There are several things that crucial to every office. First, there’s an office space that you either own or get a lease on. Second, there are safety measures that keep your employees healthy and productive. Third, there’s all the equipment required for work, and finally, there’s your staff. The issue of proper office equipment is incredibly important, seeing as how it represents the link between the other two. Namely, it determines how your staff interacts with your office space. The position of office furniture affects pathways and crowdedness of the room, while the quality of equipment may affect productivity in many different ways. With that in mind and without further ado, here’s some useful office equipment that every office needs.
1. Computers and Peripherals
The first thing every office nowadays needs is computers, along with peripherals in the form of monitors, keyboards, mice, headphones and similar items. Now, the number and specifications of these computers depend on the size of your staff and, in the era of dual-monitors, the number of peripherals isn’t necessarily proportionate to the number of employees or computers. Also, getting silent or noise-cancelling peripherals may add to the cost of equipping your office, yet, the boost in productivity will more than make up for it and result in a positive ROI. Overall, your computers and peripherals are essential to your productivity.
2. Desks and Chairs
Another thing you need to consider is the importance of having adequate office furniture in the form of desks and chairs. The first reason for this is the fact that they encourage a good posture and are, therefore, great for your health. A person suffering from back pain won’t be able to focus properly on the task at hand. Second, they allow your team to see the monitor under the right angle, which, nurtures your eyesight. Finally, every worker’s workstation is their own domain, which is why providing them with quality desk space may make a huge difference.
3. Material Handling Equipment
Just because you’re working in an office space it doesn’t mean that you will be able to handle all of the office supplies and materials manually. This is A) unsafe, B) inefficient and C) risk due to the fact that you could damage or mishandle materials. For this reason, when planning an office, you also need to consider your storage solutions and consider getting a basket trolley from sellers like Sitecraft. With the help of adequate material handling equipment, you’ll also make the distribution of these materials to everyone in the office a lot easier and will enable the scenario where it can be done by a single person.
4. Lighting
The next issue is one of the lightings. When it comes to the issue of natural light, you have what you have. In other words, this is an issue that you need to think about while choosing office space. Installing skylights and removing internal (non-supportive walls) is expensive and something you may not be allowed to do on a rental property. Therefore, you need to focus on the artificial lighting system. Other than general lighting, you also need to outfit each desk with task light. Needless to say, it’s for the best if you could always go for LED when making this choice.
5. Paper Shredder
You would be surprised just how much you need a paper shredder for your company. Namely, some of the files that you no longer need contain sensitive customer information which is why it’s both irresponsible and in some cases even illegal to just leave them lying around. This is why micro-cut shredders are simply second to none. Same goes for your employees. Also, keep in mind that shredders are eco-friendly, seeing as how the shredded paper may be used mulch for a garden. Naturally, if you’re putting so much emphasis on environmentalism, you might want to buy an energy-efficient shredder.
6. Reliable Broadband
It would be safe to say that it’s imaginable to run an office in 2019 without an internet connection. This is why finding a reliable provider might be the first thing you need to do upon finding a new office. The faster the broadband the better, which is why unlimited broadband (preferably with fibre optic) might be your best option. This will help you quickly exchange large files and make conference calls without any fear of lag or delay. In other words, it’s what helps prepare your office for the 21st century.
7. Software
Finally, you need to understand that a present-day office also exists in the virtual world. This is why the choice of collaboration tool, IM software for team communication and industry-specific software alters your workplace as much as the actual furniture does. Due to the fact that some of these platforms may have high requirements, this is something that you need to consider before buying hardware (something we’ve discussed in the first section). Keep in mind that you don’t have to provide everyone in the office with this hardware but only those who absolutely need it.
In Conclusion
As you can see, there are many different aspects to preparing your office to work. You’ll need to worry about IT hardware, infrastructure, furniture, light and additional equipment. The fact that in most of these areas you have a multitude of choice may sometimes make it harder for you to make up your mind. Indecisiveness, nonetheless, is a luxury that a true entrepreneur can never afford. Therefore, do your research, make a decision and stick to it to the best of your abilities.
