There is a lot of attention paid to improving working conditions, productivity and employee engagement in industrial and manufacturing businesses – but relatively little is paid to those businesses that are office based. In a bid to right that wrong, here are our recommendations for the best accessories for office-based businesses:
Cable protectors
New-build offices are usually designed with ample electrical and data points buried under the flooring and available close to (or beneath) desk clusters. If this is not the case, or your business occupies a slightly older building, then you’ll want to look at purchasing cable protectors. These are designed to be placed over any trailing power, data or telephone cables/wires, and they have a range of benefits:
- Minimising the risks of people tripping over
- Preventing the cables from being jerked out and equipment being damaged
- Protecting the cable from damage (footsteps, pests, insects, etc)
- Protecting the flooring from damage
Chair mats
A chair mat is a particularly hard-wearing mat that is designed to protect your flooring from damage. Office chairs are used for extended periods (8+ hours a day), and during that time the person sitting in them is likely to shuffle about, pull the chair in and out as they get up and down, and make micro-adjustments to the chair position. All this can scuff, scar or mark hard flooring surfaces (lino, vinyl, wood, etc) and cause friction-related damage or divots in carpets. Using a chair mat protects your flooring – particularly important if you lease your offices.
Smart tech
You can use smart technology solutions to improve your office in a variety of ways. Use remote or timed on/off for your heating or cooling system to ensure that the environment is comfortable from the moment your staff step through the door, reduce energy waste and even improve meetings by coordinating audio/visual devices with dimmable lights and automatically closing blinds.
Charging lockers
If your staff use laptops or other portable devices (sales staff who are out on the road a lot, for example) you can ensure that their devices are charged and secured by installing charging lockers. Just like a standard locker that you might remember from school or find in the gym, these are lockable compartments – the difference is that each compartment has a charging point. Great for making sure that all your equipment is not only ready to be used, but is also kept locked up when not in use.
Flip charts
The humble flip chart has been the mainstay of offices for years – and for good reason. You can present your meetings and training sessions on screens or projectors as much as you want, there is simply no better way of encouraging collaboration than by using a flip chart. It enables a much better flow of information back and forth between presenter and audience, and thus improves engagement with the material.
First aid
We would be remiss if we didn’t talk about first aid for a moment. It’s easy to imagine the types of accidents that can occur in manufacturing facilities, but first aid is just as important in the office. You are legally required to provide suitable health and safety equipment and information to your employees, whatever your business type – so ensure that you have a fully stocked, easy to access first aid kit available.
