Choosing Office Furniture That Works
The office furniture you choose will depend on what type of office will be using it, the size of the staff and what they will be doing, and the equipment that will be used.
The office of a dentist or doctor uses a reception area to greet the patients. The receptionist usually has her desk in the front of the office, a computer to see patient information and book their appointments, as well as a phone to answer. She needs a task chair, and a desk or work place designed for a computer. Files are needed for each patient record, and they can be stored either in a filing drawer system, or along the walls. The file clerk will need some counter space to sort them out and alphabetize them for filing.
The dentist or doctor has rooms for his patients, but he will also need his own office. He will have a phone with an intercom system for paging him, room on the side of his desk for personal files, and some additional shelving, or a book shelf for reference books and leaflets.
A telemarketing company needs very different furniture. Rows of desks with computers and phones on them are usually all that is needed. An area for a pad for notes and some pens is also needed, but probably not much more than that.
For a publishing office, there may be drafting tables needed. The computers will be top of the line, with much work to be done on them. Therefore, good computer desks with some counter space to place the work for printing and publishing should be provided. For a sales, insurance, or real estate office, people may be in separate partitions. The computers, phones and other equipment within these partitions may be shared by different people, as this type of job does not always require one to stay in the office. Rather they will be out in the field, and checking in to the office periodically.
The office space nearly always needs to be designed before the furniture, equipment, file cabinets, and so on are placed there. Procedure also needs to be considered, as it may involve the people at two or more desks working closely with each other. In this case, it would not make sense to put each at different corners of the room.
If you are the boss, you will want a private area of your own. Confidential information may be filed and stored away in your office, and they might have a lock on the drawer. You will need to be away from the rest of the office, and yet you need to be in close enough proximity to communicate with the staff as needed.
An ergonomic chair should be considered for certain staff members. Those who type a lot, and those who sit most of the day at their computers, need to feel comfortable in order to perform their duties efficiently. If someone is expected to be on the phone for most of the day, an ear piece should be available for him. Some office furniture is a bit more expensive, but it will be worth it when your staff is comfortable and produces accordingly.
Commercial office furniture can be very stylish. There are many different computer desks and we have the perfect ones for you!
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