Tips for Turning Your Workspace Green

Lower your impact on the environment by reducing your offices ecological footprint. Here are a few tips to help you on your way:

Save Energy – Ensure your computers, printers and photocopiers are set to the most energy efficient settings and make sure you turn them off at the end of the day.  Choosing LED lights and putting them on sensors and timers can also dramatically reduce your energy consumption.

Choose Environmentally Friendly Products – from cleaning products, to paper, soaps and office furniture. Choose products that have been produced using environmentally friendly manufacturing processes are recyclable and are not harmful to the environment.

Digitize – Try and opt for a paperless office by viewing documents on the computer and adopting a digital filing system. Only print files when absolutely necessary and reduce the impact by choosing recyclable paper and double sided printing.

Recycle – Use office recycling bins! Loading all your rubbish into your desk bin often results in otherwise recyclable materials being put into the general waste bins.

Green the Commute – Walk, carpool or use public transport to get to work whenever possible to do your part to help cut down pollution levels.

Green Lunch Times – Use reusable containers for your lunch, choose reusable cups rather than disposable plastic cups at the water dispenser and consider that when you bring your lunch from home you’re actually reducing the packaging waste that take away foods produce.

Add Plants to The Office – Indoor plants act as filters that absorb the pollutants created by computers and office equipment. They act as a natural air conditioner and assist in keeping the office temperature regulated.

We’re a Finalist in the Australian Catalogue Awards!

We’re pleased to announce that our 2015 Office Furniture Catalogue has reached the finalist stage of the Australian Catalogue Awards.

Up against come tough competition, we’re hoping that we can take out the win at the awards night later this year.

If you haven’t got a copy of the catalogue yet click here and we’ll mail you a copy today or you can view it online.

Raising Our Cups To Beat Cancer

This morning we held our Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea event to raise much needed funds for the Cancer Council.

We all had a blast with delicious tea-time treats and an action-packed game of Teago (bingo). What’s more we’re pleased to have raised over $1000!

We’re making every cuppa count!

5 Technologies Every Business Should Embrace

In a fast paced world where new technology is released everyday it can be difficult to determine which types are the right fit for your business. Here are 5 technologies we recommend to ensure your business doesn’t get left behind:

1. Applications – If there is one technology you should embrace, it’s applications for your smartphone! Between Apple’s App Store or Google Play for Android devices, there’s an app out there to keep you organised and make you more productive.

2. Analytics – The evidence of all your efforts in business speaks through data, whether that be sales figures, website hits or new customers. The value and insight that your businesses data can provide when analysed effectively is priceless which it’s why it’s so crucial that you have the right tools to analyse and record data. Google Analytics is a great starting point.

3. Cloud Software – From file sharing to back up services, cloud services are changing the way companies do business. Cloud computing allows you to access your all your documents on any device at anytime. The cloud has made flexible working arrangements more possible than ever before. Krost has been completely on the cloud for 4 years now and we’ve never looked back.

4. Data Security & Back Up – Keeping your business and customer information safe and well protected is essential. Unauthorised access to your business data could be extremely detrimental to your business, so ensure that anti virus and anti breach software are installed on your servers. Investing in a technology that stores a back up of all your data is also a necessity, many cloud services include this.

5. Mobile Technology – Mobile friendly websites are becoming more crucial now that a majority of consumers are looking at websites from their mobile devices. If you want to increase the amount of business that is driven through your website,  make your website responsive to mobile viewing.

5 Tips for Successful Multitasking

In a world where distractions and long to do lists are inevitable learning how to successfully multitask plays an essential role in being productive. Fortunately we have 5 tips to help you nail multitasking.

1. Plan Ahead – It’s impossible to schedule every interruption but it’s important to have in mind a general sequence of tasks which you’ll work through. Set yourself a specific time frame to ensure you allow yourself enough time to get through all the tasks on your agenda.

2. Toggle - Start with harder more time consuming tasks and fill in the downtime when you’re waiting for information or inspiration with simpler tasks. Working on compatible and similar tasks together can also be beneficial.

3. Stay Focused – Although it can be difficult, try not to keep thinking about all the other things you need to do when you are working on your main project. Aim to concentrate and hone in on what you are actually doing and get it finished so that you can ensure you are producing quality work.

4. Organise Information – Collate all the information you require into neatly arranged and easily accessible folders on your computer or in your email inbox. This will save you having to troll through information and will also make you feel less stressed. Write down items you need to refer to often (such as keyboard shortcuts, shipping info etc) so that you can refer to them quickly.

5. Take a Break – Use your lunch breaks as a time to take a true break from the stresses of the day. Take a walk, sit outside or whatever helps you switch off so that when you return to work you can function at your peak.

Subscribe to DQ Magazine for a chance to win!

We’ve teamed up with Indesign to give 6 lucky DQ magazine subscribers a chance to win 1 of 6 of our Miro S chairs. All you need to do is subscribe to DQ and answer in 25 words or less: Why you need a Miro S chair?

Enter now. Best of luck!

15 Brilliant Boardrooms

Need some inspiration for your next boardroom redesign? Our advice is think bold! Boring boardrooms are a thing of the past.

Here’s a selection of 15 recent boardrooms that are some of our favourites. You’ll notice from table style to seating, lighting, artwork and colour selection no detail has been overlooked in these brilliantly styled boardrooms.

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6 Steps to Improve Your Emails

It’s no secret that in business email is used more than any other means of communication, but even though email has become second nature to us, sometimes there are some basic rules that seem to be forgotten. Apart from the obvious rules of including a relevant subject line and using the appropriate language here are some other best-practice rules that can’t be ignored:

Reply All – Think twice before hitting reply all and decide who actually needs to receive the email. Intentional and frequent use of this feature can cause frustration if the information in the thread isn’t relevant to the recipient. Whilst it’s good to keep colleagues and customers in the loop irrelevant emails only clog up inboxes.

Response Time – The sooner you respond the better but all emails should certainly be replied to within 24 hours. Get in the habit of replying immediately and in situations where you can’t because you don’t have the answer let them know what you’re waiting on and when you expect to get them the information they need.

Proof Read - Mistakes in emails rarely go unnoticed. Be sure to read over your email before sending it. Don’t rely on spell check and do take care to ensure your message is clear, succinct and free of spelling, grammar and punctuation errors.

When in Doubt Leave it Out – Be cautious with humour and sarcasm as they can easily get lost in translation without the right tone or facial expressions.

Follow Ups – You’re entitled to politely follow up on emails where there has not been a response. For non urgent issues a follow up 3-4 days is appropriate and for more pressing issues 24-48 hours is considered appropriate. The best follow up emails express an understanding of the person’s busy schedule and explain why a prompt answer is required.

Pick up the Phone – Avoid sending emails for discussions that are better done over the phone or face to face. Delicate conversations are not appropriate to be discussed via email, there’s nothing worse than having an email war. Further to this if you are emailing someone numerous times without achieving a desired outcome a phone call will save you time, trigger a discussion and help you get the answer you need.

Last Chance to Enter Our Catalogue Super Search for a Chance to Win a $500 Krost Gift Voucher!

Have you entered our Catalogue Super Search yet? If not now’s your last chance at a shot of winning 1 of 5, $500 Krost gift vouchers before the competition closes this Friday.

The Super Search marks the release of our 2015 Office Furniture Catalogue which includes our entire collection and a host of brand new products including the Enzo, Rocco, Buzz, Volt, Miro Visitor, upholstered Zorro stools and much more.

To enter the competition all you’ll need to do is simply find all the listed items in our wraparound cover and you’ll be automatically entered into the draw.

And if you haven’t received a copy of the 2015 edition yet let us know and we’ll mail you a copy, otherwise you can view it online.

To enter the Super Search click here , Good luck!

2015 Catalogue Out Now. Enter Our Super Search for a Chance to Win a $500 Krost Gift Voucher!

Have you received your copy of our 2015 Office Furniture catalogue yet?

Continuing with the pixel art illustrations of our 2014 catalogue, this version marks our 26th annual edition and our best version yet. It includes our entire collection and a host of brand new products including the Enzo, Rocco, Buzz, Volt, Miro Visitor, upholstered Zorro stools and much more.

To announce its arrival we’d like to offer you the chance to win 1 of 5, $500 Krost gift vouchers by simply entering our 2015 Catalogue Super Search and finding all the items in our wraparound cover.

If you haven’t received a copy of the 2015 edition yet let us know and we’ll mail you a copy, otherwise you can view it online.

To enter the Super Search click here , Good luck!

5 Tips Towards Creating the Perfect Workplace

Many of us spend so much time in the office that it can be considered a second home, so it’s vital to ensure your workplace is a welcoming and desirable place to work. Here are some tips to help you achieve the perfect workplace:

1. Build Breakout Spaces - These spaces should almost resemble your favourite café, they should be created with the intention of creating a space for employees to relax on their breaks. The greatest breakout spaces include funky tables and chairs, along with plush casual seating such as ottomans and lounges. Vibrant and fun colours often feature prominently in these spaces and give the rooms an uplifting and fresh feel.

2. Set the Mood - Ensure that the overall ambience of the office satisfies the 5 senses. Incorporating feel good colours, plants, light music and adequate lighting will all help achieve the right mood. Also an office that is either too hot or too cold is hard for anyone to bear so keep your air-con temperatures in check.

3. Choose Comfortable Furniture - If your staff are sitting on poor quality uncomfortable office chairs, they probably can’t wait to get home! Investing in ergonomic chairs will be the greatest investment you’ll ever make in your staff, they’ll feel much more comfortable and happier for it.

4. Clear the Clutter - An untidy office is never inviting. Provide staff with adequate storage to ensure they can neatly file away their paperwork and other items. A pleasant vibe will never be hard to achieve if they are sitting in a pile of unorganised paperwork.

5. Try an Open Plan Layout - Being crammed into a small space all day can be uncomfortable. Every employee should have enough space to work comfortably, open planned offices help achieve this, they also look great, encourage teamwork and facilitate for communication.

Choosing the Right Office Chair

With office workers spending more time in their chairs than anywhere else in the workplace, it’s important that the right decisions are made when it comes to choosing the right chairs for your workspaces. Here are 4 factors to take into consideration on your search for the perfect chair:

1. Purpose – What sort of work is being done in the chair? Will a specialist chair be needed or a particular feature required?

2. Aesthetics – Mesh or fabric? Polished aluminium or polypropylene. All impact on maintenance and comfort

3. Durability – All our chairs come with a minimum 3 year warranty with on-site servicing and are fully assembled by experts

4. Flexibility – How many different sorts of tasks will be performed? Will the chair host multiple users?

Hopefully these points will help you on your way, if not be sure to drop us a line we’re experts at assisting people to find the perfect solution.