5 Small Office Upgrades You Can Plan Right Now

When your company has a small office, there are fewer options to make upgrades. But don’t give up, because it’s still possible to come up with some innovative or small-scale ideas that will be pleasing for everyone who works there.

Here are 5 upgrades suitable for a small office.

1.Embrace Personalisation of the Work Areas

When you have a bland workstation or cubicle, it comes across as nondescript and lacking any identity. However, even for people in an open-plan office, they still feel the need to add some personalisation.

Each staff member will have a different idea about what’s meaningful for them with personalisation. Therefore, if you’re open to this concept, then it pays to see what ideas they have. If they care about it, then usually they’re positively brimming with suggestions.

Set a budget for each employee. They can then work within that and make personal selections based on their highest priorities.

2.Add a Compact Coffee Maker

While the office may be too small for a coffee vending machine, another option is a commercial-grade coffee maker. They are designed to sit perfectly on an existing countertop in a kitchen space providing high-quality coffee making capabilities to the whole office. Why put up with instant coffee when you can offer something much more gratifying?

With a commercial filter machine for the whole office, it’s designed with a water storage section that’s refillable. Therefore, it’s not necessary to connect these machines to an existing water supply, if there is one. When the office uses delivered bottled water for its dispensers, these same bottles can be used to refill the water for the coffee maker too.

3.Introduce Greenery into the Office

Going green doesn’t just mean being energy efficient; it should also be literal with the introduction of plants into the office environment.

Indoor plants are best for convenience and easy maintenance. Pick the ones that match the features of your office. Therefore, if certain plants require a greater amount of natural light, there must be a place for them to sit on the windowsills to accommodate that requirement. If artificial light will do, then there are more options there.

Consider whether they will flourish in an air-conditioned office or require a greater warmth than is practical to make an office comfy.

Also, make allowances for people with hay fever where greenery may need to be positioned away from where they work to avoid setting off their allergies.

4.Keep the Office Organised & Clutter-free

A pristine office that’s organised and avoids clutter is both aesthetically pleasing and safer underfoot too.

Make use of digital storage systems wherever possible. Use filing cabinets only where it’s necessary to retain the physical documents. Keep personal rubbish bins out of sight. Reduce eyesores, where possible.

By keeping the office neat and tidy, it encourages staff to do the same with their own workspaces whether there’s a “clean desk” policy or not.

5.Heating and Cooling

There’s nothing like an office that’s too cold in the wintertime or fails to stay cool enough in the summer. If you’ve ever suffered through a scorching July because of an antiquated air-conditioning system, you know the pain. Don’t let your employees suffer in the same way.

A balance must be found with heating and cooling to get it right. Modern office HVAC systems provide the right level of control to provide a consistent temperature for all staff to be satisfied through the seasons.

By being observant and flexible with small office upgrades that make working life more pleasant, company owners increase the happiness of employees. Here, even a little goes a long way.

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Pete White Pete White

Love Shrewsbury editor and chief developer at The Web Orchard, find out more on petejwhite.com

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