Designing Your Private Office

Access to your own private office can be a luxury in the marketplace. Although they are usually reserved for higher paid positions, independent offices can be given to other workers if it is deemed necessary. If you are moving in to your first office, or you want to re-design your existing space, you may be wondering what things you should be including.

A few things to consider in your office design:

Who visits the office?

Who will be utilizing your office space throughout the day? If you work as a software developer, there is a smaller chance that you will have folks popping their head in throughout the day. On the other hand, a human resources worker may have several workers visiting during their shift.

What kind of work do you primarily do in the space?

When designing the workspace itself, you have the opportunity to fine-tune your furniture to fit your daily needs. As in the above example, a software developer will need to invest in plenty of ergonomic furniture suited for a day of sitting on the computer typing. They may even want to purchase a standing desk or ergonomic keyboard.

In a technical or mechanical role, it can be helpful — even necessary — to save some counter space for hands-on projects. If you do need to include this type of area, try to separate this from your normal desk. This separation will be helpful if you need to have a meeting with a co-worker in your office.

Are you in a management role?

As a supervisor or manager with their own office, you will definitely encounter multiple people throughout the day. Employees will visit to ask questions and department heads may want to collaborate. Your office space, though personal, is a key representation of the company. So, it is important that your area gives off a clean, organized, and professional vibe. When creating your space, think of utilizing executive desks, storage space, filing cabinets, and interior design touches to create a clean positive space.

What kind of impression do you want to give to potential clients?

Similar to a manager who wants to maintain a professional atmosphere in front of staff, any employees who work directly with clients need to have the same clean workspace. In fact, this can be even more important for workers in customer facing roles, because their office acts as the face of the company to potential clients. If your space is dirty or cluttered, then clients will not leave with a good impression, which can mean significant profit loss over time.

What is your budget?

I don’t consider this section as important, because there are a variety of ways to find furniture at a decent price if you don’t want to spend the extra cash for something new.

There are options such as furniture re-furbishers that sell, deliver, and plan out your office furniture with you. They offer used furniture that is fixed up to look like new, making it a great option for those who want to save money or the environment.