A surplus in your office budget at the end of the year is reason to celebrate. It means you, as an office administrator, have done a superb job of managing supplies and operations.
In the face of this resource management win, you may be left wondering how to best use an end-of-year budget surplus. The answer: stocking up.
According to a recent Staples Workplace survey, close to a third of office administrative members say they use leftover budget to bulk buy office equipment and supplies before the end of their fiscal year.
…And why wouldn’t they? Allocating year-end funds to the items that you regularly use at your office space not only gets you the best bang for your buck but also prepares you and your team to start off the new year productively.
Planning ahead for office furniture makes the difference between smooth operations and erratic, inefficient workflows. By investing in necessary products at the right time, you can prevent interruptions and keep your team on task.
What most people fail to realize is that this is great news for your wallet too! You’ll commonly find that you overpay for basic supplies due to the urgency of your need. With a mindful, proactive approach to office equipment management, you can take advantage of pre-ordering, which provides decreased per-unit cost and a way around long lead times.
Depending on the purpose of the equipment and the type of business you have, shopping for office gear could make a lot of sense before the year is up as you can write it off instead of turning it into capital.
Now that you know about some of the benefits of stocking up at year end, let’s uncover the top 5 office tools that are worth investing in.
1. Task Chairs
With a new year comes new opportunities for growth. As your company ramps up recruiting to address increasing business needs throughout the year, task chairs will prove to be crucial to accommodate new hires.
Having the right chair at work can be a great advantage for your team’s productivity and wellness. Making sure your office has the right chairs is an integral part of workspace ergonomics. However, it’s one that is often overlooked. Task chairs were explicitly developed to address this blind spot.
We find that you should budget between $500-$1000 for a task chair.
Humanscale Diffrient World Task is a great option that offers ease of use and effortless functionality. With a weight-sensitive recline that adjusts automatically and armrests that are attached to the back of the chair, so they move with the user for ergonomic comfort, it provides custom comfort for every sitter.
If you’re looking for something at the mid-market price point, Haworth Soji, is the perfect fit for you. The Soji is developing a reputation as an aesthetically customizable chair. You can combine eleven seat/back colours and three trim colours to design a chair that reflects individual team members’ organizational personalities.
2. Monitor Arms
Office workers who use computers for a large portion of their work end up averaging closer to 7 hours of computer use per day. This makes creating a healthy workspace of vital importance to your employees’ health and productivity.
Far too many people lean, slouch or crane their neck when using a poorly positioned computer monitor. The result of long-term poor posture can be incredibly painful for employees both at work and at home. Investing in monitor arms will come in handy as they will help you prevent injuries and prepare you to start off the year with your best foot (and posture) forward.
You should expect to spend $300-$1000 for a monitor arm.
Humanscale’s M/Flex multi-monitor arm system transforms any workspace with unprecedented flexibility and ergonomic performance. Designed for today’s agile work environment, users can easily add or remove monitors without disrupting the originally configured installation. It allows users to add monitor arms, attachments and accessories as needed. M/Flex paired with the M/Connect monitor arm base, allows users to eliminate cable clutter and increase usable desk space through its efficient cable management structure.
Another option that comes at the top of most of our customers’ wish list is the Ergotron LX Monitor Arm by Haworth. The arm rotates 360°, and your monitor can move forward and back, tilt up and down, and be placed in landscape or portrait mode. Sleek, streamlined, and flexible, the Ergotron LX single monitor arm is ideal for your office use.
3. Height-Adjustable Desks
The science is clear that actively using a height-adjustable desk or table to keep your body moving throughout the workday is good for you. By allowing users to transition from seated to standing height postures throughout the day, it stimulates mental and physical activity and promotes wellbeing in individual and group workspaces.
Pre-ordering this useful office furniture will guarantee to keep your team members mentally sharp throughout the year, increasing productivity.
A height-adjustable desk could cost you somewhere between $750-$3000.
Humanscale’s latest height adjustable desk eFloatGo is available in two- and three-leg configurations with two height adjustment range options to accommodate a wide array of users. With innovative anti-collision technology, quiet motors, and programmable hand switch, eFloat Go encourages users to be active by seamlessly adjusting positions through the day without disrupting workflow.
From our years in selling office furniture, we can vouch for Haworth’s Upside Sit-to-Stand Desk being a fantastic addition to your wish-list if you are looking to upgrade your office ergonomics in the upcoming year. The versatile upside desk helps reduce fatigue and back pain by enabling changes in posture and position throughout the day without missing a beat. The simple paddle control lets you easily adjust the height of your work surface to sit or stand in ergonomic alignment whenever you choose. Lastly, its sturdy construction lets you load up your office desktop with your computer, monitors, speakers, and all the gear you need to stay productive.
4. Keyboard Trays
Keyboard trays are arguably just as essential as a good ergonomic office chair, yet many people don’t even consider this a vital accessory. Adding a keyboard tray to any office setup is fast, simple, and inexpensive. Plus, it can improve the working environment for your staff significantly.
The main objective of accessories like keyboard trays is to help people work more effectively and efficiently. A well-designed keyboard tray offers protection from carpal tunnel syndrome, neck and back pain and many other musculoskeletal issues and so, having this item at hand will allow you to keep your team’s productivity levels high at all times.
You are looking at about $200-$300 for a keyboard tray.
Humanscale offers three negative-tilt keyboard systems, from 5G to their latest 6G, which combines easy dial-a-tilt and height adjustability with the strongest, most stable arm on the market. Humanscale’s under desk keyboard trays come in many different configurations, including left/right customization, to support any user need.
The 6G System with 900 Board and Clip Mouse is a great accessory to add to your workspace. Its dial-a-tilt positioning allows you to type at the angle most comfortable for you while the ultra-thin profile provides you maximum knee clearance. Additionally, its superior design offers maximum strength and stability during your work.
Haworth also offers the Locking Tilt Adjustable Keyboard Pad. It’s easy to install and simple to use. The adjustable knob allows to you set the pad to your preferred height, distance, and tilt comfort. You’ll love the adjustable palm rest and mouse pad and appreciate its slimness, smooth design to protect your knees.
5. Sit-Stand Accessories
Excessive sitting has become a hot topic of discussion in recent years with the adverse health effects of prolonged sitting receiving a lot more research attention than ever before. A fundamental solution to many issues caused by sitting is to just get up every 30 minutes. This information has led to an explosion of standing desks and sit-to-standing desks in the workplace. When you’re putting your money into ergonomic accessories such as this one, you’re investing in your team’s physical well-being and boosting employee morale too.
If you’re looking to pre-order sit-stand accessories such as a quickstand, you can expect to pay $600-$1000.
As a sit-to-stand accessory, the Humanscale Quickstand is meant to easily allow users to adjust from sitting to standing with ease. This category of device offers the most flexibility for users as they are not forced to either sit all day or stand all day, which can be just as harmful to the back and joints as sitting. The ease of transition from sitting to standing while using a Quickstand virtually eliminates any delay or disruption for users.
Humanscale is a well-known brand with a strong reputation for making quality products and that is why a comparatively higher price tag is truly reflective of its quality and features.
Ready to Start Stocking Up?
Whether you are looking for end-of-the-year bargains or planning to use your remaining annual budget to improve next year’s office processes, our team at Office Interiors can help you make optimal use of those funds. By making investments at the right time, you can improve office infrastructure in a way that offsets most of the cost while maximizing the benefits to workplace efficiency. Request your free consultation today!
Ahona Saha
Marketing Assistant
Office Interiors
