Tips for Setting Up Your Office Workspace

A well set up office workspace can mean the difference between having a productive team, and a legion of workplace zombies. We spend upwards of forty hours a week in our office environment, and it’s true that when it comes to setting up the space, small decisions can yield big results. Ideally, employees will feel welcome and taken care of in the time they dedicate to their work each week, which in turn will have a positive contribution to the bottom line of the business as well.

Establish a Productive Workspace

This includes not using a space meant for efficiency and productivity for something mundane, like storage. Sure, the economy is tight, and most businesses no longer rent large buildings with individual offices for each member of the team, like in the past. This means you have to think on your feet a little more. Use what you know, and do the most that you can with the space that you have. Encourage team members to reserve specific areas for meetings and brainstorming, for example. Keep a specific area for archiving and storage (preferably not in the primary workspace), and do your best to design the layout of the office in a way that gives maximum space to departments that may need it more than others. A little bit of planning can help establish a space that ticks all these boxes.

Use Connective Technology Efficiently

In 2019, it’s impossible to set up an office space without considering the implications of connective technology in the workplace. Your internet connection is the lifeblood of the business, and other connective technology is now available, which could seriously improve productivity around the office. Do extensive research, speak to a specialist and make sure you set up a dedicated area for all your IT needs, ensuring you have the correct furniture to house specifics like routers, cloud drives, hard drives and more. Data is fast becoming a primary asset for most modern businesses. Be sure to do sufficient research about establishing secure connectivity in your workplace as a priority.

Create a Space for Collaboration in the Workplace

Many of us will have experienced going to a meeting in a company with an open plan workspace, with sales teams yammering away in one corner, and other departments working on their various projects with minimal consideration for the meeting. This is not entirely uncommon, especially in startup culture and in smaller workspaces, as are more common today. Be the change, and ensure you set up a collaborative work area for creativity and meetings, with a few ground rules in place upfront around keeping it tidy, food and clutter free. It’s important to provide a space where your team feels comfortable to express themselves, ideally not while the office scanner or printer is whirring and purring next to them.

Lighting Can Make a Big Difference. Seriously.

The same can be said for plants, or even the temperature of the air conditioning. Have you considered the impact of the types of lights you are using in the office on the health of your employees? Is there a regulation set in terms of the air conditioning, including when it goes on, who switches it off and what temperature works for a majority of the team? Are there enough plants around the office? While these might seem insignificant in the grander scheme of things, and while your office furniture should take priority when designing a new space (people still seriously underestimate the importance of ergonomic chairs for your employees), you shouldn’t discount the impact small changes can have in creating the most efficient space for productivity. 

Ask the right questions about what works for everyone.

This works in two ways. Firstly, ask your team what works for them, possibly in a short team meeting, or by sending out a short survey via email. Ask for suggestions from everyone, especially ahead of making bigger office furniture purchases or changes to the space. The team that brainstorms together succeeds together.

Another way to ask the right questions, is to make sure you do your research before planning and setting up any kind of workspace. This is not the kind of thing you enter into blindly. The great thing is, that these days it is easier to have access to specialists than it was in the past. Setting up the best possible space for your company doesn’t need to cost an arm and a leg, and is something that needs to be prioritized regardless of company size, offering or location. One such specialist is Ixaxa Office Furniture, which offers comprehensive options to help you create the most efficient office workspace for your team. With twenty years of experience and a 48-hour delivery policy, it’s no wonder they’re considered one of the top furniture suppliers in the greater Gauteng area.