Home-based workers tend to over-economize on furniture - at
least in the very beginning. If you are a solo worker, the
workplace design will simply depend on your individual needs.
You can just take some old chairs and table from your garage,
and viola, you've got yourself a furnished office!
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However,
furniture will become a considerable concern if you begin to
employ other people and they work in your home office. Instead
of putting individual requirements first, the needs of the group
should receive primary
consideration. With the addition of employees, your workspace
design now calls for a stronger emphasis on mobility
and adaptability, a new blending of ownership and sharing. It
demands open displays for shared information. And it requires
support for shared technology, storage, and vertical and
horizontal surfaces.
Here are
some furniture buying tips for your growing office:
1. Define your furniture requirements by
what you and your employees need to work effectively.
This calls for a
stronger emphasis on mobility and adaptability, a new blending
of ownership and sharing. You need to consider open displays for
shared information, as well as support for shared technology and
storage. As the employer, your goal should be to help workers
communicate more effectively and function better in teams. In
providing more collaborative environments, you need to ask these
questions: What kind of furniture do we need? Tables for
meetings? Acoustical panels for privacy?
2. Generate a list of
the minimum furniture you require
to avoid buying things that
you do not need. Space, for one, is a problem for most home
offices. Oftentimes, you will need to furnish your office
vertically to maximize every square inch of your office.
3. Buy
furniture for its functionality, not for image. If furniture is
not appropriate for the way your people work, it becomes
impractical.
4. Consider leasing or renting
furniture,
particularly if you need 100 percent financing. This will
increase your flexibility as your company grows or shrinks.
Leasing is best if you expect to upgrade your furniture quickly
and if you don't expect to cancel your lease before it is
finished. However, if you can afford to pay cash, then buy the
furniture to avoid the financing and leasing expense. Buying the
furniture is also advisable if you plan to own it for quite a
while. Another advantage of buying the furniture is if you want
to keep your balance sheet clean of liabilities and keep your
credit line open for other purchases.
5. Think about the health
and safety of your employees
- be sure to consider comfort and
ergonomics. The wrong desk and chair can make you and your
employees susceptible to ergonomic disorders such as backache,
headaches, eyestrain and other irritations and inconveniences.
Fatigue, loss of concentration, and irritability can also be
attributed to the use of the wrong furniture.
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