Business owners have lots to think about on a daily basis. Managerial tasks will always be numerous and with a focus on the continued success and growth of the business. A strong foundation of any business includes a happy and productive workforce. In amongst the minefield of health & safety, human resources and duty of care is the environment in which workers will spend their working days.
The way in which your office is planned and laid out can greatly affect the well being and happiness of your staff and ensuring that your office is designed to extract maximum productivity through a positive workforce is most certainly worth the time to get it right.
Here are some key points to consider:
DESK PARTITIONS– Whilst it is important to ensure that the design and colour of desk partitions is important for aesthetic quality, it is also vital that the partitions perform their function. If a worker spends a lot of time at their desk and needs to focus on their tasks then a higher partition would be better. Should workers need to converse throughout the day to collaborate and share ideas then a lower partition would aid this process.
Lower partitions would also be a strong consideration for those managers who prefer to visually oversee what is happening.
Space saving options will also be a consideration when choosing partition furniture like shelving that can hang over the top of the partition for paperwork or other items.
AESTHETICS– it is fair to assume that when a business chooses new office furniture or when updating old furniture, they are looking for a more modern look. The style and range of furniture that a supplier offers will therefore be key in ensuring that the new furniture compliments the building and gives workers a positive and aesthetically pleasing environment. Some example considerations would be choosing curves or straight lines, types of fabrics, colours and textures and ensuring a common theme throughout an area for continuity.
DIVERSE USAGE OF SPACE– With ever changing requirements for staffing and space usage it is becoming a more popular choice for offices to use partitioning and screening that is freestanding or moveable. If the furniture in your work environment is often moved around to make room for meetings, presentations or discussions then freestanding screening or partitions mounted on castors would be a good choice; castors could also be an option on desks too.
Consider desks with castors if staff often need to collaborate. Moveable furniture ensures several people can ensure there is enough seating around one desk in any part of the office and is especially useful in those office which do not have the luxury of extra space.
PRODUCTIVITY– as mentioned, desk partitions, aesthetics and efficient use of space are all important considerations in ensuring high productivity of staff but there are other ways in which this can be achieved. A more modern trend in offices is to have standing desks. These are simply higher than a desk made for a seated worker and help to ensure that the worker is alert, awake and able to freely move as required. Many people prefer to be more expressive and freer to move whilst making phone calls and this transposes over into any task that is undertaken in the office through the working days.
COUCHES AND SOFA AREAS– whilst the presumption for an office worker is someone who is seated at a desk using a desktop PC, this is not always the case. Plenty of office staff now use tablets and laptops for their work and can function just as well if not potentially better whilst seated in a comfortable lounge area. For this reason, when choosing your office furniture, you should also consider a company that also offers this type of seating solution. Those offices which employ a ‘hot desk’ system will also benefit from reduced congestion of limited desk space.
For more information about all types of office furniture and to discuss your requirements get in touch with 2020 Furniture Design by heading over to our contact page at www.2020furnituredesign.co.uk/contact-us/ or calling us on 01480700050