5 Tips on How to Identify and Create a Space-Efficient Office
What are the two biggest overheads for any business? People and places. This fact can cause a lot of anxiety when improving your current space or moving to a new one – go for a space that’s too big, and you end up paying for unused floorspace; go for an office too small, and you could end up with an uncomfortable team resulting in lowered employee satisfaction and output.
According to Earth Web, only 67% of employees are working at their best capacity in their office.
However, by following these 5 tips, you can have the confidence to identify and create the most space-efficient office for your business. One that enables your talented team to thrive in both productivity and wellbeing – ensuring your biggest overheads are also your greatest assets.
1. Identify Your Company Goals and Needs
Whether you’re making a few tweaks or wanting a completely new fit-out, the first step to optimising your office space is to establish your goals.
· Do you want to encourage more hybrid working?
· Are you looking to expand and grow?
· Do you want to attract more talent by providing more empowering environments?
By understanding what your business needs, you can avoid making poor decisions that don’t serve you, saving both time and money.
2. Think About Office Furniture
From ergonomics to space planning layouts, furniture is crucial in shaping workplace performance. Our expert Interior Designer, Lucy Mallard, has some great tips to maximise space, productivity and wellbeing when it comes to furniture:
· Find an Expert :
an investment in the right furniture is an investment into the future success of your business. By working with furniture experts, you get access to the best solutions, with the added benefit of exclusive dealer discounts and competitive prices on market-leading items.
· Create Breakout Spaces
different tasks and personality types require different spaces to work efficiently. Designated spaces away from the desk are shown to have a range of benefits for employee wellbeing. Be it a booth or co-working café, breakout spaces also optimise square footage by providing agile, multi-purpose office space.
3. Get Clever with Curves to Optimise Office Layout
When planning a workplace, look to make the most out of the available space by working with the natural curves or angles within the building. The flow of natural light, windows and accessibility are all key considerations when creating your bespoke interior design scheme and fit out.
4. Use Space Calculators with Caution
Space calculators are a great guideline when searching for your next office space. However, they are only a starting point – to save time and money in the long-term, it is important to tailor your office specifications to more than just the results provided by a space calculator. Which brings us onto point number 5…
5. Work with Experts and Designers
You know your business better than anybody but managing a fit out or office move is outside of most of our skillsets. The best way to find the right space for your company will always be to collaborate with industry experts, by sharing your company’s culture and letting us turn your vision into a reality.
If you’re looking to put these tips into action and want to find and create a functional, versatile and flexible solution for your business, talk to us to find out how we can help deliver your vision.