Today’s office environment is a far stretch from that of just ten years ago and even more from the average setting of the past century.
Some companies just slap together an office with some discount furniture they got at a bargain basement, and some companies get the most outlandish and absurd furniture in a vain attempt to impress the competition. In either case the companies aren’t thinking in terms of productivity and function which is foremost.
First of all, what do the people in your office do? What percentage sit 90% of the time and what percentage are bustling about to and fro? You need to plan space, where items and inventory are, where guests and clients sit, and is the furniture comfortable so that aches and pains aren’t the reward for the end of the day.
Another factor is psychological. Is the staff happy? Is the environment they work in lively enough to keep them alert and enthusiastic, or is it so bland and unremarkable that the staff is about as alert as a person just out of a coma?
People have to live and work for 8 or more hours a day in one office and it can get boring. Once your workers and you yourself get bored you lose that spark of life that a business should have. Here is where the joy of work really is applicable.
What you want to do is look around the work space. Check with other offices on how they furnish and arrange. If need be, take a fun day and visit other offices around town with a couple of your staff members. When you find an office that has that extra spark, just ask the people there who chose the furniture and arranged the office. You might be surprised that they might really enjoy sharing their experience with you, and might have a tip on getting similar if not the same furniture at a discount. You never know until you ask.
There are lots of magazines, websites featuring the latest in office furniture and today’s advanced design and engineering has some office furniture that looks like something from the Star Trek television series. Companies and managers are really taking into account all the variables from comfort to psychological stress relief to ergonomics when choosing office furniture and color schemes.
Don’t underestimate the power of lighting too. Getting the right lighting is of utmost importance, especially if you’ve got people with their heads stuck into their computer screens all day. It can wear a person’s eyes out. Well lighted with adjustability is the best course of action here.
This can be a wonderful time for your business, so look at office furniture with all the fun of a good shopping day. It will pay off with better productivity, and office amity.
Image credit: baojia1998