Author Archives: Bellia Office Furniture

Are you poised to attract top graduates? 2017 is the year that businesses begin investing in the future of the Tri-state area.

Did you know that in this area, there are a number of colleges that are continually producing top graduates in their respective fields, yet the Philadelphia area continues to lose this talent to the larger markets? As we look ahead, what steps can be taken to attract top graduates, refuel the business of the area and keep top talent working in the Tri-state?

Why is it so important to attract top graduates in the area? According to a recent study, the presence of young professionals in a city is the key to continued economic growth. Exploring ways that your business can entice the best talent to stay will ultimately help your organization reach its corporate goals. The Tri-state area has often had a reputation for its inability to keep young college graduates here, but that is beginning to change. Let your business be a part of that change.

Flexibility through Technology to attract top graduates

When looking for ways to attract top talent and have your business begin to pick up speed in the new year, think about technology. Technology, when fully integrated and optimized will bring a number of benefits and strengthen the fiber of your organization. For jobseekers, using company technology to allow for remote collaboration, video conferencing and other applications will support their desire for flexibility, comfort, and choice in their work environment. For your business to be running at its ideal operational efficiency, your technology systems must be updated and be adaptable to accommodate rapidly changing business systems.

Embrace the future to attract top graduates

The new year is a time of reflection on the past and goal setting for the future, ask yourself: is your company on track to continue growing? Think about your current workspace, is it a space that maximizes square footage while minimizing costs? Is your office design in line with your organization’s goals? Making sure that your workspace is designed to be flexible and adaptable leaves room for your company to change and grow in the future. By creating a space that fits the needs of top talent and current employees, your organization will have set the stage for growth because a well-designed and efficient office environment leads to innovation, creativity, and productivity. Focusing on maximizing operational efficiency through office design will minimize costs while protecting your bottom line.

Consider the Impact of Strategic Office Design to attract top graduates

So often strategic office design is seen only as a cost and not a driver of profitability. Make this the year that you consider making changes to your office environment that are in line with your corporate goals. The impact of a well-designed space will yield maximum results for your business and help revitalize the economic growth in the Tri-state area.

Serving other businesses within our community is important to us, which is why we are focused on making the Tri-State area more magnetic in 2017! We would love to hear how you are handling the changes in this changing economy, and how you plan to attract top talent to grow your business further.

Did you know that there are 79K jobs within the Greater Philadelphia area that are available? As job seekers search for a company to call their own, how are you positioning your company to stand apart from the rest? 

Set Your Company Apart with The Power of Social Media

Recruiting top talent is easier when your organization’s name is out there.  It is important to take stock in what sort of recruitment channels your company is using to find the best employees.  Often organizations limit themselves to their company websites and job boards to advertise open positions, but experts state that 86% of job seekers use social media in their search.  Social media is an effective platform to generate interest from top talent.  You can highlight employee accomplishments, showing just how your company values its employees.  Social media can also be used to show your company’s culture. Posting photos of your unique workspace or the ways your company gives back to the community will give top talent a way to understand the culture of their potential work place.

Set Your Company Apart with Branding

Not only is it important for a potential employee to see the culture of your organization through social media, but your brand should also be on display once you get them through your doors. Office design is a powerful resource to leverage your brand. When top talent enters your workspace, they will immediately make a judgement about your company just by the way your workspace appears. Is your workspace a place where people will want to work? Does your space convey a message about your brand and culture? Is your space inviting and engaging? As you think about your employee recruitment and retention strategy, make sure you include dynamic office design as a tool to attract employees.

How does your organization stand apart from the rest?

Once you get jobseekers through your doors for the interview, what do they want in a potential employer?

Set Your Company Apart with Work-life balance

One thing that is important to most jobseekers and current employees want is work-life balance. Companies that offer flexibility to achieve a work-life balance have happier, more engaged. employees that work for them. Happier employees are more likely to recommend your company to a friend. Not to mention that when employees are in a positive, work environment they are more productive, efficient and healthier.  When it comes to office design, a flexible office design can be achieved through providing a variety of spaces to collaborate, complete focused work and get their jobs finished in the best way possible.  By incorporating this flexibility into your space, it will generate added appeal to potential employees.

Room to grow

Are you a company that offers ways to mentor and educate your employees? Top talent wants an organization that will provide them with multiple opportunities for growth in the job that they do.  Current employees benefit from this as well because as your staff sharpens their skills and learns new information their work quality and productivity improves as well.

It’s All in the Experience

When your company creates a positive work space experience for top talent and current employees, it is positioning itself not only to get potential employees to accept the job offer but stay and grow with your organization for a long time. By using office design to create meaningful connections between potential employees and current staff to the mission and culture of your organization, your company will develop a strong reputation where everyone wants to work.

While working in teams may not be a new concept, in recent years there has been a steady shift way from independent, heads-down work toward more collaborative, team-based activities (Brand, 2008). Even in businesses that have traditionally focused on the individual, the value of collaboration — whether for brainstorming or socializing — is finding growing support. But how best to support collaboration in a particular environment? The key is in understanding how the organization’s culture informs its specific collaboration needs.

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It is important that you see your company culture reinforced through design. Often companies look at office design as just a cost of doing business. Workplace design is one of the biggest components to an organization’s success because it is a driver and a supporter of company culture. A recent gallup poll indicated that employee engagement in the U.S. is at an all time low with only 32% of employees feeling engaged in the work that they do. Reinforcing company culture through strategic office design has the potential to yield unlimited positive results like increasing productivity, encouraging communication and collaboration and creating a culture of belief and investment in the organization. Is your company culture enhanced by your office design?

Culture reinforced through design: Getting on the same page

Creating consistency through design will help everyone to feel united in the work that they are doing. Because a business’ culture is unique, a great starting point is simply by asking your staff to  describe with words and images what the culture of the organization looks like.  By really understanding what your company culture looks and feels like, incorporating elements into the design of your workplace will only enhance your business efforts.  When people walk through your door they will get the feel of your business’ personality and that will lead to increased confidence in the principles and values that your business stands behind.

Culture reinforced through design: Reinvesting in the organization

By redesigning or creating a new space to reflect the culture of your organization, you send the message that your organization–its people, place and technology is worth investing or reinvesting in. By designing a space that your company feels proud a significant impact on the way your business operates.  In fact, studies have shown that when employees are in an environment that they admire, productivity can increase by as much as 20%.

Culture reinforced through design: Increasing efficiency and effectiveness

By having a strategic physical layout, furniture and technology you will create an optimal environment where your employees will be able to do their jobs more effectively and efficiently.  By placing departmental teams in collaborative areas, it encourages communication which improves job effectiveness. Also, by providing employees with a workspace that is conducive and ideal for the job that they do, it will support a culture of employee engagement. When employees are engaged, organizations see significant increases in efficiency.

When your organization has a well-defined and thriving culture, it will give your company a competitive edge that can’t be matched. By utilizing dynamic office design to support and reinforce your company’s culture, you are investing in a workspace as an asset that will lead to your organization’s success.

Have you ever considered what does your office design say about your brand? You never get a second chance to make a first impression when it comes to the appearance of your office.  The minute someone walks through your doors, you have made an impression on them about who you are as an organization. The question is: are you making the impression that you want to?

What does your office say say about your company? Does it reflect a strong and active business? Does it present an image of efficiency and organization? Is this the place where goals are achieved?  When considering the details of your office design, it is important to consider that every inch of your space should reflect your brand, your company’s culture, values and core beliefs. Your office space should be one that tells your unique story and in telling that story your space will convey the message you intend to all who enter.

ENTRYWAY

Before even entering your space, it is important to take a fresh look at what visitors will see before they enter.  Is it clean and inviting? Is it seasonally festive? Could you add decor items to make it more welcoming? If the first thing people notice before they enter your doors is an unwelcoming, poorly maintained entryway, it will certainly set the wrong tone.

RECEPTION AREA/LOBBY

Once people walk through your entryway into your lobby or reception area, they will immediately notice its appearance. Dark wood desks and chairs will signify a serious tone, but if not accented correctly with bright colors, it could send a message of cold and unfriendly.  Bright colored furniture and paint will portray your company as creative and vibrant While the appearance of all of the areas of your office are important, the reception area is critical because it is the first area where people will get a feeling for your business. Choosing furniture, paint colors, logo display and even plant placement must be done carefully because it will send a message about your brand, your culture and whether your business is perceived as a successful one.

OPEN PLAN vs. TRADITIONAL

Beyond the reception area, what is the design of your office floor plan? Traditional offices with private offices and cubicles will convey a message of seriousness and privacy, which may translate to clients and employees as unwelcoming, while an open plan, will emit a feeling of vibrancy, energy, creativity and collaboration.  It is also important to remember to take special notices to the smaller details that have a big effect on those who enter your space.  Is it organized and clean? Does the artwork reflect your values? These small details communicate that you are efficient and effective as a business.

DOORS/LIGHTING…AND EVEN THE PLANTS

Doors and lighting can make a difference in how your company is perceived. When a visitor walks into your space and sees glass doors, it immediately will bring to mind transparency.  Further your visitors will be able to clearly see your business in action. Is your office bright and well-lit? Or dark and dimly lit? Optimal lighting for your space will increase the energy and liveliness of the environment. Most offices bring the outdoors in by having plants throughout the workspace, make sure they are well cared for, nothing can send a more negative message than a plant which is beginning to wilt and die.  Again, it is the smallest details that make the biggest difference.

When designing your space, each paint color, piece of furniture and office plant should be there for a purpose because the appearance of your space should leave a lasting impression on all who enter.  The way you choose to create your interior will not only showcase the personality of your organization, but establish the perception of your brand and your organization.  When your company pays close attention to the details of optimal interior design, you will see countless benefits.  For staff, you will create a positive work environment and see increases in efficiency and productivity. For clients, you will strengthen their belief and faith in your organization.

Do you still have budgeted money to spend by this year’s end? What if we could help you find some? By taking advantage of IRS Section 179 Tax benefit for 2016, you can increase the value of your office without spending a thing. Section 179 can change each year without notice (sometimes even mid-year), so don’t miss out on this generous tax code while you have the chance.

With over 40 years of workspace and office furniture knowledge, Bellia has the experience to help you make the most of your budget while creating a space that will continue to improve your bottom line. Instead of losing them, let us help you use those available funds.

In case you’re not familiar with it, we’ve broken down the benefit for you-

Let’s say you are profitable this year.

You have a net income of $100,000 that you are posting on your 2016 corporate tax return. If you are a C Corp then your blended tax rate will be 22.25%, and you’ll owe the federal government $22,250 for corporate taxes for 2016. Not to mention applicable state taxes. However, if you purchase $100,000 in assets, you get to 100% depreciate that $100,000 purchase on your 2016 corporate tax return. Now you have an additional depreciation expense of $100,000 on your 1120. 

$100,000 in net income – $100,000 in depreciation expense = $0 in net taxable income. 

$0 in net taxable income = $0 in tax dollars due = $22,250 in savings for your company and its owners.

But you need to act now, because in order for you to receive this tax benefit, all furniture must be in place by 12/31/16. Taking advantage of this opportunity will both save you money in corporate taxes and give you a workspace that will pay you back. Contact us today to get started.

Let’s explore how branding your office design to reflect your mission & culture can improve productivity. As clients and employees walk into your office space, will they immediately understand the mission and culture of your company?  Your organization’s mission and culture shape your brand and your brand should reflect your culture, so when you look at the space you are in, are using office design to leverage the power of your brand?

Reflecting your organization’s mission, culture and brand through design is critical for creating a strategic vision for your company to continue building for your future and reaching your corporate goals. So before even considering design elements, you must start at evaluating the core values of your company. The office design process is a great way to focus and re-evaluate your mission.  After that, it is important to make sure that those values are embodied in your space.

Your Office Design Creates an experience

The goal behind good branding and design is to create an experience for everyone that enters.  When people walk through your door, they will immediately receive your message.  What is the feeling that get from your workspace?  Is your brand, mission and culture creating connections and a positive experience?  Office design including your logo, paint colors and furniture is part of the experience, but effectively connecting your brand with your mission and culture is much more than that.

Design to reflect your brand and culture

Often, a mistake that companies make is failing to understand the potential power and benefits of leveraging your office environment as a source to reflect your values and brand.  By using design elements such as finishing materials, layouts, office furniture and paint colors, you can effectively integrate your message into your space.  When people walk through the doors, the brand should be evident all around them.  For example, if your company’s values and brand send a message of innovation and collaboration and your office is a sea of closed off cubicles, the design doesn’t adequately convey your company’s message.  To reflect innovation and collaboration, your office design would be better suited with an open plan with flexible seating areas, movable partitions and design elements that make it easy for collaboration.

Benefits of Branding Your Office Design

By using the process of office design to reflect your mission and brand, you will see a number of benefits.  A well-designed space will create critical connections between the staff and your brand, which leads to increased productivity, inventive and innovative thinking and a positive workplace experience for your employees with a deep belief in the mission and values of your company.  In terms of clients, by communicating your mission through branding, your company will stand out from its competitors and a positive impact on the way your company is perceived.

Together, a company’s mission, brand and culture, when communicated correctly, signify to employees and clients that an organization is grounded in core values.  By using elements of design to express your mission in your physical space, your company can shape the way you are perceived by employees, clients and investors.  When branding is done well it will lead to a positive office culture, attract top talent, maximize productivity and create a return on investment.

By the year 2020, forty percent of Generation C or the YouTube Generation will make up the U.S. and European workforce.  Are you prepared to tap into this valuable source of talent and offer them what they want to get them to accept your job offer?

Before you are ready to make them an offer, it is important to understand who they are and what they want in an employer.  Sixty-five percent are under age 35, but they are not primarily defined by their age. The “C” in the term stands for connected.  Gen C are digital natives–they click, they care about content, they are consumer driven and they are connected 24/7.

The values and priorities of each emerging generation of workers changes, so the way you recruit them needs to change too. Because Gen C comes fully immersed in technology and their social networks, it is important to leverage those same things to attract and retain this new generation of worker.  

FLEXIBILITY

Using technology to create flexibility and freedom of choice as to when and where they work is a really important benefit to the Gen C employee.  The expectations of a traditional 9-5 job won’t work for them. A good way to attract someone from Gen C is to offer flexible hours coupled with a remote working environment. They want to know that your company’s technology will allow for remote collaboration, using video conferencing and other applications that will support their desire for choice and comfort.

Gen C is connected and they expect to be 24/7, so it is important for your company’s systems to be friendly through mobile applications. For example, having HR needs available through a mobile device is really appealing to this generation of worker. By assuring top talent that your technology will adapt quickly to accommodate mobility and flexibility is meaningful to the Gen C employee.

CULTURE

As much as they want to be connected in terms of technology, they also want to feel a deep connection to the work that they are doing. By being highly engaged in whatever they do, it is important to express a positive brand and message when recruiting them. Making sure that you can offer new employees paths and mentorship that will support their ongoing growth in the company will not only satisfy their need for meaningfulness, but it may help to retain them as well.

Generation C will make up a large part of the emerging workforce, it is important to focus on  having a strong acquisition plan in place. By offering them flexibility through technology and a company culture that embraces their willingness to learn and feel deeply connected to the work that they do, your company will easily stand out above the rest and not only land the top Gen C employees but retain them as well.

Want to learn how to attract top talent? Read how here!

Interiors Scope

The Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau (PHLCVB) is inviting, modern, and fun, just like the City of Philadelphia, and they wanted their workspace to reflect the cutting-edge, collaborative culture of their team. Working with NELSON, Bellia renovated and redesigned PHLCVB’s outdated floor plan transforming it into a bright, open space to create a transparent and flexible work environment with a sleek, contemporary design.

• Open Area Workstations
• Lobby
• Reception Area
• Conference Area
• Cafe
• Quiet Room
• Touch Downs
• Meeting Rooms

NELSON Philadelphia provides architecture, design, planning and workplace services for a broad range of clients. A nationally recognized interior design firm, NELSON recently merged with Cope Linder Architects and KA Architecture to broaden and strengthen their full service architecture services.

Ron Livingston joins Bellia Office with an impressive resume. He spent over 16 years in meeting planning and hospitality working for a number of large hotels before starting his own company. After his company merged with another group, Ron left meeting planning and spent a few years working at a nonprofit focused on improving the overall development of companies workforces. With so many years in the same industry, Ron made a number of contacts and has maintained those relationships.

Ron’s previous experience and skills in negotiating contracts, making budget conscious decisions, and providing top notch service make him an asset to Bellia. He understands the importance of minimizing the overall cost of a project while maximizing your ROI.