Trends are changing all the time and nowhere is this more so than in the world of office furniture – which is why it is so important for us to keep our thinking up to date in order to meet the needs of our clients.
You could describe 2021 as a year of transition in the workplace, and the requirements of firms have undoubtedly evolved since the time before Covid. This year is seeing companies and their employees feeling their way back to normality while maintaining a degree of understandable caution.
This is central to the way businesses are viewing office furniture and what they are looking for to complement their working environment.
It’s a trending thing
The events of the past year and a half have had an effect on what activities actually take place in the office – and therefore a major impact on trends in office furniture.
The activities of an office reflect what furniture goes in there, for example, if regular one-on-one client meetings are held there is usually a small meeting room and if regular board meetings with a large number of stakeholders are held, there is likely to be a large boardroom table with electrical access for laptops and comfortable chairs for the long haul.
Many businesses that are coming back together in the workplace are doing so because they need to brainstorm, or work together – which is seeing more of a focus on rooms where people can have space but also be able to communicate.
The huge leap towards video conferencing has also had an impact on what was the growing trend of open-plan offices prior to March last year.
Those employees that would go out to meetings are now doing them online – and we have recently taken delivery of some silent sound booths that can be used in open-plan offices so staff can engage in their meetings without distractions and with a degree of privacy.
Home is where the office is
The home office trend remains a viable option for many employers and employees and creating the right working environment at home is essential for the remote workforce to carry out their jobs efficiently while helping to maintain good health and wellbeing.
It’s important to have the right equipment in place and make that home office as good a space as possible for productivity – we have supplied a number of sit-stand desks to homes to ensure employees are not sat at their computer all day. Productivity at home is something office furniture suppliers are very aware of and we are stepping up to the mark with a huge offering in terms of home office furniture to meet this growing demand.
Sustainability and technology
As a worldwide community, we’re becoming increasingly aware of our impact on the environment so sustainable office design and eco-friendly products are also a trend we are seeing – and of course with the soaring use of technology in recent years an office that incorporates day to day tech needs office furniture that complements that.
There is a lot to think about in terms of office design – and looking at the trends can often ensure you don’t miss a trick that would work really well for your business….
