How Office Furniture Expo Can Help You Make Better Choices

In an era where economic recessions and cutbacks almost seem commonplace, many businesses are seeking ways to maximize their employees’ productivity. Did you know that the type of office furniture you select can help or hinder your efforts? The size of your office doesn’t matter as much as what you fill it with in terms of office furniture and accessories. Luckily for you, Office Furniture Expo is a leading expert at custom office design in the Atlanta Metro Area and has gathered some useful tips for helping you maximize your office space for improved efficiency. We have one essential question for you: what kind of company culture do you wish to convey through your office furniture? Let’s take it from there!

What Your Office Furniture Could Convey About Your Culture

The type of office furniture you choose says a lot about your company culture and what you value. For instance, selecting ergonomic office chairs says you care about your employees’ comfort and making sure they have the right tools to perform their job to the best of their ability. Selecting funky couches and modern furniture accents say that you value creativity and expressive employees, while traditional office elements may convey a more traditional atmosphere suitable for a doctor’s or lawyer’s office. Collaborative spaces, sit to stand desks, open floor plan or individual offices? No matter what style you’re hoping to achieve, Office Furniture Expo has office furniture that should speak to everyone’s preferences and budget in our 100,000-square-foot showroom and extensive catalogs.

Believe It or Not, Your Office’s Color Scheme Actually Matters

Much research has been done by psychologists and scientists proving how colors impact moods, which in turn can affect employee productivity and morale. If you want to inspire happy, productive workers, consider a bright, vibrant workplace with accent walls and splashes of color through well-placed artwork, photography, and other visually appealing statuary and sculptures. You want to make a positive first impression on visitors to your office, whether they’re clients or potential employees. Your office space should be professional-feeling, but also warm and inviting to have the most impact. If your office features a dull or muted color scheme, it could be time for an office makeover with our friendly, experienced design consultants at Office Furniture Expo. Let us put our 35+ years of expertise to use.

How to Use Mirrors and Lighting Elements to Your Advantage

If you’re a small business or an upstart, you may have a limited amount of office space to work with when decorating. How can you make a restricted area feel less cramped to your employees? The trick is may be to add mirrors and lighting to make the space appear bigger! You’d be amazed by how much of a difference these elements can make. You have to add lighting elements to your office for safety and practicality, but you may as well use them to your strategic advantage. Well-lit areas promote productivity while maintaining an energetic vibe you need for collaboration to happen. You can replace inefficient overhead fluorescent lighting (which often causes migraines in the workplace) with personal LED lamps in people’s workstations of desks. Their eyes and heads will thank you later with improved work productivity because they aren’t straining as much to see documents and computer screens on their desks.

Making use of natural lighting whenever possible is also recommended – don’t be afraid to open up those office blinds and let the sunshine in during working hours. Even if your office doesn’t have a spectacular view with a plethora of windows, you can use glass and mirrors to help capture natural lighting in ways previously not considered. We’d be happy to show you how!

Creating an Open Office Environment Through Office Panels

One way to boost employee productivity is to create an open office environment that fosters collaboration among team members. The easiest way to achieve this is by using low height office dividers between desks that clearly define each employee’s workspace without discouraging them from talking to each other and sharing ideas. Consider using glass paneling systems for division to make working in teams a reality. Gone are the days of the closed office door, which often made people uncomfortable about approaching each other and working together. Today’s savvy employers understand that productivity is often improved when people can work collaboratively instead of alone.

Think Outside the Box: Consider Alternative Seating Arrangements

Seating in an office environment doesn’t always have to be permanent. Consider allowing your employees to rotate around based on who they’re collaborating with by adding rows or clusters. Positioning your office furniture correctly can do wonders for your bottom line. Have you also considered the benefits of standing desks? Sit to Stand desks are becoming more popular among health-conscious workers who don’t wish to remain seated all day. We offer office seating from some of the industry’s top manufacturers, including AMQ, Compel, Boss, HON, Eurotech, Humanscale, Global, and over 100 others. Office Furniture Expo has chairs that roll, adjust, recline, and even provide the option to stand comfortably at a workstation. We also offer used office chairs in all price points, so finding the ideal seating for your employees doesn’t have to break the bank. Office chairs are one of the furniture items you’re most likely to replace, as they often see a lot of wear-and-tear from daily use. Be sure to keep up with making replacements regularly for your employees’ as well as your customers comfort, health, and safety.

Select Your New Office Furniture for Each Room Accordingly

You may want to show some differences between how your conference rooms and your employee breakroom feel. You may want to go with a more neutral, professional color scheme and traditional furniture in your conference rooms while striking a bolder, fun feel in your breakroom with modern furniture accents – or visa-versa. Incorporating a whiteboard and markers in your conference rooms makes sharing ideas more convenient, especially for employees and customers who are more visually-inclined. Whatever you’re looking for, chances are Office Furniture Expo has it in stock in our inventory of quality new and used office furniture in Atlanta or locally available in short order. We purchase hundreds of manufacturers’ close-out items every year, as well as items from other businesses like you who are relocating or redecorating, to make shopping for new or used office furniture possible at all budget levels.

Don’t Discourage Your Employees from Expressing Themselves

The key to a happy, harmonious work environment often lies in the personal touches you allow your employees to add in their workstations. Invest in hanging calendars or an online shared calendar to ensure your workers never miss a crucial deadline again. Adding design elements that make the office feel more like home is also a great way to improve morale and productivity. Perhaps it’s adding flowers or greenery or something as simple as bookcases full of interesting bric-a-brac that serve as conversation starters. Don’t be wary about stocking those bookcases with actual books for your employees to read during breaks. Sometimes taking a reading break is beneficial to clearing the mind and preparing for a new project. Office Furniture Expo offers everything from home office and executive office storage shelving and bookcases, metal storage cabinets, files of every type and specialty medical bookcases.

If You Feel Comfortable Doing So, Involve Your Employees

Just because you’re the boss, it doesn’t mean you have to make all of the office redecorating decisions yourself. Involving your employees in the process allows you to get their feedback and incorporate their design ideas, so your workplace feels more inclusive for all. When you actively value your employees’ input and suggestions, you increase morale and confidence in your decision-making skills. People usually spend 40+ hours a week in an office, so you want it to reflect what’s important to your team. Being transparent in the office design process also ensures your employees will be more likely to embrace the organizational changes being made on their behalf. Nobody wants to work in a stagnant workplace!

Everything You Need to Maximize Your Office Space in One Place

When it comes to maximizing your office space, nobody has more expertise than Office Furniture Expo! Our office furniture superstore in Atlanta features everything you need under one roof to promote productivity and improve your company culture. Our design consultants will forever change how you look at your office’s space when you contact us for a custom design consultation. Whether you have a tiny or large office, we can work with you to make improvements for efficiency and spatial balance. Sometimes all it takes to declutter an office and make your employees feel better about coming to work is investing in additional filing and storage cabinets!