Upgrade Considerations For Your Office’s Future Staffing Needs

Moving your company’s offices to a new location isn’t always an option when you’ve outgrown your present space. The cost of finding an appropriate location, making sure it is retrofitted to meet your needs, and the cost of moving the equipment and furnishings you need may be too costly. Instead of moving, upgrading your current space to meet your needs may be a better option for your business.

Considerations for Office Upgrades

If you find yourself short of office space, but needing to hire more employees, you may need to hire a designer who can help you design your offices to fit more people along with the equipment and furnishings they need to work comfortably. Upgrading your offices may also include the necessary wiring to update your IT and telecom systems to allow your employees to get their work done without overburdening your current services.

Choosing New Furnishings

If you haven’t upgraded your office space in several years, then you may still be using a design that includes individual desks for your staff. While this may be adequate for your current employees, if you add more people to your staff, it could be difficult to fit the additional furnishings you’ll need in the same amount of space. Instead of purchasing individual desks, consider upgrading your office design with modular furniture.

Modular furniture can save space and provide the room you need for additional employees to work comfortably. An interior designer can help you choose a design that would be fitting for your office, whether it is an open concept design or one that involves the creation of cubicles to allow your employees to have some privacy while they are working. With modular furniture, you can fit up to four people in the same amount of space that would be taken up by two desks.

Replacing old-fashioned desks with more modern furnishings also allows you to make your employees more comfortable while they work and it helps to reduce on the job injuries too. You can choose modular furniture that is adjustable to allow for better ergonomics. By adjusting the desktops and chairs to meet their needs, your employees will have less stress placed on their bodies, especially their backs, which will lessen the chance of downtime due to injuries.

Before deciding on a new modular design, it may be helpful to get some input from the people who will be working at the stations. Some people may want to have desks that allow them to work while standing up, especially if they are at their computers most of the day. Studies have shown that standing desks help increase productivity and focus while giving workers more energy and fewer headaches. So, if your employees want to work standing up, you should consider that when upgrading your offices.

Technology Updates

It is a good time to consider updating your company’s computer systems when you’re upgrading your offices, if it hasn’t been done already. If you are still using desktop systems with the old fashioned standard chunky CRT monitors, you may want to consider replacing them with flat screens. Not only will flat screens help save space, but they also have better image resolution, and they can provide better security because it is difficult to read them from an angle.

You should also consider using ergonomic keyboards when purchasing new desktop systems for your company. An ergonomic keyboard can help reduce strain on the wrists, which in turn can help prevent carpal tunnel syndrome. For your staff members who spend much of their time crunching data, ergonomic keyboards can help reduce absenteeism by reducing repetitive strain injuries.

Of course when you’re adding more staff and upgrading your computer systems, you will need to make sure to update the wiring in your office to accommodate the increased workload. If your company doesn’t have an IT person on staff who can evaluate and upgrade the wiring as needed, you can hire a fit out company to update the wiring and cabling for any additional workstations you will need. Contact Saracen here to get more information about upgrading your offices for your future IT needs.

Make Your Offices More Efficient

Not only is space a consideration when adding additional staff to your offices, but you may also need to examine the office lighting and HVAC system too. You want your offices to have adequate lighting to allow your employees to work comfortably and avoid problems such as headaches and eye strain which can increase absenteeism rates. Your HVAC system needs to be examined to ensure it can adequately heat and cool your offices even after the additional people and equipment arrive.

If you do need to update the lighting and/or HVAC system, it would be a good time to switch to more energy-efficient equipment so you not only make the office environment more conducive for working, but you can save money on the energy bills as well. Instead of using fluorescent lighting that can be too harsh, especially for those sitting at their monitors all day, consider using more energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs. Alternatively, you could light each workstation individually.

The heating and cooling bill is probably one of the highest expenses your company has, and by upgrading to a more energy-efficient HVAC system you can help reduce that expense while keeping your work area comfortable no matter what the weather is like outside. A fit out company can help you evaluate your current office lighting and HVAC system to see if it adequate for your future needs. If not, they can recommend new equipment that will still be within your budget.

Of course, your budget is going to be one of the most important considerations when upgrading your offices for additional staff, but the money you save by staying in your current location can help offset some of the additional costs of new furnishings, equipment and doing any necessary upgrades to the building’s wiring. Upgrading your offices gives you the chance to help make improvements that will create a more comfortable and healthier environment for your staff.