Planning your office space to get ahead of shipping delays
Planning ahead for a new office
Covid-19 has had a massive impact on global supply chains – for most of us, all it takes to confirm this is a quick trip to our local grocery store.
The office furniture industry has been particularly hard hit, though. Why?
Actually, the pandemic is just one part of a “perfect storm” that’s brewed for manufacturers of tables, desks, chairs, etc. Higher demand, fewer factory workers, and a shortage of truck drivers have all contributed, along with shutdowns of chemical plants in Texas and Louisiana critical to foam production.
All this bad news translates to consumers waiting months – even as long as a year – for a simple chair or sofa to arrive on their doorstep. But because commercial offices need many pieces of furniture, these supply bottlenecks are especially frustrating for business owners planning to set up a new office for their employees.
Maybe you’re in this boat – you’re moving offices in Portland, and can’t afford to wait months to a year or more!
What you need is an easy way to find manufacturers with shorter delivery times so you can open that office as soon as possible. This is one area where Rose City Office Furnishings excels in helping you out.
Get Your Office Up and Running ASAP!
As the number one source for new office furniture in Portland, Rose City is in constant contact with many manufacturers, giving us insider information on lead times.
This means we can let you know which pieces of furniture you’ll be able to get the fastest.
Of course, it’s not enough to get them fast – you have to get the right pieces. Rose City works with you to adhere to your timetable without skimping on your overall vision.
That vision means the furniture needs to be laid out in the perfect way, a unique Portland office design that emphasizes productivity and reflects your company’s philosophy.
Important considerations include:
Type of Office workspace
While an open floor plan may be a great option for a visual design firm, where communication between team members stimulates creativity, it wouldn’t make sense for an accounting firm – a modular office space works better here, as each employee needs a focused, quiet area for crunching numbers.
Lighting
As simple as it sounds, lighting is an incredibly important factor as it can have a massive impact on employee mood – studies have shown natural light improves sleep quality, a factor tied closely to workplace productivity.
More directly, it can boost overall employee effectiveness by increasing job satisfaction and organizational commitment.
We’ll plan together to ensure work spaces are positioned to get optimal sunlight.
The availability of natural light, of course, depends on how many windows the office space has. If you don’t have too many, there are some ways you can amplify natural light – for instance, by adding mirrors in strategic locations.
Office Layout
Layout is a crucial part of planning for your new Portland office. While you have to think of practical concerns such as the distance of work spaces to the printer, for example it’s also important to consider how employees will move through the office.
Placement of furniture as well as signage and color scheme can help in this regard, adding a “flow” to the space.
Overall, it’s important to note that offices don’t have to be rigid and boring. In fact, studies show that a more relaxed work environment promotes productivity!
Office Furniture Vendor Spotlight
Rose City works with many leading vendors who provide everything you’ll need to get your office up and running. Some of these include:
- SitOnIt, which provides comfortable, flexible chairs with matching, height-adjustable tables. The emphasis here is on adapting to each employee’s individual needs, whether they prefer sitting, standing, or a mixture of both.
- Global Furniture Group offers a more holistic transformation of the workspace, providing a full range of solutions for the ever-changing needs in the workplace, as well as a wide variety of filing + storage options, and lockers.
- LoftWall is an excellent choice if you decide to go for a modular office space. The provide very chic, colorful dividers that are great not only at giving each employee an individual, focused work area, but also at fitting with your overall aesthetic.
