There is nothing worse for an employee than trying to work with outdated equipment. Whether it is office chairs, which keep breaking, a filing cabinet which keeps falling apart or an office desk with a huge crack in it, outdated, broken, and shabby furniture and equipment does not boost morale, and does not make for a productive office space!
Whilst it’s normal for businesses to want to save money, and as a result, they don’t want to spend cash on upgrades, at some point everything will need to be replaced. Nothing lasts forever, not even the most all singing, all dancing office desks on the market.
Knowing when it’s time to upgrade is something to be on the lookout for. You don’t want to be replacing things too soon, as that is going to be a waste of cash, but you also don’t want to wait too long, and potentially cause injury to a member of your staff.
Let’s explore some of the common signs that it’s time for an office upgrade.
Your Space And Office Furniture is Looking Less Than Its Best
First impressions are so vital in any workplace that if your office and the office furniture within it is looking old and outdated, then it’s time to think about replacing it with more up to date, contemporary choices. You can browse office furniture online very easily and look for bargains, as well as design ideas on how you might like to change your entire decor. If you’re going to upgrade, you might as well completely change it and create an impressive space for your staff to work in.
There is also a direct link between high quality furniture and the morale of your staff. Think about this from a personal point of view - would you want to work somewhere, which was dark, old, and everything was past its best? No! You’d want to work somewhere stylish, in a place where everything works, making life easier. This will boost morale, boost productivity, and as a result, boost your profits too.
Your Staff Are Complaining of Aches and Pains
A sure-fire sign that your office setup is past its best is when your staff (more than one) start to complain of recurring aches and pains, especially back pain. This is a nod towards buying new office furniture, ergonomically designed to help your staff with the job they’re doing, and to support their backs and necks during their working day.
Tip of the day: If you’re a London based business, there are many London office furniture choices, which are designed to support the body when sat for a long period of time, and you could also think about using height adjustable desks, which allow staff to stand up when they want to change position for a while.
At the end of the day, if your staff are complaining in multiples about pain, it’s better to act sooner rather than later. Back pain, usually lower back pain, is one of the biggest causes of workers going off sick, which isn’t going to help your productivity levels. You are also responsible for their wellbeing to a certain degree whilst they are at work, so provide them with the comfortable and supportive office furniture they need.
Your Staff Can’t Collaborate as They Want to
The most up to date, modern offices are collaboration-friendly. There are many advantages to allowing your staff to work in teams, and share ideas to help the common goal. Setting up an office space, which has zones, e.g. a space for quiet work, and a space for collaboration, is a great way to give staff the opportunities they need.
Old-fashioned office designs do not take this into account, and tend to focus more on the individual doing their work alone. New offices take a much greater focus towards collaboration and if your space doesn’t allow this, it’s a sure-fire sign that you should be thinking about upgrading and perhaps incorporating zones and different areas, for different types of work.
Your Furniture is Literally Falling Apart
This is an obvious one, but so many people simply stick whatever is broken back together with heavy-duty tape, and hope that there are a few more months’ worth of life left in it! If your office furniture has more tape around it than is strictly necessary (e.g. any!) then you should think about replacing your current pieces with some high quality industrial office furniture choices.
There is not one piece of furniture on the market over the last 100 years that was built to last forever, so if your staff are working with antique desks, it’s time for a change. The latest, modern furniture choices are designed with durability in mind, so you’re actually investing in high quality at this point too.
There Have Been Accidents, or Safety Concerns Voiced
If any members of your staff have had, an accident within the office, or anyone has voiced concerns about health and safety issues within the office then it’s time to sit down seriously and take action. As an employer, you are under a legal obligation to provide a safe working environment for your staff, and if your office is a health hazard, then you could be putting yourself at risk, as well as your staff.
This is often the fault of newer technologies coming into the office and the space simply not being big enough, or not being right for the new addition. Extra wires arrive, and they can’t be concealed well enough. It could also be that you’ve had extra members of staff come into the office, and you’ve had to add extra desks into the space. Too much within one space means more chance of tripping, banging yourself, or falling. If there are any concerns or any events, which contribute towards safety issues, then take action now.
Productivity is on The Slide
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If you’re noticing that your staff just aren’t as productive as they once more, you need to start to analyse why this might be. Of course, it might not be the fault of the office completely, but if your office space and furniture is old, it’s very likely that it is a huge contributing factor.
We’ve already mentioned the link between good quality furniture and morale, but it could also be that the space isn’t geared up for the work they need to do. For instance, more desks might have been added for extra staff, but that means that they need to get up to go to the printer and walk further. This all adds up over the course of a day! It could also be down to morale completely, because the office isn’t inspiring, and because everything is falling apart, your staff just don’t feel valued.
Look into every reason for productivity slumps, but bear in mind this very likely reason.
Your Needs Have Changed
Businesses are constantly changing, and this means new technology coming to the fore on a regular basis. We talked about extra office desks being implemented into the space, but what about extra technology, and a need for extra office storage? These all create a cramped space, one which isn’t functional, doesn’t meet the needs of those who work within it, and one, which is also a likely health and safety issue.
Perhaps desktop printers have been taken away, in favour of a central printer, but this is stored outside of the office, because there’s no room for it inside the space itself. Maybe staff need larger monitors, to do more in-depth work, and their desks aren’t big enough. There are many needs, which might change over the years, but the office needs to change and adapt with it. If this hasn’t happened with your office, a revamp is in order.
It Doesn’t Reflect Your Business as a Whole Anymore
The ethos and aims of your business change over the years, and it’s important that your office space reflects those aims and the image of your overall brand. If the office is outdated, it’s not reflecting those at all. We’ve talked about first impressions already, and if someone comes into your office, thinking about doing business with you, are they going to be impressed with an outdated space, full of furniture, which is held together with heavy-duty tape? No. The reason? Because they think that, the service you provide will also be held together with the same kind of tape.
If, on the other hand, you wow them with a space, which is modern, sleek, and clean, they will think that the service you provide is those three things too.
Let us know your thoughts on office upgrades and if you can think of any other signs that a change might be in order. Offices, which stand still and don’t move with the times, risk being left behind and the competition taking over. This isn’t something anyone wants or needs, and it can be easily fixed with a few modern touches here and there.
Let us know your ideas, and don’t forget to share on social media too!