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Floor Outlets Increase Office Layout Options

30 December 2014 by Ramona Lawrence

If you're an office or factory manager who's in charge of plans to remodel an office, give serious consideration to adding floor outlets if your office doesn't already have them. A lot of offices have cubicle walls and other fixtures wired up, but that can be a bit restrictive if you want to move the cubicles around because the wiring in the cubicle walls would have to be redone. If you have a company like Cole Electric Inc wire the office with floor outlets instead, you can move desks, cubicle walls, and any other furniture anywhere in the office and still ensure they'll be near an outlet.

Try to Place the Outlets so They'll Be Under Furniture

Floor outlets should, if possible, be under furniture. So if you move a cubicle across the office, you'd want to try to arrange it so that the floor outlet was under one of the tables or desks in the cubicle. The floor outlets are unobtrusive, but many people don't like to step on them for fear of breaking them. The outlets are usually made of metal. So, even if someone steps on one, the plate shouldn't break. Still, it's best to keep them out of the main path of traffic. Plus, even though they're relatively flat, they can be a bit noticeable if you step on the edge.

Having the outlets on the floor enables cubicle occupants to keep desks cleaner, too. When outlets are on the walls of the cubicle, the person at the desk has to keep that space clear so that the plugs have room. But if the outlets are on the floor, the occupant can place other items up against the wall. That makes the room look much more organized and neater. Workers also won't have to find extension cords or have electrical cords stretching across the floor if cubicles are arranged well.

The Outlets Are Unobtrusive

It can be difficult to predict where cubicles and desks will be year after year; you'd think offices would keep their layouts without changing them, but as staff are added or lost, the needs of the office will change. Luckily, the floor outlets can be covered up, either with lids on the plugs or by placing a rug over them. Occupants won't have to worry about having open plugs in the middle of their floor space if they end up in a cubicle where the outlet is in the center of the floor space.

Spills Are a Risk

Occupants do need to be careful not to spill anything on the outlets, obviously. This is another reason why the outlets should be placed under furniture if possible. If you get floor outlets, ensure the ones that won't be in use immediately will be covered up.

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