Getting the most out of your office space

Part II

Think greenWhilst the benefits and importance

of making your carbon footprint smaller can’t be overstated, there

are other advantages too. An office space with less ‘baggage’ is more

agile and reduces the need for additional space for storing

paperwork and filing cabinets and other hardware. By enabling this,

you’re less office-bound and should the need arise, you can

work remotely.

Think on your feetThe majority of office workers spend

most of their time with their palms glued to their computer mouse, eyes

fixed on a glossy computer screen, and backs hunched over an office

chair. Regardless of how ergonomic your office chair or mouse may be,

this poses serious health risks in the long term, with lower back pain and

Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) to name a few.

Whether it’s a meeting or working on your computer, working whilst standing up has been shown to have many advantages, and if you haven’t given this a try, then this article could be your calling to do so.

Not only does the change in body position and posture bring about improvements in analytical thinking and creativity, standing up is less stressful for your back. You may also find that working whilst standing helps you achieve more in less time, not to mention shorter meetings!

Standing while working has many more benefits, and if you’re interested to learn more, Smithsonian.com have a useful article here.

Efficient designThis one may sound contrary to everything above at first, but bear with us…

In both the first part of this article and also now in the second part, we’ve talked about going small, becoming mobile, working remotely. But we know that this isn’t possible for every type of business, which is why we’ll end by talking about some of the steps you can take when you can’t quite leave your office.

Get storage smart – for a lot of businesses, having and holding onto piles of paperwork is a legal requirement, and if this is the case for you, then we’d suggest you invest in storage. There are 2 ways you can do this.

The first one would be to have ample smart storage cabinets and shelves within your office. Resist the urge to go for the cheaper options as the ones that cost more are also usually the ones that work better. Smarter drawers, more space, more available types of shelves can all help in storing away as much as possible.

The other option would be to use a self-storage facility. Whilst this may not work for every business, if you have access to one in the vicinity, or have paperwork which you don’t need frequent access to but which also needs to be preserved for a stipulated period of time, using an external storage facility can be the answer.

Foldaway office furniture is useful too, especially if you’re somewhat cramped for space currently. Nowadays, there is a great range of multi-functional office furniture to choose from as well.

When fitting out your office, think of going vertical. A simple tip, we know, but one that can significantly increase your office’s storage capacity whilst reducing the amount of floor space required can make for an office with more of an open feel. Plus, little steps such as using cable trays to keep cables out of sight also make for a safer work environment.