Corp.

"Structured business meetings with a closely followed agenda are often the most productive, particularly when attention spans can be short," said Jeff Resnick, president of Opinion Research USA. "A disorganized meeting is a disengaged meeting that will rarely result in the desired outcomes."

The second-ranked complaint is people who interrupt their peers and try to dominate the meeting. It was cited by 17 percent of those polls, one point ahead of cellphone interruptions.

The top five also included people who fall asleep in meetings (9 percent) and meetings with no bathroom breaks (8 percent).

The survey also showed that coming late or leaving early is less of a concern than disorganized meetings or those in which the leader allows one person to dominate with what one executive called "useless or irrelevant information downloads to the group."

"We call those people the 'human rain-delay,' " said Ski Austin of Tenafly, the National Basketball Association's executive vice president for events and attractions.

Although cellphone interruptions rank high on the list, workers evidently find Blackberry use in meetings less intrusive, placing it eighth at 5 percent.

But it is a growing problem, and "my No. 1 pet peeve," Austin said.

"It used to be that you could gather a group of people with a single-purpose topic into a conference room and have the full attention by having removed them from the potential distractions within their own workspace," he said.

"Now, unless you have a Blackberry embargo, one constantly finds heads down and hands flicking emails back to various co-workers or contacts during your meeting," Austin said.

"While many people are hesitant to actively stand up and leave the room to take a cellphone call, those same people think nothing of a quick email to so-and-so, as it doesn't cause the same disruption," he said.

"It's really annoying when you know people in the meeting are emailing each other."

Even so, it can come in handy.

"I was in one of those deadly, never-ending meetings, so I hit the speed dial on my Blackberry to have it call my cellphone, and left the room to 'take that call,' " Austin said.

"Sometimes, technology can work in your favor as well!"

© 2007 The Record (Bergen Co., NJ)/ Kevin G. Demarrais
Reprinted with permission.

Sunday, May 13, 2007

Here is a confession: I sometimes write emails entirely in lowercase.

I reserve these emails for my wife, my brother and certain friends.

Emails written in lowercase automatically convey a sense of informality; it is like tossing the word "dude" into conversation. You had better know the person very, very well before you do it.

Email is confusing terrain, even for people who have been using it for years. What makes sense for an email to your best buddy doesn't make sense in an email to your boss.

Yet "the rules," to the extent they exist, aren't quite as amorphous as they were 10 years ago. Email has become an essential tool for business and pleasure, and a code of behavior -- yes, an etiquette -- has evolved.

Here's a list of my top 15 rules for email, roughly in order of their importance. I've compiled these from my own experiences, as well as various online sources and books, such Emailreplies.com and "Send: The Essential Guide to Email for Office and Home" by David Shipley and Will Schwalbe (Knopf, $19.95). If you break these rules, do so sparingly, and with good reason.

1. Always use a subject line. An email without a subject may be routed automatically to a spam folder. Even if it's not, the recipient may delete the message without reading it. That's what I do, unless it's from someone I know.

2. Write meaningful subject lines. Say "Let's get together Tuesday" rather than "Hi." Say "Memo for your review" rather than "Information." Be specific and concise, and you will be more likely to draw someone's attention. You will also make it easy for the recipient to retrieve the message at a later date.

3. Never write an email entirely in ALL CAPS, no matter how much you want someone's attention. I can't help thinking people who send emails in all capital letters have never mastered the basics of the English language. Either that, or they haven't mastered the use of the "caps lock" key.

4. Do not send attachments unless you know the recipient wants what you're sending. That goes for PDFs of news releases, vacation photos and other documents. If you have very cute children, share your photos by storing them at a photo-sharing site, like Shutterfly, and sending friends a Web address to view them.

5. Check your spelling. Email programs can help with this task. Many programs will flag misspelled words as you type.

6. Be brief. Remember, email inboxes are crowded with messages, many of them as important as your own. Rambling emails often sit inside an inbox or get trashed.

7. Use short paragraphs, separating each paragraph with a blank line. Emails constructed in this style can be easily scanned on the computer screen.

8. Send mass emails only when necessary. By placing multiple addresses in the "To:" line, you are sharing other people's email addresses. That's a no-no. Instead, use your email program to create a special email list to send out a message to multiple recipients and hide recipients' email addresses.

9. Do not use colors, graphics and unusual fonts. These display differently on various computers and email programs. You will never know whether someone will see what you intended, or ugly, indecipherable gibberish.

10. Think before you send. The wrong words can get you in trouble. Reread your emails, including recipients' email addresses; you want to make sure you're sending the email to the right person.

11. Avoid excessive informality. Email exchanges may quickly become informal, but they often don't start out that way. If you do not know someone, do not address her by first name in your initial email, unless you are certain that is her preference.

12. Don't use email when a phone call would be preferable. Sensitive matters, in particular, are often better expressed with a phone call.

13. Be wary of the "Reply all" option. Don't reply to everyone when you really want to direct the email to one individual.

14. Respond in a timely fashion. If you can't respond in a day or two, and the matter requires your attention, a quick email to the sender will be appreciated ("Thanks -- I'll work on this next week").

15. Avoid composing emails entirely in lowercase. (Yes, rules get broken.)

Today's office environment creates many challenges for employers and employees alike. Critical to the success of a building or office is its impact on people. Many design features affect the actions and reactions of the people in those offices. Sealed energy efficient buildings can adversely affect air quality that can cause fatigue, headaches, respiratory problems and dry skin. "Bringing the outside in" can provide a simple and economical solution to these problems.

• Plants remove toxins from the air. These toxins come from a variety of sources, some obvious and some not so obvious. Paint, cleaning chemicals, electronic devices such as printers and copiers and building materials are just a few. The results for workers are not unlike a cold or flu: headaches, runny noses, sneezing and coughing. The answer comes from NASA research that proved plants remove many of these toxins from the air, promoting a healthier and more productive workplace.
• The research findings recommended using at least one plant per 285 square feet; using different varieties, especially leafy plants with more surface area and, if possible, provide a plant within each employee's "breathing space".
• Plants have also been shown to relieve stress. Research carried out by Surrey University showed that plants helped to create a more relaxed atmosphere and eventually led to a 60 percent drop in absenteeism. In other tests, carried out by Washington State University, those people with a plant on their desk showed 12 percent faster reactions and their stress levels were reduced dramatically.
• A well-designed interior plantscape enhances the look and feel of your organization. Visitors sense and interpret a "complete" look when plants are part of the décor. It says you look after the important details and want to create a welcoming experience for the visitor and employees.

Where to start?

The best way to begin is to bring in an expert who can survey your facility and draw up a proposal based on many factors. The two most obvious are design and budget.

Design is a broad term that combines your aesthetic values with the surroundings and visual opportunities. What kind of light exists, what type of plants in what kind of decorative containers should be implemented and how will they complement your décor are just a few of the questions that need to be answered.

Budget seems obvious but there are a few options. How many plants? Where should they be located and how will this affect maintenance costs? Should you choose modest or high-end containers? Your plantscape professional will guide you through this process and help you make the best choices.

No matter how you measure it, a well-designed interior plantscape pays important dividends over time.

Blondie's Treehouse, Inc. is a Mack-Cali Advantage Program preferred provider. The Company provides interior and exterior plant design and maintenance, custom holiday designs and silk installations to clients throughout the tri-state area. For a free price quote, please contact Ann Miller at ann@blondiestreehouse.com or call 914.777.6300.