Office Furniture Installation: Myths and Misconceptions

So I have gone back and forth on if I should be writing articles. But after some hemming and hawing I decided that this year I NEEDED to get out of my comfort zone and get to writing. I wasn't sure if I should educate, entertain, or give opinion pieces. I have decided all 3 are appropriate when writing about an industry such as ours.

Our Industry.. Office Furniture..it is a funny subject to write about. We all use it for the most part, whether at home or at a commercial office. Desks, chairs, monitor arms, and some of us unlucky ones are even stuck in those cramped cubicles! Unless you adore your cubicle, in which case you are living the dream my friend. Revel in your Office themed home away from home. But Office Furniture Installation work is often considered to be low on the totem of importance or relevance by many.

Because of this, I think there are some interesting myths and misconceptions about the installation of office furniture that needs to be at the very least mentioned. And yes, these are things that affect an industry I am part of and have been for about 10 years, so I am probably a bit biased. But I believe that helping companies and individuals see the other side of the aisle is an important step to take to help alleviate frustrations and establish reasonable expectations.

Here are a two Myths and the Misconceptions that fuel them:

The Myth: Office Furniture is Super Simple to Install and goes together easy.

This is a total myth. Just like any construction job, there are indeed simpler aspects of installation work, but the truth is much of it can be quite complex. And what is considered simple at face value can be deceiving. An office chair can look easy to put together, and indeed there are some manufacturers that make it pretty simple(these usually cost more than the standard consumer wants to pay), however the majority can have many pieces and take a bit of finesse.

The same with un-assembled desks, hutches, credenzas, etc. Not to say it's impossible, just time consuming and sometimes requires an experienced hand to make sure it lines up correctly. Cubicles on average can go together pretty simple, but often time slow down on the fine tuning. Yes I said fine tuning. Cubicles and their components have to be adjusted, leveled and squared which can take a bit of extra time if an installer worth their salt is doing the job correctly.

The Misconception: I feel that the biggest misconception(s) fueling this myth comes from the ideas that:

(1) Office Furniture is like Residential home furnishings that come preassembled and it will be set in place quickly and that's that.

(2) Since Ikea furniture is user friendly(or so we are made to believe) the Office Furniture we ordered should slap together like Bologna and Bread. After all it is pre-manufactured!

First, most projects where new office furniture is being installed, the product is Shipped in boxes (boxes and trash that have to be disposed of once the items are removed), received on site or at a warehouse, and depending on the requirements of the Job, may be assembled in the warehouse and moved, or assembled on the premises of the customer. So extra time is allotted in a commercial Office Furniture Install due to the fact that you are having that furniture pieced together in real time. All the ingredients are there, but they have to be mixed, cooked and arranged on the plate.

Secondly, Ikea Furniture and other items like it, aren't as user friendly to all. Some DIYers have the mindset and mechanical thought process to figure it out with little to no issues, and hey, good on ya, that's fantastic! But I know that many folks have sat for hours trying to make heads or tails of which type screw goes in the top of the table, and which goes in the side legs and why there are two spots for screws, but three kinds of screws in the box and the instructions are as vague as your Grandpa when you ask where the dent in the Lincoln Continental came from.

Truth is that Office furniture takes experience and patience to install correctly.

The Myth: Anyone can Install Office Furniture

This is a statement that many who are new to the profession or who are inexperienced to the buying and installing of Office Furniture find themselves saying when a project arises and budgets are involved. Some may think the Solution is get a handful for temporary workers to come to the location in question and read those vague instructions and not only will we get the job done, but we will save a ton of $$$ because anyone can Install Office Furniture!

Or Some may think that they are already paying their Maintenance team X amount of dollars a year, so we can have them install all the furniture. Not only will we get the job done on our terms, we will save a ton of $$$ because our Maintenance team can BECOME Office Furniture Installers!

The Misconception: The Misconception stems from the first myth, that Office furniture is Easy to assemble and install. After all if its so easy, then anyone can do it so why would we hire on a Team of "Trained Professionals" to handle it? I mean from that standpoint I would totally agree. If something is so easy to do then why fork out money to people to do an easy thing? The only problem is what was mentioned in the first myth, Installation work requires Technical know how, experience, finesse, patience and an ability to problem solve.

For Instance, If you order a Top (Table top for Cubicle workstation) and it gets scratched pretty bad, is your Temporary worker or the Maintenance worker familiar with how to Hot Knife the top to fill the scratch and match the finish color? If they you do, then for goodness sake get that Temp on pay roll and give the Maintenance worker a raise, because who outside of the Office Furniture Industry would know what they just did? (Ok maybe some cabinetry guys if we are being honest, but good luck getting them to come and fix your scratch.)

Or say that you have a table top that is two inches too long to fit in an office due to inaccurate measurements given to the designer. Hey, it happens. If the Desk needs to be cut down by two inches and re-banded, does the Temp, or Maintenance person, or you, know how to do that?

The point is that if an Electrician is needed, or a Plumber, or any other Tradesman, people call them and pay them their due because they have the skills, and experience to do the job. Sure you could try and rewire your house or fix the pipes in your house yourself, but if you aren't trained in that skill, things inevitably won't be up to par.

It is the same with an Office Furniture Installer, you may be able to construct the Desks, or Chairs, or System Furniture, but will you be able to sleep knowing that you placed all the support brackets in the right places? The benefits of utilizing a trained Installation team far outweighs the cost. And I know that there are indeed many Companies out there who know and understand the struggles of our industry and show that they value the benefits of Installation crews. Our hats are off you you fine people!

Really its my opinion that every Company that uses commercial office furniture should have a professional installation team that they can trust and depend on on speed dial. Get to know them and see them not as an extra bill to pay, but as a partner to make your business look its professional best!