The modern office has changed and the days of individual cubicles with employees robotically tapping away at computers from nine to five are thankfully long behind us. Today’s employees expect a lot more from their workplaces, and as a business owner, it is very important to provide a comfortable office that has all of the equipment and systems your employees need to do their jobs properly.
From the right furniture to the best computer systems, here are 4 modern solutions for 21st-century offices which every business needs to consider.
1. A Mailmark Franking Machine
There are so many new mail solutions available to modern businesses but paper mail is still incredibly important. Large and small companies alike send out a huge amount of correspondence and so one very useful piece of equipment is a Mailmark franking machine. Many of you may be wondering, “What is a Mailmark franking machine?”, but they essentially enable you to address and then pay for delivery without having to put on a postage stamp. A franking machine can save you significant time as you don’t have to visit the post office or manually put on postage stamps.
It can also save you a lot of money, especially if your business sends a lot of mail, because of the special 2D indicia developed for franking machine owners by the Royal Mail, which can save you 34% on your postage costs. Even small businesses pay hundreds of pounds each year on their mail so the annual savings can be significant with a franking machine.
2. Ergonomic Furniture
We all spend a huge amount of time in our offices these days so it is very important that you create a productive and comfortable space for yourself and your employees. As well as providing quality computers and a high-tech coffee machine, setting up ergonomic furniture can help your team to work in comfort and avoid the common aches and pains that often come with working in an office. Ergonomic furniture is superior to traditional chairs and desks because the user can adjust many aspects such as the height of the furniture and the angle at which they sit. This means that their posture and the position of their neck, arms, shoulders, and legs, can all be optimized. Many office workers prefer a desk that can be adjusted between seated height and standing height so that they can stay active throughout the day.
3. Cloud-Based Storage
Keeping all of your business’s records and data safe and secure is crucial for any modern business and the days of huge filing cabinets clogging up offices are thankfully long gone. Business files are all digital, these days, and the best way to store digital files is using a cloud-based storage system. Cloud storage provides practically unlimited storage volume so your business can keep all of your important files and folders in one place. It also provides top levels of cybersecurity so that sensitive information is safe from costly hacks or data leaks.
Storing your files on the cloud enables you to grant specific people access so that multiple people can edit and utilize a document simultaneously as well as sharing files without having to send them via email or another potentially risky method. There are many cloud storage providers which will provide you with hundreds of gigabytes of storage completely free of charge, and for many small businesses, this is all that will ever be needed.
4. Automated Accounting System
Keeping your accounts up to date can be time-consuming if you attempt to do it the old-fashioned, manual way, but using an automated system can help to save you time, money, and effort, and also cut out wastage which comes with human error. By linking all of your outgoings (such as purchases, supply costs, salaries, and taxes) with all of your income streams, you can ensure that your accounts are accurate up to the very minute. This will enable you to have better insights into your business’s performance and will help you to avoid any unpleasant financial surprises.
For the modern office, it means that you won’t need a dedicated space for your accounting team, as particularly for smaller businesses, the automated program will mean that just one person can easily deal with the entire company’s finances. This will save you money on salaries and allow you to buy or rent a significantly smaller office.
Giving your employees the tools they need to succeed is crucial in running a successful business. This includes a pleasant working environment and high-tech operational capabilities to make your business processes run smoothly and effectively. Try out these four solutions and they could transform your office and your business.
