Starting your business can be a daunting task and it takes tremendous courage along with acumen to invest in a good workspace. We’ve got a handy checklist for you to look for eight (8) office essentials in an efficient workspace that can boost productivity and keep your business goals aligned in a hassle-free manner.
1- Ergonomic Chair, Spacious Workstation and Good Lighting (after all, the action takes place here)
Your comfort is mandatory for the seamless execution of your day-to-day tasks. Desks, chairs, and lighting are important for your workspace. Ergonomic office chairs can boost productivity by 17.5% and reduce back injuries; according to a study cited by the University of Southern California (USC). Good chairs and workstations are not a dent in your budget if you opt for a co-working space where you can actually share all other office amenities with co-workers and get a desk for yourself.
Adequate lighting levels are also essential in your workspace as you would never want to deal with eye-strains and headaches. You should also opt for a spacious workstation, which you can decorate as well if you want to remain inspired throughout the day.
2- Storage, Locker
A good workstation is always accompanied by lockable storage where you can keep your important documents, office supplies and business stationery like visiting cards or company brochures. You can also add a bookcase near your storage and keep books related to your area of expertise. Storing unused items or rarely used items in your storage can help you keep your workstation neat and distraction-free.
3- Uninterrupted Power Supply and Reliable, High-Speed Internet
There is nothing more irksome than the power going out all of a sudden and worst of all you forgot to do that “Ctrl + S” command on your keyboard. It can be even more embarrassing when you are in the middle of a Skype meeting with a client and you get disconnected due to a poor internet connection. A quality co-working space can provide you uninterrupted power supply through a well-managed power backup (not to forget you won’t have to run to repair shops). Efficient communication and business operations are all dependent on uninterrupted power supply. Make sure you are not cursing power outages for your unfinished tasks of the day in your office space.
4- All in One Printer, Scanner, Copier
Most of the businesses are going paperless these days, however, there are certain business segments that still use paper. Other than that your potential clients may submit documents, invoices, agreements that you will have to keep a copy of for your record.
It is easy to share printing, scanning and copying facilities through a shared all-in-one machine in a co-working space.
5- Unlimited Dose of Caffeine
Work keeps you going and so does coffee. It’s hard to invest in a good vending machine and at the same time, you would like to save the time you have to spend while beating coffee in the mug to make a good one. A good dose of coffee can keep your yawns away and give you the initial push you need to kickstart your day. A co-working space like Kickstart takes care of the morning rituals that drive the community and help it perform at its best. You can even call your friends for a quick meeting and serve good tea/coffee to them.
6- Professional Office Support Staff
They say ‘first impression is the last’, this is so true! When you have meetings at the office, a potential client or even a guest takes an impression of everything in your office. The behavior of your office support staff has a huge role to play in building that great first impression for you. Make sure your workspace has trained the office support staff and they know how to communicate in a decent manner with your visitors. It’s always good to be respectful towards them as well so that they can also reciprocate.
7- Meeting Rooms, Huddle Rooms, Phone Booths
Meeting rooms and huddle rooms are indispensable especially if you are looking for a shared workspace that hosts multiple businesses and freelancers as well.
You need phone booths to attend calls, meeting rooms to present to your potential clients and huddle rooms to have discussions/brainstorming sessions with your team. Try to look for a coworking space where meeting rooms have audiovisual aids along with a comfortable sitting arrangement for your clients/guests.
8- Restrooms, Recreational Area, Dining Space, Prayer Area
Restrooms, recreational areas, dining space and a prayer area for a spiritual retreat during long work hours are also essential to keep you productive. You can always look for comfy nooks and have combined lunch with your team to facilitate ‘team bonding’ as well during work hours.
If you want all these essential elements under one roof along with business support services which will make doing business easier then you just need to book a tour at Kickstart – your office is already there!