Setting up a new office can be quite stressful and inconvenient for you and your employees. You must ensure that your business remains productive during and after the transition. Apart from acquiring the right furniture and equipment, you will want to preserve your employees’ comfort and optimal health by maintaining appropriate temperature, humidity, and excellent air quality in the office.
Below are some practical ideas that will make your endeavor easier and successful.
The Appropriate Furniture
When looking for office desks and chairs, comfort should be your priority. You don’t want your employees to feel tired after sitting for just an hour; this could lower their productivity and adversely affect their health. As such, you may opt for adjustable desks to accommodate employees of diverse body frames and afford them a space to stand in when they get tired of sitting.
When it comes to the seats, ensure that the office chairs are adjustable and capable of providing sufficient arm and back support.
Visualize the Layout You Want
Before buying new office furniture and equipment, you need to envisage the appearance of your new workspace. Consider the type of working environment you want to maintain; different setups carry diverse effects on your workers’ productivity.
Ideally, if you’re looking to create a layout that promotes individual growth or productivity, consider adopting office cubicles. Conversely, an open office will work better if you want to foster creativity and promote teamwork. You could also strike a nice balance between the two setups by creating semi-partitions.
Setup Your Communication Channels
When setting up your new office, you must establish viable communication lines for your clients, key partners, and staff. Each minute counts, meaning that you cannot have your employees sitting idle waiting for the communication system to be installed. As such, it would be best to schedule the installation of your office’s communication system way ahead of the setup day.
Internet Connectivity
When deciding on the location of your new office, it’s imperative to research and discover the type of internet available in that area. You will want to know whether fiber optic is available or whether you’ll be using a satellite internet connection. It’s also important to know which vendor has the fastest and most affordable internet connection for your business.
Also, ensure to find out how fast the installation process will be. Have everything ready before the speculated date of moving into your new office.
Office Equipment
The success of any business depends heavily on suitable equipment. Some of the vital tools you’ll require for your new office include:
- Computers and Monitors
When it comes to choosing computers, you have to choose between laptops and PCs. Whichever option you go for, ensure to get adjustable monitors, and suitable laptop stands to promote the comfort and health of your employees. Also, have the computers set with all the essential software like excel, word processor, and design software like Photoshop.
- Printer
It’s imperative to buy a printer that will suit your business’s printing needs. Luckily, you can easily find affordable printers with scan, fax, and copy capabilities. Also, remember to consider the printing workload ahead and invest in a reasonable number of printers.
- Shredder
Shredders are necessary for most workplaces. These will come in handy in getting rid of sensitive paper waste.
- Stationery
To ensure the smooth running of your daily office activities, purchase all the stationery your workers might require. Such include pencils, notebooks, envelopes, paper packs, as well as staplers and staples.
Storage
Storage units for your new office include cabinets, file baskets, and personal desk drawers. You may also have additional under-the-desk drawers when more space is required. Ideally, your required storage space is dependent on the amount of stationery and equipment you’re contemplating stocking in the office.
Employee Productivity and Humidity
After setting up your office, it’s now time to ensure that your employees work in a comfortable environment by maintaining the ideal moisture levels. You will want to maintain relative humidity levels between 30% and 50%, as suggested by joneakes.
Indoor moisture carries a lot of weight on the overall employee productivity.
- Effects of High Humidity
High moisture levels in the workspace elevate the risk of mold growth, whose spores cause nose stuffiness, lung infections, and skin and eye irritation. A moisture-rich working environment also creates the perfect breeding ground for dust mites; these are notorious culprits for allergic and asthmatic reactions among workers. Also, high humidity levels hinder the body’s ability to cool off, leaving your employees feeling hot, tired, and lethargic.
The untold miseries and discomfort brought about by high humidity will ultimately boil down to low productivity, making excess moisture your enemy.
- Effects of Low Humidity
Overly dry indoor air is as undesirable as excess moisture in the office. It may wreak havoc among your employees, including sore eyes, headaches, cracked lips, skin, or even nosebleeds and sinus.
Low moisture levels could also lead to static electricity that might potentially damage your computers. Besides, static shocks could be irritating for your employees, especially when they touch the keyboards and metal door handles that have retained static energy.
How to Control Humidity in Your Office
Apart from proper ventilation, there are two methods through which you can regulate your office’s moisture levels:
- Increasing Humidity
The most practical method for increasing humidity in your office space involves using humidifiers. These devices work by converting water into a fine mist and dispersing it throughout your indoor environment. Humidifiers are available in four different types, including ultrasonic, impeller, evaporators, and steam vaporizers. You may also come across central humidifiers that are integrated into your HVAC system.
- Decreasing Humidity
Dehumidifiers provide an effective and easy method of lowering the moisture levels in your office space. Moisture extractors are either desiccant or compressor-based; these units adopt a different working mechanism that makes them ideal for diverse settings and dampness levels.
Below are a few pros and cons for each type of dehumidifier. This illustration will help you determine the ideal type for your office.
Desiccant Dehumidifiers
These dehumidifiers employ a rotor consisting of moisture-absorbing material, known as a desiccant, to rid your office of dampness.
Pros:
- Desiccants operate remarkably better in rooms with freezing temperatures than their compressor-based counterparts
- These units boast a very low noise output
- They are also incredibly lightweight and hence more portable
- These moisture extractors are very durable
- They’re also commendably low maintenance
Cons:
- Desiccants are not ideal for hot temperatures regions
- They are relatively slower than their compressor based counterparts
Compressor Based Dehumidifiers
Also known as refrigerant dehumidifiers, these are the most commonly found moisture extractors in homes and offices. Compressor-based dehumidifiers essentially utilize coils filled with refrigerants, which cool the air to turn moisture into water. The water is subsequently collected into a tank typically fitted below the coils.
Pros:
- Effective in warmer climates
- Faster than their desiccant counterparts
- They reheat the air, thus retaining your home’s optimal temperature
- Higher moisture extraction capacity, making them perfect for overly damp rooms
- More affordable
- They cover larger areas than their desiccant counterparts
Cons:
- Compressor based units are bulkier
- Noisier than their desiccant counterparts
- Refrigerant leakage can adversely affect your health and the environment
While compressor-based dehumidifiers come with a higher wattage than desiccant units, they draw more moisture each minute. This makes them more energy-efficient and cheaper to run.
In Closing
Employees are the soul of any business, whether a startup or an established trade. Your ability to kick start or maintain productivity in a new office calls for the perfect setup, preparedness, and a commitment to maintain a comfortable and healthy working environment for your employees.
As such, when setting up your new office, it would be best to adopt an ideal layout, furnish your office with comfortable furniture, and provide the required equipment. It is also advisable to control the humidity levels in your office through proper ventilation, humidifiers, and dehumidifiers. Appropriate moisture levels in the working place promote focus, comfort, health, and productivity among workers.
Add Comment