Tips and Factors to Consider When Buying Office Furniture
When expanding your company’s offices, you must pay special attention to the furniture. Knowing what factors to consider when buying office furniture can prevent a lot of trouble down the road, especially if you have a larger workforce with a diverse set of needs that must be met. The following eight tips will help you out.
1. Plan your layout carefully
Proper layout planning is one of the most important steps in the process. You have to ensure that you’re making the most of the space you have available, and that all your employees will find it easy to get from one point to another. You can maximise your space by opting for stackable furniture.
If you want to dig into this in more detail, look into some Six Sigma courses. They can teach you a lot about the importance of layout optimization in workplace environments, complete with some actionable tips that you can put to immediate use. Foldable office furniture also helps you save space.
2. Consider the size of furniture
The size and shape of furniture is crucial because you need to ensure that the space you have is enough. You should take measurements in advance to ensure that the furniture you buy fits perfectly in your office space. Whether you will need square office desks, circular office tables, or rectangular office furniture, you should first consider your space.
For instance, if you have limited space, you can opt for 600mm table tops to ensure that you have enough of them in your office. For a bigger space, 700mm table tops would be perfect. Depending on the amount of space that you have, you can even opt for 900mm table tops, and you can also get them in different shapes.
3. Settle on a consistent style
Your office interior doesn’t have to be anything fancy, and in most cases going with a slightly more boring style is preferred over a more extravagant option. No matter what you do though, always make sure that you’re following a consistent style and colours that doesn’t abruptly change from one room to another.
This will not only help your office look better, but it will also make it easier for your employees to navigate through it. If you want to dedicate some rooms to specific purposes, it’s okay to deviate from the main style a bit. Just make sure that there’s some high-level consistency to everything.
4. Consider second-hand options
Office furniture doesn’t necessarily need to be brand new, especially for a smaller office. Various companies on the market offer a good selection of second-hand office furniture, allowing you to optimize your budget further. You can get a good value by purchasing used furniture.
For example, check the offers listed for used office furniture by ReThink Office Furniture London store. They may not always have something in stock that fits your requirements, but it’s worth checking back every once in a while if you’re not in a rush with your current office expansion/renovation project.
5. Get input from your employees
Always consider your employees’ opinions first and foremost. There might be certain issues that you’re not aware of, and those will only become apparent once you’ve conducted a serious conversation with everyone who’s going to be working in the new office.
If you’re opening a brand new office and thus don’t have any established contact with the employees who’ll be working there, you can still conduct a survey among your current workers. Ask them what they like and don’t like about their current workplace arrangements, and specifically ask for input on potential improvements.
6. Focus on ergonomics
Ergonomics is one of the most important factors when investing in office furniture. It might not even be a choice in some cases, as there are various legal regulations surrounding this aspect of office environments. You’re required to provide your employees with at least some baseline level of comfort and quality.
But it can’t hurt to go beyond that and explore options to make everyone feel more comfortable and stay healthy in the long run. It might cost a bit more, but it will be a worthwhile investment in terms of boosting team morale and trust.
7. Invest in extended warranty when it’s available
Always go for any extended warranty options you can get, at least for more expensive pieces of furniture. Not every manufacturer/seller will offer those, but when you’re making a larger purchase like furnishing an entire new office, it can make a lot of sense to additionally insure your investment.
This is especially valid for expensive office chairs with various mechanical functions that are prone to breaking down over time. It will also help you keep things consistent in the long run. If something breaks and you can’t buy a replacement for it anymore, that will be a problem that will get progressively worse over time.
8. Prepare for future office expansions if you have extra inventory space
If you can afford the extra storage space, try to buy some extra furniture for future expansions. Even if you’re not planning one right now, you don’t know how your plans might shift a few months in the future. It can be a good idea to stock up on some additional pieces of furniture to minimize any difficulties in maintaining consistency or finding a supplier on short notice. There are many places where you can buy office furniture.
This may also open up some opportunities for discounted bulk purchases. This is not guaranteed of course, and will depend on the exact amount you’re buying and the supplier you’re working with. But it’s an option you shouldn’t underestimate if you want to utilize your budget to its full potential.