5 Areas We Inspect When Receiving Office Furniture

While new office furniture is a welcome addition to any working space, it’s important to verify the functionality of all your new work stations, chairs and equipment upon installation.

Hiffman National’s project services team is happy to help with tips from our own processes on what you should be inspecting when your new office furniture is delivered.

1. Verify task chair operation

• • Prolonged sitting at a desk chair without proper support can lead to back pain, poor blood circulation and bad posture. By ensuring correct support points, desk chairs can provide comfort and avoid more serious health issues. Hiffman creates a checklist that covers all aspects of the chair from visual inspection to verifying operation, ensuring that all functions of the chair work. Some examples of details to verify include armrests, head/neck rests, adjustable lumbar support, seat slide, base and casters to ensure comfort and healthy posture.

2. Confirm sit-stand desk motors are working properly

• • According to a study published in JAMA Network Open, people who predominantly sit at work have a 16% higher risk of mortality from all causes, and a 34% higher risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease. Properly working sit-stand desks are one way to ensure a more active work setting, but a broken sit-stand desk turns into a limited, standard sitting desk. In addition to verifying the operation, Hiffman also looks at wire management to ensure no pinching of wires.

3. Make sure all receptacles are operational, not loose and have correct polarity

• • Power is the heart of the workstation, a necessity for not just computing but ancillary devices such as desk lamps, phone chargers, printers, scanners, etc. Ensuring every receptacle is operating properly can help avoid the feeling of being powerless for users.

4. Inspect Entire Workstation

• • When moving into a brand new home, everything should be in correct working order with no damage. The same goes for new workstations and office setups where all the aspects look just right, adding value to the appearance of the office. Check for damage around these susceptible areas:
    • • • Edging and nosing of tops for damage
        • Check fabric for stains/snags/rips
        • If panels are laminate, check for scratches
        • Check gaskets are not tucked into panel

5. Ensure all openings in the power/data raceway are covered

• • Much like a good offensive lineman in football or a good defenseman in hockey, a raceway is doing its job when you don’t notice it. Leaving any openings increases the possibility that wires get damaged, requiring possible repairs or a situation that could result in injury.

Do you need help planning a new office space or upgrading your existing space? Contact Hiffman National’s Project Services Team with any questions:

Tom Murphy
Managing Director, Head of Project Services
630-272-7063
tmurphy@hiffman.com

About Hiffman National: 

Hiffman National is one of the US’s largest independent commercial real estate property management and advisory firms, providing institutional and private clients exceptional customized solutions for property management, facility management, advisory services, accounting, lease administration, lender services, project management, marketing, and research. The firm’s comprehensive property management platform and attentive approach to service contribute to successful life-long relationships and client satisfaction. As a nationally bestowed Top Workplace, and recognized CRE award winner, Hiffman National is headquartered in suburban Chicago, with more than 250 employees nationally and an additional six hub locations and 25 satellite offices across North America.

About NAI Hiffman:  

NAI Hiffman is one of the largest independent commercial real estate services firms in the US, with a primary focus on metropolitan Chicago, and part of the NAI Global network. We provide institutional and private leasing, property management, tenant representation, capital markets, project services, research, and marketing services for owners and occupiers of commercial real estate. To meet our clients’ growing needs outside of our exclusive NAI Hiffman territory, we launched Hiffman National, our dedicated property solutions division, which provides property management, project services, and property accounting services across the country. NAI Hiffman | Hiffman National is and award winning company headquartered in suburban Chicago, with more than 250 employees strategically located throughout North America.