What makes an enjoyable workspace? Somewhere clean, spacious and well lit, for starters. An office with a sensible and reliable temperature, comfortable seating and endless quality – and complimentary – fresh coffee, perhaps.
Times are changing. Most office workers no longer just hope for this kind of working environment. Quite often now they demand them. When you consider that people spend nearly a third of their lives at work, it’s only right that their surroundings should be all those things we’ve mentioned and more.
Just under half of all office workers (a not inconsiderable 48%) asked in a recent survey said that they believed that their company should invest more money in improving office technology. Why? Well, to help them be able to carry out their role more effectively.
With this in mind, we thought we’d take a look at some of the more innovative and interesting office gadgets and inventions on the market today. This list features six of the most eye-catching new pieces of tech and hardware out there, all of which could well give a real shot in the arm to your office’s productivity…
A quality air purifier
To improve productivity in your office, first of all, you need fit and healthy staff keyed up and raring to go. To achieve this, you need to minimise sickness and absence. One way to ensure that any employee absence isn’t your fault is by ensuring that the air in the building doesn’t just sit there going stale, harbouring germs and viruses (sometimes causing something known as ‘Sick Building Syndrome’).
The best way to keep the air in your office moving is with an air purifier. Invest in one of these units and you’ll soon notice how much cleaner and fresher the air feels. Soon, you may even notice a change in attendance and an improvement in productivity.
EMeet OfficeCore M2 Smart Speakerphone
To have an efficient, happy and productive workforce, you need to empower them and equip them with an arsenal that allows them to be flexible and able to adapt.
Conference calls are usually scheduled, but sometimes people need to jump on calls without notice. You need reliable and portable speakerphones that allow people to quickly and easily jump on calls with colleagues, suppliers, clients and stakeholders across the world. Whenever and wherever. That’s where this stylish and lightweight speakerphone comes in.
A quality inkjet printer
We know, we know… inkjet printers are not exactly high-tech, are they? It’s true. That said, you’d be shocked to learn just how many offices don’t have them. It can be for one of two reasons: a company’s hardware is just so outdated and outmoded or there’s a ‘no print’ culture in place.
Opting not to print unnecessary documents should be lauded. But as much as we live in a digital age, sometimes a printout is needed. Whether it be for a client meeting or just to scribble notes on with colleagues. When you need a physical copy of a document, you need it printed quickly and accurately. You need an inkjet.
DeskView Lightweight Standing Desk
Desks don’t have to be actual desks. Not anymore. With flexible working and hotdesking increasing in popularity, the idea of ‘the desk’ is changing. The unique and smart design of the DeskView Lightweight Standing Desk allows users to set up their workstation at any window in the office.
Standing desks are increasing in popularity, affording as they do a chance for the user to get up, stretch their legs and be a little active. Those that use them report feeling more switched on and less likely to fall into a mid-afternoon slump than when seated.
They’re small, portable, light and can revolutionise how staff work. What’s not to love?
YOUMI Multi-Function Stereo Bluetooth Wooded Environmental Speaker Wireless Charger
Not all cool office gadgets have to be chrome or white plastic. It’s possible to surround yourself with innovation and technology yet retain a classic office look. Take this Bluetooth wireless speaker, for instance. It has everything you’d expect, including all the very latest Bluetooth 4.0 technology. Plus it also has additional functions like a thermometer, clock, alarm and wireless charger. It has a range of 33 feet and looks smart, classy and unobtrusive. Refined or what?
CubeSensors
Creating the perfect environment in which to work is vital. It can boost employee performance, engagement and happiness no end. But how can you ensure that the immediate vicinity of someone is tailored for them and ideal? Well, one way is by using a CubeSensor.
These connected, wireless units are constantly monitoring the surrounding area and checking that everything is as it should be. They check the temperature, atmospheric pressure, air quality, lighting, humidity and noise levels. The cube sits on a desk, quietly minding its own business. When a user wants to check on their environment, they give the sensor a little shake and it goes about its business.
It will turn blue if everything is within the parameters set by the user, or red if there’s an issue. If something is up, simply check the accompanying mobile phone app for details of what’s altered. Then you can make the change, rectify things and return to a perfect working environment again.
Of course, you can’t expect one or two gadgets to transform your organisation’s staff retention and engagement or significantly boost your productivity overnight. What you can expect, though, are slight – but significant – gains. There’s no ‘one size fits all’ solution here; speak to your workforce, find out what office technology they think they could benefit from. Then go out and get it!
You could find that just a minor investment reaps serious rewards in the long term.
