Being closed in is never a good thing as far as productivity is concerned.  People would feel worn out and beaten down if they had to sit in cubicle for most days out of their week.  That said, I have no doubts there are people like this.  Modular workstations allow people to get to know one another – which is very useful in facilitating cooperation – and helps build camaraderie between nearby coworkers.  Employees need a way to strengthen the bonds between them and having open office spaces is the best way to do it.

If you are moving to a brand new office with no furnishings, get workstations.  These desks offer far more than just a simple place for employees to perform their tasks on.  The hidden benefits will work their magic over time.

No one actually enjoys sitting in a 5 X 5 box enclosed on 3 2/3 sides.  It is very confining and is not conducive to good communication between deskmates.  This is very problematic considering good communication is necessary for a team to cooperate properly.  Since you are blocked off from seeing who your colleagues are it is hard to create a close bond or connection with anyone else.  This is another problem that does not help people work together.  Because employees feel so closed in it becomes easier for them to feel sequestered and tired.

Modular workstations remove all of these barriers – both physical ones and mental ones – and allows employees to really strive.  The open space created by these workstations allow coworkers to become accustomed to one another and form close bonds that will be helpful both in the office and outside of it.  Employees can decorate their desks and show off their personality to the rest of the office.

Workstations are a much better choice than cubicles.  So, just make the switch!

Our old conference table is much bigger than it needs to be so we are getting rid of that one entirely.  We are deciding on something about half the size or 3/4 the size of the original table, at most.  We have 12 conference room chairs; we are cutting that down to 8 for the smaller room and using the remaining 4 as extra chairs or for new employees.  We are also planning to add shelf and cabinet to the new conference room.  Since the new room is has a light wood finish – while the old room was carpeted – the new conference room table will have to resemble or match the wooden floor.

With the change of rooms we currently on the lookout for the right conference room furniture that will go perfectly with the smaller room.  But are we going to do with the big table?

Of course, the first piece of decoration should be pictures of your family and/or loved ones.  That is always the natural go-to for these kinds of things.  Then, you should get one of those neat little office gadgets that can relieve stress or help you brainstorm; the first thing that comes to mind are those so-called “perpetual motion” toys that seem to occupy every desk.  Stress balls are always great to just toss around and squeeze during those times when you need it.  And of course, you can put motivational posters or on the walls as well.

Really, it is hard to go wrong when it comes to decorating your desk.

You know how embarrassing it was for me to have to welcome interviewees – or worse, clients and investors – and greet them after having them sit in those ugly chairs?  And what is worse than that is that some of them would comment about how uncomfortable those chairs were.  Ugh!  So, I am very grateful that, not only are we getting new furniture for the reception room, I will be the one who will get to pick and choose what we get.

No more ugly colors and terrible chairs that feel like they were manufactured during the Dark Ages.

First off, my desk opens toward the window which is really cool; luckily for me it has a shade that I can pull down or up at my own leisure, which is very convenient.  The modular station is spacious – more than twice the space I had at my previous job – and has its own desk drawers which come in handy when I am trying to organize my desk; this means less clutter to deal with on a daily basis.  I also have a ton of space for what I need to keep at work: this includes, my two PC monitors, the tower, keyboard, mouse, a standing desk lamp as well as a lamp attached to the side of workstation, and enough space to put organizers and family pictures.

That sounds great, does it not?

The room is quite spacious – so spacious in fact that your company held part of last year’s Holiday party in this very room; all they had to do was clear the large table and cabinets that were there.  But now that you are removing the old furniture you will new conference room furniture to replace it with.  How about a nice mahogany table?  If not, you can get a lighter color for the finish.  With a large table you will need a bunch of black, sleek rotating chairs with armrests.  To give it an extra touch of class you might as well add a few small pictures or paintings to the decor.  How can you go wrong with that?

The next time your clients and any visiting investors drop by, they are going to love the new conference room.

“Whoa.  These are new.  What are they called?”

“They are called modular workstations.  Cool, huh?”

“You said it.  These are much different than our old office cubicles.”

“Ugh.  I hate those things.  I feel claustrophobic whenever I stay at my desk for too long.  That is why you sometimes see me wandering in the office or outside almost every afternoon.  After so long sitting there I can barely take it anymore.”

“No kidding.  I find it hard to communicate with anyone sitting there.  When I do have to talk to people I have to call them.  Heck everyone does that.  With so much racket going on it is hard to focus.”

“Yeah.  At least with modular stations we have a semblance of privacy while still being able to work.  None of us have to feel so closed in all of the time.  It will allow us to communicate with each other better and get us to familiarize ourselves with the people we work with.”

“True.  This is definitely a change that needed to happen.”

“Yup.  We only got a few of them in today; I will go and see if I can reserve stations for you and me and maybe two others.”

“Awesome.”

Having brand new and inviting reception room furniture is important for visiting clientele.  The furniture exemplifies the professionalism of the office and its staff and shows that you care about the needs of any and all visitors that walk through the front door.  In such cases the chairs or couches have to be comfortable because sometimes you do not know how long it will take for you to greet them, especially if your company is having a very busy day.  Though a long wait is annoying, sitting in extremely comfortable chairs will definitely make things easier for everyone involved.

Hospitals too need comfortable chairs for the times when hospital guests need to stay several hours or even overnight.  I am lucky enough to have actually sit in some very comfortable reception chairs in hospitals and it definitely made the five hour wait easy.

The open nature of modular workstations allows for some creative decorating on your part.  naturally, you can put of pictures and displays of your loved ones and show people how proud you are.  Besides the illumination of the ceiling lights you can have your own, fancy desk lamp to keep you working during the later hours when you need to finish your assignments.  Add a plant or small, cute cactus to show off how environmentally friendly you are.  You can use some thumbtacks to put posters and pictures on the walls as well.

Really, there are tons of things you can do to decorate your workstation so have at it!