Office Furniture
Furniture is more of a centrepiece in an office environment than you may have realised, and plays a key part in providing overall comfort and efficiency for your employees. It can help motivate and retain staff and if you get it wrong, for example with office chairs causing back pain, it can lead to dissatisfaction or even sick days.
Greater comfort will enhance productivity and well-being, leading to improved focus and, ultimately, a better quality of work. After all, as a business owner or manager, you’re creating an environment in which you’re expecting staff to invest a fair bit of time.
With the right storage space you’ll also have a tidier, less cluttered office and if clients visit regularly, you’ll be showcasing a smart-looking office that means business.
Furniture every modern office needs: a checklist:
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Office desks and chairs
Office design trends from open-plan to cubicles to ultra-trendy workspaces with slides, beanbags and ping-pong tables come and go. But the basics of needing a table and chair for work remain.
With chairs, think about comfort and ergonomics. The latter just indicates a chair is designed to support the body, promote good posture, and prevent discomfort, while being highly adjustable to suit any body type or task.
As a starting point, look for a decent backrest, adjustable seat and headrest, and good depth and stability for your chairs.
As for desks, while it may sound obvious, go for something which fits the available space. Too large and it might not fit, but if it’s too small it looks odd and may not offer enough room to work comfortably. Look at how much storage space there is, and the size and style of your desk’s legs, since this can have a big impact on the overall appearance of your workspace.
Think about cluster or bench desks if you want to have multiple workers using one piece of furniture.
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‘Living space’ furniture
No one is suggesting your staff should be loafing around all day. But taking frequent, short breaks is important to employee happiness and retention. Lounge areas with coffee tables, comfy chairs and even sofas and bookcases give people somewhere to relax briefly, and could stimulate creative thinking and strong working relationships between colleagues.
Don’t forget cafeteria furniture, too. Create somewhere for people to eat lunch; with these items you can focus on functionality rather than comfort.
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Storage items
Where you keep stuff is another top consideration when thinking about your office furniture. Try and keep solutions hidden under desks for a tidy, minimalist look. Storage also needs to be agile and adaptable in a world where workplaces tend to have less paper, not everyone works there all the time and not everyone has a permanent workstation.
(You don’t want mobile workers, for example, to feel unwelcome because they’ve got nowhere to keep anything.)
It also helps if your storage blends seamlessly with the rest of your office design.
Moveable pedestals on castors, and which fit under a desk, could work well, while traditional filing cabinets are the other obvious idea. They no longer have to come in gunmetal grey. Choose from a squatter, wider model, or a narrow, vertical cabinet.
Similarly, cube storage can be very flexible and used for everything from plants to company awards, files and TV screens. And with an increasingly mobile, hybrid workforce, lockers are another, increasingly popular option.
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Office screens
Cost-effective and versatile, office screens come in many different shapes, sizes and styles and help create agile spaces. Above all, they give staff space of their own and reduce noise in open-plan workplaces. They keep your space looking tidy, while modern designs provide a bright, modern aesthetic.
Most are portable and flexible, allowing you easily to redesign your office layout as your needs change.
Office furniture from Octopus
At Octopus Office Products, we supply and fit office furniture across the north-west, whether you want a single chair or a complete refit. Equally, our desks, chairs and storage solutions range from budget items for short-term needs to more durable, yet still cost-effective, products.
Finally, if only the best will do, check out our executive range. Browse the collection today.