Staff Find Quirky Office Furniture Annoying
Whilst the idea of filling your office space with quirky novelty furniture items and toys may seem a fun and hip thing to do, it doesn’t have quite the desired effect on employees. In fact, rather than enjoying the quirky additions, staff tend to find them irritating and wasteful. What they do appreciate is modern, well-built, ergonomic and functional furniture. Read on to find out why.
Job Satisfaction and Security
Imagine you asked two employees who had the greater job satisfaction. The first works in an office with seemingly great perks, like a Foosball table and an hour’s social time every evening at four but has no job security and sees colleagues being hired and fired at a constant rate and profits and losses as unpredictable as the weather. The second employee has guaranteed wages and a good employment contract and there’s great economic outlook for her company. Who do you think would claim greater job satisfaction? The person who knows they would be likely to still have a job in a year – that’s who. The point is that no amount of Instagram-able office novelties can compare to knowing you can provide for you family in a year or five year’s time.
Wasteful
Staff on the payroll may also feel that a Foosball table, some hammocks or an optics bar would be a waste of company profits. Wouldn’t dividends for employees, interest-free railcard loans, childcare vouchers or health insurance be a better way to put profits back into the business?
Quality Furniture
This is all not to say that staff don’t appreciate stylish furniture, but they would rather have quality over novelty. Good-quality furniture such as a bespoke commercial desk made by http://simonkohnfurniture.co.uk/our-work/commercial/reception-areas-and-desks/ is tailored with the employee in mind. Staff appreciate when employers also invest in quality ergonomic chairs that promote better posture, in bigger windows and in plants that improve the air quality of the office. It’s all about the difference between short-term gratification and long-term contentment. The novelty of a ping-pong table wears off, but a decent amount of natural light will never get boring.
As you can see, quirky office additions are not quite what they seem. Reward staff with quality furniture, natural light, clean air and job security rather than wasting money on fads and novelties.
