You will need to furnish an office whether you are a fresh new startup flush with venture capital, a company endeavour slowly moving from a few home offices to a centralized site, or a huge corporation launching a new office to increase operations.
Most of the time, those items do not come set up and ready for you to move in. You are purchasing or leasing a place, not the contents of that space.
You must consider everything – chairs, desks, cabinets, and even break room furniture – and anything you overlook will only make the situation worse until you can correct it.
What we have done is compiled a list of everything you will need to think about, as well as some budget-friendly suggestions.
Furniture: New vs. Used
The first decision you must make is whether you want brand new furniture or if you are willing to purchase old furniture.
New furniture is usually covered by a warranty and will be free of flaws and damage. You will be able to order as many of any given items as you need, though you may have to wait for large bulk purchases to be fulfilled, depending on the supplier.
The disadvantage, of course, is that purchasing new furniture is more expensive than purchasing used furniture.
Used furniture is, of course, the more cost-effective option. A chair that retails for over $2,000 might only cost $800 if it is secondhand. Used furniture, on the other hand, carries several risks.
They could be filthy or have little damage. Scratches and dings might appear on desks, and tears or dents can appear on chairs, for example.
Perhaps more crucially, finding used furniture in sufficient quantity from a single supplier is not always easy. If your office is going to be larger, you will need to find a second source to round out your numbers.
Buying furniture from a shutting business can bring you as many desks and chairs as they had, but if your office is going to be larger, you will need to locate a second source to round out your figures.
If you are obliged to buy new pieces to complete the set, you may face workplace jealousy, as some employees are forced to deal with old second-hand furniture while a select few get the wonderful new stuff.
Manufacturer Wholesale Discounts
It can be tempting to go with one of the dozens of office furniture suppliers selling brand-name furniture at reasonable pricing.
This could be a blunder. Many of these businesses have a set price for buying one or a few goods but offer wholesale prices for bigger buys in quantity. A $2,000 chair might only cost $1,700 per unit if you buy 30 of them, or $1,500 per unit if you buy 100.
This is not always the case, and it can vary depending on the scale. Because the outlet business is buying 10,000 units and can obtain a better deal than you, even their middleman price is lower than your direct price.
Picking the Right Chairs
Your working environment can be made or broken by the chairs you choose. High-quality chairs offer a slew of ergonomic advantages, are far more comfortable, and will not need to be replaced for years, if not a decade.
You might have had to spend a lot of money in the past to buy an ergonomically built chair. If you have any employees who are particularly tall, short, or large, you may want to look for chairs that come in many sizes.
Other office furniture can be purchased and still have plenty of life remaining in it, but chairs can accumulate a slew of little faults over time. There are wide options for ergonomic office chairs on flexispot.co.uk.
Getting the Right Desks
Desks are one of the few locations where you have a lot of freedom, but they will influence the overall arrangement of your business. Depending on the user's demands, larger workstations can take up more room and be better positioned.
Consider how the workstations will be used regularly. Employees who frequently need to spread out a handful of reference documents and files, or who require more room for drafting, may require larger desks.
Another thing to think about is whether you want sit-stand desks. Standing desks are rarely practical for a full office layout, however, sit-stand desks that convert from one position to the other can be a very helpful solution for many companies.
For ergonomics, standing is preferable to sitting, and switching between the two throughout the day can help ease back discomfort and other issues caused by long hours at the office.
Buying used for simple sitting desks is frequently sufficient. Most minor imperfections can be restored or wiped away, so a few scratches and dings are not a big deal. You should get new sit-stand desks.
The use of a motor can cause it to break down over time, and while they are built to last for a long time, the more use you can get out of it before it needs to be repaired, the better.
If you are looking for a height-adjustable workstation, FlexiSpot is the place to go. The Adjustable Standing Desk Pro Series is unlike any traditional office workstation. This is a standing desk that allows you to work while standing instead of sitting.
This will help you stretch out your legs and joints, preventing any problems with posture or cramps. This is particularly crucial and advantageous in any business atmosphere.
Choosing Other Furniture
Remember that a workplace is more than just a set of desks and chairs. Small shelves can be placed on desks against cubicle walls to provide extra storage space for those working there.
Larger shelves, such as bookshelves and free-standing cabinets, can serve as both supplementary storage within cubicles and shared storage space at the office's boundaries.
Filing cabinets are also a viable option. In many offices, each employee has a filing cabinet. A heavy-duty lock can ensure that vital documents are never left out in an insecure place, and a heavy-metal cabinet can safeguard what is within from fire. At FlexiSpot, you have a variety of filing cabinets to pick from.
Conference Furniture
While the majority of your furniture selections will be centred on what each employee requires in their office, you will also need to consider what goes into certain task-focused areas. They are essential for meetings with potential clients as well as internal teams.
You will need a conference table for your meeting area. Chairs for your conference room should be similar, but keep in mind that if any employees require special seating, you may need to purchase additional larger or smaller chairs to accommodate them.
Other Office Essentials
Monitor mounting arms may be useful if you work on desktop PCs or if your developers, for example, require greater screen real estate. These arms are perfect for sit-stand desks and ergonomically altering the office environment.
For the maximum convenience of usage, monitor arms should always be purchased new. Anti-fatigue mats are a good option if your business uses sit-stand workstations.
Another thing to think about is illumination. It is one thing to have overhead lighting but giving people warmer desk lamps can help create a more friendly and pleasant environment. Lamps can be purchased new or old, depending on your aesthetic preferences.
Final Thoughts
FlexiSpot is your go-to supplier when you need someone to help you figure out what you are going to require. Overall, there are many factors to consider when setting up an office, but this list should help you cover the essentials for your relocation!
