As Bob Dylan sang out in 1964, times are a changin’, and that statement holds true even more so in today’s culture. There’s one environment in our culture, though, that has been slow to become modernized, and it’s a place where most of us spend a lot of our time every single day… the office.
Since office renovations can be costly and time consuming, you want to be sure you’re making all of the right decisions from the very beginning. Here are three WRONG ways to tackle an office renovation:
1 - You only consider low priced products.
No one likes spending more money than they have to, and there’s definitely some psychological value in feeling like you’ve gotten a “good deal,” which explains the popularity of brands like IKEA and H&M.
IKEA and H&M offer decent products at prices that are hard to beat, but can you confidently say the majority of their products will last for several years to come? Probably not, and that’s not how they were intended.
Keep this knowledge front of mind when considering products for an office renovation. It’s critical to find products with high quality components, strong warranties, and the longevity to withstand daily wear and tear - even if the solution is not the most cost-friendly up front.
2 - You trust everything your interior designer tells you.
There’s a dirty little secret your office’s interior designer may have conveniently forgot to tell you… they might receive a monetary kickback from certain suppliers to recommend their products.
For example, say you want to outfit your office renovation with height-adjustable standing desks. Your interior designer may recommend a particular line of desks because you can get a better deal based on volume and a long-standing relationship. But what they won’t tell you is that you’re about to spend upwards of 40% more for your standing desk because it has so much extra margin on it to pay not only the distributer, but also your designer for plugging their product.
Be smart by asking these questions to your office interior designer upfront, and audit the costs of the recommended products yourself.
3 - You believe everything you read on the Internet.
Similar to a misleading interior designer, certain online publications (especially bloggers and professional product reviewers) can use “affiliate marketing” as a front to earn a referral kickback on products sold via their platform. This means that the manufacturer has to increase their margins to cover the added expense of paying affiliate marketers on their behalf.
Here’s what to look for… when reading an article or product review on someone else’s website, hover over any hyperlinks to see if they’re **actually** sending you to the product’s website and not some other “referral” website. The more direct you get to the final point of purchase, the more likely you are to get the best deal on your office’ furniture.
As you’re working to overhaul your office with renovations and are evaluating your office furniture expenditures, remember to think long-term about your employee’s needs, do your own research, and go direct for the best possible pricing for your office needs. UpDesk is your one-stop-shop for ergonomic office solutions and offers competitive pricing on commercial-grade office furniture.
