Technology is taking over most offices, and that's a good thing. Laptops instead of desktop computers give your employees more mobility; they can work anywhere in the office, they can work from home, and they can even more easily work remotely on business trips. VoIP telephony systems give everyone more insight into customer calls and multi-channel communications. Technology also means meetings can be more productive.
Productive meetings are a hard standard to meet. Nobody likes meetings, and they can often seem like long, dragging monologues or time-wasting gossip sessions. But now that people can bring in their laptops, share their screens, and even hook up the primary speaker's laptop to the large screen, it's easier to share information and get things done. But all of this is only possible if you have the right environment. And even though technology is becoming more and more integral in the workplace, efficiency starts with your table base.
The environment plays a large part in whether or not people are willing to do work, and technology makes work happen when the people are willing. Think about the last time you had a meeting when one chair squeaked, or a table leg was slightly shorter than the rest. Somehow these insignificant things disrupt the work to be done. People fixate on the little things, no matter how clear the Internet connection is.
What matters is your employees' mindsets. Chairs need to be comfortable, or at least not aggravating. The room needs to have good airflow without the air conditioning being too cold or fans too loud. And the tables need to be just right for people to get work completed instead of jostling each other.
Technology brings cords with it. Your employees will bring their power cords to long meetings. Technology-enabled tables may have ethernet cables, USB ports, and power sockets, all of which bring their own handful of long, trailing cords into the mix. Even under the best of circumstances, this is a potential safety hazard. There are pedestal table bases that are made for such applications in the office. Fewer tripping hazards, fewer cords hanging off the side of the table in multiple areas, are just some of the hassles that could be reduced by using a good solid pedestal option. But another reason has to do with perception and space within the room itself.
It always seems that there are more people in a meeting than space allows. Square and rectangular tables exacerbate the problem because their sides have a clearly limited number of occupants. That often leaves people at the corner seats; straddling table legs or bumping into the leg while you're trying to sign the paperwork. Who can say what dangers lurk if someone were to casually bump the table itself on a regular basis during the meeting.
While this was certainly a problem before everyone brought their laptops to the meeting, it's more of a problem now. Laptops really aren't meant to be used on your lap; but they can't really be used on the corner of a table either. And, don't try to use your mouse, there won't be room. One solution is to use circular tables in your meeting space. Circular tables with pedestal table bases make the whole room seem more spacious.
No one will be sitting at a corner, they won't be nudging the table with their nervous knee twitch, and even those who run fashionably late will have a space to squeeze into when they arrive.
Pedestal table bases give everyone more foot room, not just the people who might have been forced into the table corners. Chairs can be more easily pushed in. People can walk around the perimeter of the table. Even just the slight illusion of a floating table, with fewer chair legs makes the space look inviting, and can make the whole room feel bigger.
So, if you're tired of being forced into a corner spot yourself, we suggest checking in with JI Bases. From cast iron to trendy stainless steel, JI will have the right table bases for your office's break and meeting rooms.