Your small business grew to a bigger office – catering more reports, needs, ideas, and necessities to expand it into something bigger. While your employees are the core of your company, the quality and the items needed for ensuring their productivity is also important. If the office supplies are substandard, it will possibly halt or hinder production because it needs replacement and repair.
There are a lot of office essentials that employees need to do their jobs – ranging from multifunction printers to good quality papers and pens, everything should be the best from the rest.
Here are the important office essentials every office needs:
Paper
From the paper pad to printing papers, you need a variety to deal with different kinds of needs. You can include the sticky notes, the memos, a graphing paper, or any special kind that’s used in business cards and invitations. There is a wide variety of papers you can choose from, depending on the occasion and what is needed. Before you buy your stock of papers, check your multifunction printer first and see what are the sizes and types it can handle.
Small things like notepads and papers for scratches are also a part of the office essentials – especially if some of the employees are used to writing than typing during meetings. There are a lot of benefits to writing down information compared to typing them.
Mailing and Stationery Supplies
In the world of emails, what can you possibly do with envelopes and stationery supplies? This is one of the most valued office supplies as you still need to send out invoices, promotional offers, payments, and other documents that some people require. Not everything can be digital – there are benefits in keeping a physical copy in this modern world.
While it can be smart to save items on your computer, there’s a chance of information loss and a hard copy is the best reference you can make when needed.
Multipurpose Printer
The printer is probably the most overworked gadget in the office, next to the computers. Almost everything needed to report and show to the clients are printed, and most of these printed items are used as a reference for projects and transactions. The common mistake people make is they trust the computer too much and the online storage – it can easily be compromised if it’s hacked and the computer fails to function when needed.
A multipurpose printer is definitely one of the most important office essentials. Not just any multipurpose printer, it should be reliable and come from a good selection of series and brands. You can consult professionals on what is the ideal printer for your office, depending on the workload and task, and also what works with your budget. Aside from a good and reliable printer, choose one that saves the environment, have smart functions, and performs more than expected.
Desk Supplies
You can’t expect your employees to provide all the items on their desks, you should consider providing good quality highlighters, pens, paper clips, and more. Believe it or not, some tasks are put on hold because there are missing pens or staplers. If you cater to clients and they need to sign necessary papers, it’s always a custom to provide them with a good pen and maybe a stapler or paper clip in some instances.
While trivial, these small things actually make employees’ lives easier and convenient. Stock up on these office supplies for each of your employees’ desks, and guarantee the productivity and keep the workflow going.
Organizers
There are benefits in working on a clean and tidy desk, one of them is increased productivity and better concentration. To make sure that your employees are not stressed and they can keep up with the workload, provide organizers per desk. Some employees might bring their own, but it’s always appreciated if there are cardholders or at least a pen holder present on the desk.
Choose the best quality for organization supplies like a folder or binder – this is especially important when you hand over documents to a client. A file sorter is also a good addition, especially to an employee responsible for handling important documents and other papers. An organizer might not be as important as you think, but it’s definitely one of the most appreciated office supplies that your employees thank you for!
Office Furniture
Are your employees constantly complaining about uncomfortable chairs or wobbly desks? Another reason why employees don’t last long in their jobs is because of the office environment – that would include their comfort. Back and neck pain is common when the chair is too stiff or low quality, and your employees will likely stop what they’re doing when they experience pain.
To help avoid this and the possibility of permanent injuries, invest in good office furniture to ensure they will be able to do their job properly. There are good desks that can be adjusted according to the height comfortable to the user and office chairs with raised backrest for increased comfort. While good quality can be expensive, this is one of the office essentials that can’t be overlooked.
Time Management Supplies
There are some days when the office is just too busy and overloaded with work that people tend to forget the dates – and that’s not good. When your business is strict with deadlines, it’s important to put time management office essentials on your employees’ desks. A desk calendar is a nice way to help them keep track of the important dates for meetings or reports. This can be placed on the table or hung on the wall to be seen. It helps reinforce the digital alerts they save for important events.
A giant wall clock in corners where everyone can see it is also important – you don’t want people to spend too much of their time on breaks. This will remind them about the things they need to do for the day and ensure that it’s done.
Storage
You might think that a bulky sorting cabinet is no longer needed in a modern office space, but you’re wrong. While it is the digital age, keeping receipts, transaction records, and important information in hard copy is always a smart decision no matter how new you are. Computers tend to age and fail over time, and the internet is prone to hacking, the best place to keep documents is in a sorting cabinet.
One of the important office essentials would be storage for employees. They need a place to organize and store documents that are prone to losing or fading. Sturdy shelves and cabinets are a good investment if it means it can withstand the test of time and retain the quality of the documents. Choose ones with locks as some sensitive information is classified even to other employees – this is to ensure that there are no information leaks.
Landline Phones
If there are multiple floors in your building, provide at least two per floor to ensure that one phone is not overused. Phones are important especially in times when there are urgent matters that are needed to be dealt with as soon as possible. A reliable and high-quality landline phone will last years and is worth every penny you invested in it. It is one of the office supplies that is a huge help in managing workflow and business.
Aside from calling clients and customers, it is also a way to call coworkers without going to the floor they are in. It saves time and effort that should be focused on producing results and finishing tasks. However, it’s important to control this as there might be employees who would constantly use the phone for personal reasons.
Wireless Router
The internet is also a big chunk of the process, especially if there are foreign clients and you need to send information as soon as possible. The Internet is also a place you need to research too, especially if you do content marketing and create content as a business. If most of your services require an online connection, then investing in a good wireless router will make your employees’ lives easier and the workflow fluid.
Among the office essentials listed, this tops the list. You need to invest in a wireless router with good feedback and renowned reliability that’s tested by a lot of businesses. It always saves you time and money if you do your research first before diving into one brand you found. You can always ask around or consult a professional regarding this.
