There are six compelling reasons to renew office furniture, which are related to ergonomics, sustainability, functionality and image.
Refurbishing office furniture, a question of health, image and efficiency
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Occupational health and safety
First of all, companies should think about replacement when the furniture does not guarantee optimal health and safety conditions for their employees.
Inadequate furniture can be the cause of various occupational pathologies and illnesses. According to Ofita’s study “Ergonomics in working environments”, 24% of office workers point to the neck-shoulder area as the most affected, 19% to the eyes, 15% to the lower back, 9% to the head and 7% to the back.
In fact, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are one of the most common occupational disorders affecting millions of European workers in all sectors and cost billions of euros in lost productivity and increased health and social costs each year. They encompass a range of health problems such as back pain and repetitive strain injuries.
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Ergonomic furniture improves productivity
Secondly, office furniture needs to be renewed when people are looking for higher productivity, as studies show that an ergonomic workstation improves worker performance by 20-25%. In addition, good design helps to create a stimulating work environment for workers.
On the contrary, if the office furniture is not suitable, it can increase fatigue and discomfort and create unhealthy moods (depression, anxiety, irritability…). This results in lack of motivation, reduced efficiency and loss of productivity.
Hybrid working, the 3rd reason to renew office furniture
Renovating office furniture is also advisable when you want to adapt offices to new ways of working and to post-pandemic corporate cultures, which today are more flexible, agile and collaborative than ever. Office furniture plays a very important role in facilitating these new dynamics.
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Optimisation of spaces
Fourthly, office furniture needs to be renewed for proper space optimisation, especially after the implementation of hybrid working models
Increased flexibility and teleworking are leading more and more people to spend less and less time at a particular workstation, and companies are opting for systems where employees have access to a varied menu of workspaces that are not personally assigned to any one person but are owned by all members of the organisation or an entire department.
The elimination of personally assigned workstations is increasingly reinvested in an increase in leisure and relaxation areas and alternative work and communication spaces. Each is designed for a particular type of work or work dynamic (concentrated work, teamwork, informal communication, confidentiality, etc.). These new spaces require the renovation of office furniture.
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A question of image
A fifth reason for renewing office furniture has to do with the image conveyed by corporate headquarters, which can be as powerful as an advertisement, both externally and internally.
Beyond logos, the workplace can serve to show what is important to the company, how it cares for its people and what behaviours are necessary to achieve success. In other words, the office is a showcase for the company’s culture, and therefore also a tool for attracting and retaining talent.
For this reason, more and more companies are selecting exclusively personalised office furniture, aligned with their values, culture and brand identity.
Offices are, in this sense, the body of a company. And, as with people, many things are said with the body.
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Commitment to the environment
A last but not least reason for renewing office furniture is the growing demand for sustainable products, especially among the younger generations for whom sustainability is an inalienable value. This means opting for office furniture that accredits its respect for the environment, with certifications such as LEVEL®, the first European certification that covers all relevant aspects of a product’s sustainability.
In short, and for all of the above, office furniture is an invaluable ally of both business strategies and HR policies, as it favours the creation of working environments that improve the physical and emotional well-being of people and therefore their motivation and productivity.
