Office furniture or in wider terms office furnishings including its architecture are instruments of work just like a computer, telephone and car. They are used by us to do everyday tasks and without them our work would be much more difficult. Therefore our productivity depends on the quality of office furniture. What is more, these issues are so important that they are dealt with by a separate science called ergonomics and the minimum requirements relating to the office furniture are specified by law.
We will now compare a few instruments of work as regards expenses, costs they generate, their efficiency and rotation in time and we will consider how they affect our performance.
Computer
In the majority of companies it is a standard for each employee. Let us assume that each employee uses the same basic set – computer, monitor and software. Additionally we should add costs of printers, toners, maintenance, etc.
Basic (average) cost PC+Monitor+accessories – 4,000 PLN net
Software – 500 PLN net (licenses) per year
Average period of operation – 3 to 5 years
Operation costs within 5 years – 6,500 PLN net
Monthly operation costs – approx. 110 PLN per person
We add costs of printing, repairs, etc – monthly operation costs will rise up to at least 170 PLN per person.
Performance depends on the job performed. Please note that it decreases in time, especially after 2-3 year of operation due to technical degradation of the hardware. That is why many companies replace the hardware after 3 years (the monthly costs are minimum 150 PLN per person (without costs of repairs, printing, etc).
Mobile phone
In many companies it is an irreplaceable instrument of work for a few departments. Not everybody is a user, but on average every second employee has a mobile phone. In that case due to the market specificity, the monthly costs depends on its use. Because of various forms of promotions by the telephone operators, the purchase value is irrelevant and we will only analyze operation costs.
Monthly (average) cost of operation – approx. 250 PLN net per user
Monthly cost per employee (half of them uses the phones) – approx. 125 PLN net
It definitely facilitates contacts with customers, it helps increase efficiency of work by increasing mobility and accessibility for and to particular persons.
Company car
A company car is a tool of certain departments. We can assume that on average it is used by 25% of employees. For our calculations let’s assume some simplified values (each employee uses the same model).
Purchase cost – 40,000 PLN
Operation period – 3-5 years (we assume 5 year)
Loss in value within 5 years – 65% of basic price
Costs of fuel per month – 500 PLN
Costs of operation (inspections, etc) – 2,000 PLN per year
Insurance – 2,000 PLN per year
Other (wash, park, etc.) – 50 PLN/month
Total costs over 5 years – approx. 80,000 PLN
Total monthly costs – 1,330 PLN/user
Monthly costs per employee – 333 PLN (we have assumed that ¼ of employees use a company car).
Office furniture
For simplicity of calculations we assume that the value of a desk, container, cubpoard, revolving chair is of the same standard for all employees.
Purchase value – average market price 2,500 PLN
Operation period – minimum 5-7 year (we assume minimum 5 year) with reservation that the furniture quality has a definite impact on their operation time, which should be about 10-12 years.
Monthly value – 41 PLN/person.
Office space
For comparison we give a minimum space area which is provided for one employee in order to show differences between costs related to the possession of an office and costs of its furnishings.
Average price per 1m2 – 50 PLN/m2
Minimum space per employee – 10 m2 (including communication, conference rooms, etc)
Monthly costs of lease – 500 PLN/employee
Now it turns out that we spend the least for office furniture as instruments of work!
Please note however that in other cases the values given were for comparison purposes only and they were underrated. In fact, the majority of companies spend more than has been presented. We presented these calculations to show how little we spend on furnishings for our employees. It is even less than the monthly costs of washing the car … But in this regard we have the biggest opportunity to positively affect work efficiency. If we create a better, healthier and more comfortable work-place, we will easily get a return from our investment (more information can be found in the article – Health in the Office – expense or investment). Our office is not only a place of work, it is an element of internal and external organization and communication. That is why the values related to the creation of ergonomic solutions will pay off very quickly.
If we spend the equivalent of mobile phone costs per month (approx. 125 PLN), the quality of solutions as regards office furniture would be practically unlimited due to changes in working conditions and operation period.
We invite you to read the following articles: Health in the Office – Expense or Investment and Motivation and Health. | 
