Upcycling is like recycling with an upscale twist. You take an old piece of furniture (or a completely unrelated item that has reached the end of its lifespan) and turn it into something that is completely different than the original. It doesn’t just look like new again, it’s got an entirely new look.
Alternative Work Schedules or AWS refers to a flexible work schedule, which is an alternative to the traditional 9 to 5, 40-hour workweek. More and more employees prefer the flexibility of working how, when and where it suits them. This means either outfitting a full time home office, or telecommuting, or using mobile tools like laptops, phones, video conferencing and other exciting products to get their work done. On the other hand, corporations save big bucks on real estate space and overhead expenses. So, AWS saves money for companies, creates happy workers and productivity is higher. A win-win situation all around!
A work design element, a magnet center is used to draw co-workers together for the purpose of facilitating informal interaction. These spaces, according to studies, are ideal as it allows more people to have engage in conversation and so build more inherent trust, which then leads to enhanced true collaboration. Magnet centers can be a draw to employees because of their location by a view or at an intersection of traffic patterns. At times they are intentionally placed between 2 groups who are adjacent but do not interact as much as hoped for (think Engineering and Purchasing).
An area can also be a magnet center because there are food or refreshments placed there. OR it exists simply because it’s just a cool space.
A design element, “Front Porch” refers to the area just outside the entry to a private office. It is usually used as an informal gathering space for two or more people, and encourages informal dialogue and interaction between the office occupant and their visitors. It can be equipped with lounge furniture, a round bar height table with 2 stools or other furnishings. Often, if the workspace is a private office, a sliding barn door creates the feeling of the front porch and office being one open contiguous space.
