From Refurbished Desks to Office Presence Trackers: What’s Changing in German Work Life
21.06.2026 - 02:43:36 | boerse-global.de
A quiet shift is underway in how German offices furnish themselves. Rather than buying new, a growing number of businesses are renting high-end ergonomic chairs and desks or snapping up refurbished design pieces. KS Büromöbel, based in Griesheim, specialises in restoring used designer furniture and selling it on, offering special discounts for startup founders. Rental models now let companies lease premium equipment for as little as one month. The idea: save money, stay flexible, and cut down on waste.
Heat waves are making home offices harder to endure, but the tax office offers some relief. Anyone with a recognised home office can deduct the cost of an air conditioner. If the net price exceeds €800, the expense must be spread over several years through depreciation. Running costs are also partially deductible. Workers who lack a separate home office can still claim a direct tax credit under §35a of the German Income Tax Act (EStG): 20 percent of the installation cost is deducted from their tax bill.
The health risks of sitting for hours have spawned a new category of home-office gadget. Sportstech has introduced the WoodPad Pro, a folding walking pad finished with real-wood veneer. Designed to blend into a living room, it lets users walk gently during phone calls or while reading. The aim is to counteract the negative effects of prolonged sitting.
Lenovo is targeting the mobile workforce with the ThinkPad L13 Gen 7. This 13-inch laptop uses Intel’s Lunar Lake architecture and is built for long days away from a power socket. Battery life reaches up to 23 hours for local video playback and roughly 12 hours under productive use according to the MobileMark 30 standard. At 1.21 kilograms, it is light enough to carry between office, home, and transit.
Microsoft has quietly rolled out a Wi-Fi-based presence detection feature for Teams, called Workplace Check-in. When an employee connects to the company WLAN, their status automatically switches to “in office.” The system is turned off by default; administrators can enable it, and users usually retain the right to refuse location tracking. In Germany, employers must involve the works council before activating the feature. Microsoft says the tool is not designed for metre-accurate positioning but for transparency about who works where.
For those squeezed for space, Musso is bringing the AnyDesk D7 foldable desk to Europe. It arrives ready to use — no assembly required — and sits on castors, making it easy to move around a small flat.
Two promotions are worth noting for anyone equipping a workspace. FlexiSpot is offering discounts of up to 50 percent on ergonomic models from 23 to 26 June. From 2 July, Lidl will sell a compact Bluetooth tracker that works with both Apple’s and Google’s device-search networks — handy for keeping tabs on a laptop, tablet, or headphones.
