If you work in an office, then presumably you'll be familiar with the sort of desks and chairs that are found in most offices. But did you know that different office furniture might make your staff more productive and present a better image of your company to your customers?

Here's what you need to know.

1. Ergonomic office furniture will help to ensure that staff are comfortable at their desks, that their chairs and computers are at the right heights, and that they have everything they need to hand. This will also help to reduce the risk of RSI and other Health and Safety issues.

2. Being more comfortable will help your staff to be more productive, so they will get more done and so generate more revenue. Having the right furniture is therefore very important. This is an excellent cost effective method of getting more out of your staff.

3. You can still have new office furniture and be environmentally friendly. Instead of wooden furniture, what about metals or other furniture. Perhaps you could get rid of a lot of unnecessary furniture such as filing cabinets, or additional tables by changing your office layout.

4. If you're struggling for space you might not need to move to new office premises. Why not see if you can make better use of your existing office space? By changing the layout of your desks and using more appropriate and space saving furniture, you can ensure that you are making the best of the available space in your office.

5. The right office furniture is important to portray your company image. If you're a modern design or internet based business, you'll want your office furniture to represent this. If you're a firm of solicitors or a bank, perhaps you won't want bright colours and cutting edge designs.

6. Having more effective office furniture, and making sure staff have the resources they need are bound to increases staff morale and make the workplace a better place to be.

7. You might need additional storage areas for brochures or other sales literature, or perhaps you've converted a lot of paper records, and are now storing them on computer. You'll need to make sure that you have the appropriate storage in your office.

8. Depending on your type of business, you might need your office to be able to accommodate more clients. Why not make sure that your reception area furniture portrays the right image of your company.

9. Perhaps you're in the process of making better use of technology, and so want your staff to be able to make use of video conferencing, or storing documents electronically, and need additional desks in order to be able to do this. Making sure that you assess each department's needs, will help you to decide exactly what furniture you need for your office.

10. Perhaps you could recycle your old furniture by asking around to see if anybody could make use of your old desks and chairs. You might find that there's another company looking for furniture who'd be very grateful for your old furniture.

Now you know how important a role furniture plays in the modern office, maybe now is the time for you to think about your office furniture.