For businesses, managing office chair lifespan can save money in the long run.
Proper office chair management also ensures that worn or defective office chairs don’t compromise employee productivity or appear as eyesores to clients.
In this guide, we cover…
- creating an office furniture inventory (and why this is useful)
- conducting periodic inspections, or “audits”, and arranging repairs
- different corporate approaches to replacing office chairs
- factors that affect office chair lifespan, to consider when making purchase decisions.
Creating an office chair inventory
Most large corporate companies keep an inventory of their office chairs. This is essential when they have office chairs in storage that get rotated out for seasonal work.
Even for small businesses, keeping an office chair inventory is a good idea. You can track how old the chairs are and which chairs might need servicing or maintenance.
It helps when you need to order more chairs of the same type.
What information to record
The way you choose to lay out the records is up to you, but this is some of the vital chair information you should record:
- date of purchase
- cost
- where the chair was bought
- custom designs, colours or upholstery information
- warranty length
- brand
- contract details with manufacturer or supplier.
You can use a simple spreadsheet or specialised software to manage your office chair inventory (sometimes known as churn management).
Why an office furniture inventory is useful
With an office furniture inventory, you can keep an accurate tally of what you have on hand. This means you won’t spend money on new stock when there’s furniture in storage.
The inventory helps you track chairs near the end of their lifespan or that need a service. The records help you determine office furniture depreciation for tax purposes.
Office furniture audits
An internal office furniture audit is a useful way to manage the lifespan of office chairs. With regular audits, you can arrange inspections at regular intervals or once chairs reach a certain age.
These inspections detect any damage or malfunctions that could impact employee comfort or health.
An audit identifies which chairs need repairs and maintenance. This prolongs the lifespan of your office chairs and saves money in the long run.
Audits should be used to ensure the data in your inventory is up to date and to identify chair purchases in the future, so they can be budgeted for.
Company approaches to office chair replacement
Your approach to replacing office chairs will depend on the types of chairs, how many people you have on staff and if you keep a backup of chairs. Here are some approaches to office chair replacement with pros and cons.
Replace a percentage of office chairs each year
This is a good approach if you’re working with a large number of chairs and you don’t have time for detailed inspections. It doesn’t cost as much as replacing all the chairs at once. However, you could replace chairs that don’t need replacing.
Replace all chairs after a certain number of years
This is a significant cost, but is feasible for larger corporates. On the plus, all chairs are new and working properly. However, some people end up working with faulty chairs for some of the time. Not all chairs wear the same. Staff may be forced to wait until the next full replacement before getting a working chair.
Replace chairs based on inspection results
This approach takes the most time and needs regular audits and a detailed inventory. However, it’s the most accurate and cost effective. It means employees never have faulty chairs and chairs aren’t replaced unnecessarily. Churn management is a good way to get the best results from this approach.
Factors that affect office chair lifespan
Office chairs have a significant lifespan. There are factors that can shorten this lifespan, which makes management and auditing essential.
How much a chair is used. Some workers spend a lot of time away from their desk. Other chairs are used throughout the day and night.
Maintenance and repairs. If proper maintenance, cleaning and repairs are neglected, the chair will wear out faster or develops unfixable defects.
The quality of the chair. A cheaper chair made with inferior components has a shorter lifespan.
Improper use. Chairs that aren’t used for their intended purpose may wear out faster.
Onsite churn management is the best way to ensure your office chairs last as long as possible. It ensures accurate records and prevents unnecessary expenditure. As an office chair manufacturer, K-Mark offers comprehensive office furniture management to SMEs and large corporate companies.
K-Mark is a proudly South African office chair manufacture, with decades of experience. As well as new office chairs, we provide office chair repairs, churn management and expert management of office relocations – all of which can play a role in managing office chair lifespan. Contact us for more information or to discuss your needs.
