How Important Is Quality Office Furniture?
Designing or redefining your modern workspace means nothing if you don’t have the right office furniture for your employees to utilize. Today’s workplace demands office furniture that is reliable, yet also versatile, minimalist and functional. It’s the continued evolution of the efficiency concept, driven home in everything from desking units and chairs, to storage cabinets and boardroom tables.
Still, many wonder just how important the issue of quality is when choosing office furniture. How much money should a company spend, and does it really matter in the grand scheme of things? There are no real definitive answers here, merely a series of criteria to watch out for when choosing your office furniture. Sounds confusing? Read along to learn more.
CHEAP FURNITURE VS. HUMAN HEALTH
Many people might be tempted to think that a chair is a chair…is a chair, but they’re in the minority these days. In the modern work age, most of us recognize the importance of quality office furniture that contributes to a healthier work day, thereby increasing productivity while cutting down on health-related issues.
Chairs are a big focus for companies, and choosing the wrong ones can encourage bad posture, which will lead to back problems, fatigue and other complications. Quality office furniture stresses the importance of proper posture, while also introducing technology and design elements that actively fight to prevent health issues over time. Ergonomics isn’t just a buzz word anymore.
The same goes for desking units, tables and workstation racks. Quality products are designed to encourage workers to vary up their work routine throughout the course of the day. This includes things like height-adjustable desking options that are great for workers who want to stand up for a while, and increase blood flow throughout the body. Opting for cheap office furniture may backfire over time as employers are faced with the costliness of poorer productivity and employee downtime.
MATERIALS MATTER
A wooden desk is not, in fact, just a wooden desk. Actually, it’s a particular type of material that changes depending on the manufacturer, and price range of the item. That wood desk may actually be particle board, composite material or a laminate of some sort. That’s not to say that these materials are necessarily bad or ill-suited for your office, but they can play a role when it comes to overall quality.
Cheap office furniture almost always skimps on quality materials in order to cut down costs. There’s nothing wrong with this, per say. After all, some offices may need to stretch every penny to its absolute limit, especially if they’re just starting up. Cheap furniture can do the job in the interim, but over time, companies should be mindful that they’re investing in progressively better quality furniture. It’s fine to save a few bucks, but if the materials of your office furniture start to chip, peel or fade over time, it’s not going to say anything good about your attention to quality or detail.
STURDINESS IS PARAMOUNT
The last thing any company needs is to invest in office furniture that breaks, or can’t hold its own weight. Desking and workstation units need to be sturdy and durable, especially when storing heavy things. Otherwise, it could lead to a mess, or even worse – a serious workplace injury. Thankfully, even the cheapest tier of office furniture has taken this into account, but there’s only so far it can go.
Sturdiness is generally – though not always – an indicator of great quality. Do a bit of research and ask the seller questions before investing, and you’ll save a lot of time and hassle. The objective should be to invest in office furniture that shouts “reliable” every time you use it.
VERSATILITY IS KEY
Great office furniture shouldn’t serve only one function, as it used to in the old days. Even something as simple as a chair should have multifunctional uses so that employees of all types can use them. Different employees have different needs. One employee may feel more comfortable leaning back in their chair, while another employee may need some privacy at their desk.
Modular thinking has become a staple of today’s office furniture world, and many companies are designing products that can be customized or laid out in different ways to accommodate everything from floor space, to the number of employees, etc. Cheap office furniture isn’t designed for these purposes, as they require more work, materials and strategy to implement. Quality office furniture is a mixture of great materials, durability, and a smart design process that takes more than just one need into account.
CONCLUSION
If you choose quality office furniture, you’ll be in a much better position to redesign and restructure your workspace. More options and better quality means less time trying to hammer a square peg into a round hole. Still, many companies may have difficulty deciding on what the word “quality” means, which is why it’s always advisable to speak to a professional office design team.
At Sensyst, we understand the marriage between office space planning and quality furniture, and we plan with both in mind. If you’re ready to design your first office, or restructure your current one, give us a call. We’ll help you choose the right office furniture that will compliment your new space, and give your employees, VIPs and clients something to talk about!