The “Must Haves” In The Office 2019

How many times have you seen an office or walked into a workplace where you felt the urge to leave as soon as possible? The uneventful atmosphere, the characterless interior design, the unstimulating environment – all of those just screaming with dreary working hours. Now, imagine actually having to work in these bland, uninspired surroundings every day. Luckily, we have some tips on how to change the ambiance of a work base and set a much different tone of a place.

Whether you’re an employer or a company leader that wants to revamp his or her current office look, or you’re just moving into the new space, we have all the “must haves” for your headquarters. And not only will your place of business look great with these elements, but it will also – even more importantly – increase everyone’s productivity levels.

On the other hand, if you’re an employee and can’t really do much about interior design and the office layout in general, we also have some tips on how to make your immediate working surroundings more pleasant and enjoyable.

Equip the Office With Comfortable and Cool-Looking Furniture

In case you’re a taskmaster and a head man or a woman, you should address your workers’ needs and customize the place to their fittings and likings. Nothing does this better than making sure they’re comfortable enough while they work.

Comfy Chair / Sofa / Chaise

This should really count as a basic, but it doesn’t hurt reminding: the first thing that you want to do is get everyone a cozy chair.

If you start to notice that the employees are often times squirming and wriggling in their seats, and can’t hold a steady position for longer periods, maybe it’s time to seriously consider getting them some more comfortable chairs. But why stop at plain, simple working chairs – why not take it up a notch and invest in a restful, good-looking sofa or a chaise?

Regular chairs don’t necessarily have to be unsuitable relics of the past in your working environment, but you should definitely consider moving onto a more convenient and appropriate furnishing for your office. Just try to think outside the box and forget about the old-fashioned notions and ideas on how a working space needs to look like. Because as quaint as it may sound, it is much more important to pay attention to your worker’s needs than to adhere to some oldfangled standards.

Sit-to-Stand Desks

They call these desks ‘flexible work stations’ for a good reason. They are adjustable all across the board: not only do they fit in any surroundings and working areas, but they also provide the much-needed comfort and convenience. Sit-to-stand desks will instantly make your office look and feel more contemporaneous and neoteric. Having the luxury to switch from sitting to standing position in no time is really not just the thing of the present, but is also helpful in many ways.

The sedentary lifestyle that we live most of the time is cut off by these workstations. No matter how comfy the chairs at your office are, you still have to stand up from time to time. Make this addition to your workplace and the employees won’t be able to say ‘thank you’ enough.

Sit-to-stand desks don’t have just these two options – sitting or standing – to choose from. We’ve already mentioned that they’re adjustable in many ways, so another cool feat is that you can alter the table height. Just like one chair doesn’t fit everyone, the desk is really no different.

Multiple Use Conference Table

We bet that there were times when your conference room has been rarely used. This is why you must rehaul it and make it suitable for multiple purposes. So, instead of having a completely unoccupied space for extended periods of time, why not upgrade your conference table to a ping pong table? One moment you can have serious brainstorming sessions and meetings in here, and the next moment the entire conference room can become a break room.

Long gone are the days when the productivity of workers was associated only with the stern and strict office culture. As a matter of fact, the employees tend to perform much better in the stress-free working environment, and this shouldn’t really come as a surprise to anyone.

Office Kitchen/ Break Room

Speaking of break rooms, you most definitely must have an entire area dedicated to this. No man or woman can perform to the best of their abilities if they don’t have the much-needed break once in a while. They say that “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” for a very good reason. That’s why you need to step up your game and install both functional and fun office kitchen/ break room ASAP. Here are some ideas on the things that you’d want to put in there.

Pool Table

You already have a ping pong table in your conference room, so this is the perfect opportunity to give the employees another fun thing that they can do while on the break.

Coffee Machine

This one’s absolutely a must, even if you currently don’t have a designated kitchen office or a break room area. Nothing gives a good kick start to the day like a nice cup of coffee. Make sure to boost everyone’s productivity by installing a coffee bean machine that’s gonna become a new favorite meeting place in your company. There are many ways to distinguish yourself from your peers and attract different people (new employees, clients, etc.), and having good coffee at your office is most certainly one of those.

Dartboard

Ping pong table, pool table, dartboard – the holy trinity of break room games. You can’t go wrong with either one of these fun indoor activities, so why not opt for all of them? You can also organize after-work tournaments and keep weekly scores. These are all fun and bonding activities that will also boost everyone’s productivity and morale.

Fruits and Snacks

Make sure that the office kitchen is always full of fruits and healthy snacks. That way the employees will maintain the required energy levels throughout the day. Just avoid sugary and unhealthy stuff that quickly raise the blood sugar levels but leave everyone lethargic and inert afterward.

Board Games

Spice up the things with some entertaining board games that are really going to engage people in an amusing way. And if you’re maybe frowning upon all these suggestions that are merrymaking and recreation-centered, just make sure to remember that this really does help your company in the long run. Keeping the employees happy and content works to everyone’s advantage.

Glass Board

Another cool thing that you can put in your office is a glass board. Substitute the old-fashioned dry erase board with the glass board for one simple reason: glass boards aren’t porous and thus totally erase, unlike dry erase boards. Avoid marker residues while at the same time giving your workspace a nice modern look.

Charging Stations

If your office is mainly designed to have a large open space with only a few walls, chances are that you need some charging stations. You definitely don’t want your employees running around looking for power outlets just so that they can have fully charged batteries in their phones and computers. Equip your working space with these portable charging stations and you won’t have to worry if the building has rare power outlets.

Desk Or Tabletop Lighting

Now, if you’re an employee, we know how hard it can be to change one’s surroundings – your hands are pretty much tied in terms of making any substantial changes to the area you work in. But, the good news is that you can also contribute to making a nicer working atmosphere for yourself and the people in your near presence.

Start off by bringing a good desk lamp. Your office desk will immediately get a whole new vibe. Just make sure that the light itself doesn’t bother your fellow colleagues and you can already start to enjoy your work more.

Photos of Loved Ones and Pets

In case you’re not particularly fond of the interior design in the office where you work at, you can always make things a bit more enjoyable by putting photos of your loved ones or pets on the desk.

Marker Board and Eraser

If you don’t have any kind of marker board at your office (glass or dry erase) don’t hesitate to bring your own. Any kind of project planning and brainstorming gets significantly easier if you use marker board and an eraser.

Notebook

Use a notebook that’s gonna make your life a lot easier by writing your ideas quickly or looking into the upcoming schedule. Or, in case you need to come up with some ideas or you’re having an unproductive day overall, try just scribbling or even doodling anything in your notebook – you’d be surprised by how many things you’re able to work out while letting your brain work in the background.

Reusable Water Bottle

The importance of staying hydrated at all times shouldn’t be overlooked. You’ll be sharper and more focused throughout the day, and the water will also keep you from snacking uncontrollably. Get a reusable water bottle so you don’t have an excuse for not drinking enough fluids anymore.

Conclusion

We gave you some “must haves” in the office, 2019 edition. Things are changing pretty fast, so you want to make sure to keep up the pace with everything new that’s going on.

If you’re an employer, the most important thing to remember is to make your employees feel as comfortable as possible. Provide them with cozy furniture, like chairs, sofas, and tables. On top of that, make sure to give them a much-needed office kitchen/ break room space where they can really enjoy their leisure and rest time with some good quality coffee and snacks.

On the other hand, if you’re an employee, and you can’t change much in terms of your office surroundings, you can still do some little things that will make your days spent at work more pleasurable. Bring the stuff that you feel more comfortable with, like desk lamps, framed photos and stationery items that will make things easier for you on a regular basis.

What are your thoughts? Please share in the comments below. I really would love to know.

Until next time, shine amongst the stars!

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