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On your first day at a new job, it's always nice to use your free moments to start to make your office more comfortable — and to take stock of whether it's too cold, too hot, too bright, not bright enough, and so on.
Even though you probably got a glimpse of your workspace during your job interview, your first day gives you an opportunity to decide what you can do to settle in and feel at home (home-ish?).
How do YOU make your office more comfortable? What are the first 3–5 things you have to do to settle into a new office? Which items do you bring on your first day, and what do leave for later? What would your perfect office look like, and how far is your current office from that ideal? If you work in a cubicle or in an open plan office, how have you adapted that setup to work for you?
We've talked about how to decorate your office walls, the logistics of decorating your office (i.e., how you get a couch in there if you have room for it), and how to know if you've overshot it and your office decor is “too nice”, as well as general thoughts on personalizing an office (looooong ago) — but it's been a while.
Some of our main fashion articles that might be of interest include our Ultimate Guide to Business Casual, Wardrobe Essentials for Work, and The Corporette Guide to Comfortable Heels — all constantly updated! If you're just starting out or on a budget, check out our Affordable Office Clothes roundup — and if you're plus-sized, check out our Plus-Size Picks for Work.
{related: essential items to keep at your work desk}
Some General Tips on How to Make Your Office More Comfortable
Focus on Ergonomics
To make your office literally more comfortable, bring in products (or ask management for them) that help make your office better suited to your physical needs. For example, a more comfortable office chair, a monitor riser, a lumbar pillow, a box or stool under your feet…
Pictured, some of our favorite tools for better ergonomics at the office as of 2024…
And some of our latest favorite comfortable office chairs…
Express Yourself Through Office Supplies and Art
Sure, plain manilla folders and office pens are fine — but sometimes you might want to add a little bit more personality and color through your office supplies.
On the hunt for cute office supplies? As we've noted in the past, Target, Anthropologie, ShopBop, Urban Outfitters, and Amazon all have a ton of personality-infused office supplies. Some of our favorites as of 2024 include these:
{related: some of our favorite weird products to keep at the office: pashminas, foldable flats, items to cool you down after a sweltering commute, and mini-fridges if your situation allows}
Stay tuned for our latest favorite examples of office wall art!
How We Make Our Offices More Comfortable
To kick things off, here are some thoughts from members of the Corporette team on how we make our offices more comfortable:
KAT
For me, it would be a framed family picture, a tissue box (I'm snotty, ha) and water bottle; setting up the computer with LastPass; and finding something to prop my feet on top of, like a stool or banker's box, for better ergonomics.
I might also immediately look into whether there's a conference room I can use when I need to work quietly, and figure out the office culture around closing my door — I tend to get really easily distracted with an open door.
{related: the pros and cons of family pictures at the office}
KATE
I always “customize” my office with a few key things: a non-boring mousepad (mine, which has a wrist rest, is a rip-off of Van Gogh's Almond Blossoms), a fun mug to bring a little cheer to my mornings (currently, this pink polka-dot Pusheen one), and a nice wall calendar.
When I started my current job, I wasn't crazy about a couple of pictures on my walls, so I switched them out for a couple of bird prints from home (an option my boss had already offered) and kept the others.
I ordered a bulletin board right away because I like having certain info easily accessible, and I repurposed a printer stand as a footrest.
(Yes, I'm allowed to order an actual footrest, but the stand works fine, and I’m at a nonprofit, so I might as well save money.)
I always have jasmine tea and hot chocolate on hand, and I recently ordered an electric kettle for our two-person office because the hot water from the Keurig always has coffee grounds in it — ick.
{related: how to decorate your workspace}
ELIZABETH
I’m always cold, so my necessities are mostly temperature-related.
I usually keep a big scarf that can be used as a blanket (this one from White + Warren has been my go-to for years) and a heating pad (keeps me toasty, and less of a fire hazard than a space heater).
I also like to have a fun mug on hand for coffee and tea. (Currently, it’s a Parks and Rec mug a friend gave me for my birthday.)
{related: 10 uses for office supplies in a pinch}
REBECCA
I try to take care of the practical things early on: surge protector (there are never enough outlets) and all the basic office supplies.
This includes ergonomic mousepad, keyboard pad, scissors, and eating utensils. (I often eat at my desk.)
As for creature comforts, offices are always too cold, so I always have a spare black cardigan or blazer I can leave at work.
Finally, I like some colorful artwork — prints, posters, or even magnets.
When I've worked in a cubicle, I have chosen a couple of posters that give me a moment of escape.
In my early 20s, it was the Van Gogh Cafe Terrace at Night to pretend I was there on my rougher days.
More recently, I bought Charley Harper's Canyon Country for a cubicle wall.
I currently work in an office and still need to hang more art on the walls, but like everywhere else I've worked, I have a few colorful cups and mugs for pens/pencils/thumb drives.
My current office also from day one has had a couple different versions of the Lucky Cat and an urban streetscape print by a local artist I met at a gallery show a couple summers ago.
{related: tips and tricks to spring clean your office}
APRIL
I download Chome on my computer if it doesn’t already have it, and I bookmark sites I use most often (Westlaw, etc).
Relatedly, I scope out the web surfing and usage culture/policy, bring my water bottle, and find out where the water source is.
What’s the temperature? Do I need to bring a cardigan that lives at the office? A space heater? Is there natural light? Do people pop by others' offices when a question comes up or are there designated times to bring a bunch of questions?
I need a phone charger/umbrella/snacks always on hand.
I’m high maintenance when it comes to my creature comforts. I had a shared office once with three other people, and we would share funny/crazy stories about our cases and ask each other questions all the time, but I could see how that dynamic wouldn’t work if we were all there all the time. It worked because our court schedules were crazy and the office was just a landing pad.
In your current and past jobs, how have you made your office more comfortable?
What are the items or features that are essential to you?
What kind of office setup helps your productivity the most?
Anonymous
On my first day I bring tissues, a cashmere shawl, hand sanitizer, and hand cream. This is because my last 3 jobs have seriously had a BYO tissue policy, and freezing office temperatures, which causes my nose to run…So all of these items become necessary. Later in the week: space heater (#1 thing that makes my office comfy), mug, tea, any ergonomic supplies my office doesn’t supply (Currently: monitor stands, wrist pads, foot stool), photos, plants, etc.
Vicky Austin
I also hated using the gunky Keurig water for tea – until I figured out that I can just pour it through a coffee filter into my cup and catch all the coffee crap that way. Sharing to save a life in case anyone can’t buy a kettle! :)
Anonymous
omg, thank you!
In-House in Houston
Snacks for sure, probably the second day. I also have a small cosmetic bag that I have a few essentials in (tampons, Advil, allergy med, and a toothbrush/paste) that I bring the first day – something easy to just throw in a drawer. The way my brain works, if I have it, I won’t need it. But if I don’t have it, I’ll need it. Later in the week I’d start to bring a few more personal items (photos of my dogs, my RBG action figure, and every year I get a wall calendar of a place I’d like to visit – right now it’s Ireland).
Ellen
I did this originally, bringing in a few boxes of Kind Bars. While it alleviated my craving to go out to get cookies which were worse, I found myself eating and eating and eating the Kind bars and in a matter of 2 months after I started here, I went up to a size 4 (and it was tight–FOOEY!) . I told Dad, and he immediately jumped on me for eating the Kind bars, and then had me give all of them to Roberta, who had came by a lot of times to eat one beforehand, and Roberta does not care about her dress size. So now I must get mini carrots and have them ready for me in the refridgerator in the pantry. Dad says I can eat as many of these as I want w/o affecting my tuchus. YAY!!
TNT
I have not read Corporette in years – spending a week off before starting a new job so I decided to check in and can I just say I positively thrilled that Ellen is still here.
Anon
The last time I started a new job, I came in over the weekend to decorate in private. My office has my diplomas, framed newspaper articles, and a large art print. I also brought in a lamp (silver with a beige linen shade) that sits on the back corner of the desk. I had a plant, but it died, so I swapped it out a bit later for faux. I use a pretty ceramic toothbrush holder from Target as a pen cup :) The phone charger, mini heating pad, and kleenex arrived shortly after, too.
Anon
I bring my own pretty desktop items like pen cup, tray, file holder, etc. I also have a very pretty stapler (it’s white and gold). I like to use pretty office supplies because they make me happier. I also always bring a plant and my own preferred kind of pens and tea.
Anonymous
Getting my own desk lamp with warm light was key – much easier on the eyes for working after dark than the fluorescent light from the overhead.
Anon
I have some deal bricks and other business trophies I bring in, mainly because I don’t have a place to display them at home, and because they represent significant accomplishments in my career.
I may not bring my framed credentials the first day but I will eventually bring them in, and will ask office admin/operations advice on how to hang them (currently I’m in a glass office so they are just propped up on my credenza.)
I always have pashmina type scarves, a cosmetic bag, and a bag of Advil/Tylenol/allergy medicine/eye drops/stain stick. I also bring my tea bags because while any brand of Earl Grey will do, I cant abide Lipton. And my water bottle.
That would be about it for the first week or so of work. I assume my work will provide office supplies but I want some input on the pens (pilot g-2 05 black).
Other than that I make my way around to meet everyone. I haven’t started an actual new job in a few years but I’ve moved offices on average once every 2 years for my entire career so I feel like I have this down.
Anon
Command hooks to have a place to hang coats, an extra blazer and my office cardigan; tissue box, tea stash,and $20 cash.
Dwight Schrute
How timely! I just started a new job today! I brought a water bottle and a box of tissues. I’ll be in a large cubicle, so I plan to bring things over the next week or two. I always keep a brush, small makeup bag, and chapstick/lip gloss in my desk. I’ll bring those tomorrow and other desk comforts like a colorful wrist guard, desk placemat thing, and a mug or two.
Laura
I made the risky decision to replace the guest chairs in my office with a pair of beautiful blush pink velvet mid century chairs. It has made a huge difference in how happy looking across my desk makes me.
Jessica
I travel a lot so the art in my office is from the places I’ve visited for work. I also try to buy something small from my travels to display on my desk (current fav are the wooden tulips from Amsterdam). For plants, I go to a local nursery that will answer questions and tell them I want a plant that likes neglect (usually succulents and snake plants are a good bet). Finally, I despise overhead lighting so I have floor lamps that all plug into a power strip with my computer, monitors, phone charger, etc. When I arrive/leave, there’s just one switch to flip!