If you want your business to succeed, you need your workplace to function like a well-oiled machine. After all, employees can’t be expected to do their best if they don’t have somewhere to work that meets their needs.
There are plenty of things to consider when setting up an office, some of which are more crucial than others. Without these in place, you can’t expect your business to reach its full potential.
The Essentials
You’re probably going to run into a bit of trouble if you try to set up a workplace without any essential office furniture. Of course, this means things like desks and chairs, so that your employees have somewhere to work. With the latter, you’ll want to ensure that they provide some form of ergonomic support to avoid any back problems down the line. Standing desks may also be worthwhile for the same reason, although your staff probably won’t be too happy if this is all that’s available. No-one wants to be on their feet for eight hours a day, five days a week.
The Right Technology
If you don’t have computers in your office, you’re going to struggle to get much work done. Getting these ordered and installed for all of your employees – or at least the ones who will be using them regularly – is essential. You may wish to go for laptops instead of computers if you expect your employees to work on the move or, occasionally, at home. That decision is entirely up to you, though.
Other technologies that you may want to consider for the office are printers, shredders, and a phone line. These are all fairly self-explanatory and having them around will make your work far more efficient.
Business IT Support
It’s not just the physical technology that you need to invest in for your office – there’s also stuff like internet and email too. Setting all of that up at the same time can be tricky, and that’s without considering the need to maintain it and resolve any potential problems. Fortunately, you don’t have to deal with all this yourself. You can always hand off the responsibility to somewhere like L.I.T Solutions, who specialize in providing IT Support Services. They’re renowned for helping small and medium businesses with all the IT solutions and services they need, so you can keep working without any worry. They’re the best place to look for business IT support in Australia.
Storage Space
If you’re a new business, then you might not have accrued much in the way of paperwork yet. What’s more, given the prevalence of technology nowadays, you may not always feel like you need a physical copy of every single document. However, while this might be the case, it’s still essential that your office has plenty of storage space for when things pile up. The last thing that you need is for important papers to go missing because your workplace doesn’t have a good filing system in place. A few filing cabinets ought to see to that problem. They won’t take up much space, but they will keep everything organised and secure, saving you potential future stress.
A Smart Layout
It’s amazing just how much the layout of an office can influence the productivity and performance of its workers. You might not think it matters that much, but if a workplace layout inspires distraction, then people aren’t going to work as hard as they could. There’s a lot to think about and so many office layout ideas to choose from. Perhaps the most important points to consider, though, are how you arrange your employees, whether any of them are in out-of-sight spots, and if you’d rather have an open or close plan office. Obviously, given the events of 2020, it’d probably be wise to ensure that desks are also arranged so that people can keep their distance from one another while working. Office layout involves more than just desks and chairs; even seemingly minor details, such as the choices made by bathroom stall manufacturers, can influence how employees perceive their workspace. Therefore, it’s essential to consider every aspect of your office design, not just desk placement for social distancing, in order to establish a productive and comfortable environment for your team.
That Personal Touch
Employees can’t be expected to perform at their best if their workplace isn’t stimulating enough. While you don’t want the office to be filled with too many distractions, it’s important that people are surrounded by more than just white walls and windows. Try adding a bit of paint here and there or investing in some greenery. Allowing people to personalise their workspace is an absolute must too once your office is open for business. It may even be worthwhile getting some stationery and other products printed with your brand and having those around the workplace as well. Anything that shows that this office belongs to you is a definite plus.
Given how much time office workers spend at their job every year, it’s vital that their workplace has everything they need to be productive. If you ensure that your office includes all of the features mentioned above when you set it up, then that shouldn’t be a problem for your company.
