How to choose your office space strategically
Where do you want your business to be in ten years’ time? How are you planning to get your business where you want it to be? Are you putting a recruitment plan in place in order to attract fresh talent and generate business growth?
Answering and planning for such questions are vital for commercial success. Believe it or not, an element of achieving business growth objectives lies within having the right office space for staff.
We’ve put together a strategic guideline for businesses wanting to choose the ideal office space for them:
Motivating staff through the right office space
Is Monday morning in your office brimming with optimism and vigour? If not, then it might be time to look for new office premises.
Flexibility is a buzzword in modern office space demands. As we wrote, in a blog titled ‘How could flexible space transform your business’, research shows that staff are happier when they are given more control over when and where they work.
Allowing staff to work in flexible office space crafts an environment of change, which inspires and motivates employees. Shared serviced offices can provide the ideal environment to meet and network with other companies, creating unique new business opportunities. These opportunities are even further inspired in offices with plenty of third space, using these creative spaces to encourage networking and chance meetings, often resulting in shared moments of genius. With a happier and more creative workforce, staff morale improves, retention rates are heightened, and productivity is generally enhanced.
As Morgan Lovell advise, location is also vitally important when choosing offices. If you’re hoping for a more motivated team, then part of your strategical office plan should consider the location of your space, and how easily accessible it is for commuters.
Consequently, this happier, loyal and more productive workforce will help put your company on the road to achieving the long term milestones you have set.
Selecting the perfect office size
The size of your office shouldn’t limit the size of your team – the size of your demand should. If part of your ten-year company vision is to grow, then surely you should be working from a space that can cater for the changing size of your business?
As Effective Workplace writes:
“Companies aim to grow, not to remain stagnant. As jobs increase and new business develops, you will find yourself in need of more space to house employees in every department.”
This is when moving into flexible working space, such as shared offices and co-working centres, can prove invaluable, as they give employers the opportunity to move with their business demands. If a business finds itself with a high employee headcount, it needs to have the facilities and space to house the higher volume of staff.
Does your current office environment have space for employees to take time away from their workstations, relax and revitalise their batteries? If not, moving into office space that nurtures that all-important ‘time out’ could prove an invaluable move in generating a strategic working environment.
More and more businesses are placing an emphasis on workspaces which positively impact employee wellbeing. Offices with views, plenty of daylight flooding through windows, and open green spaces on their doorstep, are conducive with boosting wellbeing within the workforce.
As a report from the World Green Building Council notes:
“Longer distance views, away from computer screens or written documents, allow the eyes to adjust and re-focus, which reduces fatigue, headaches, and the effects of eye strain in the long term. Views also have a positive impact on wellbeing, in part by providing a psychological connection with other groups of people while in a safe space.”
Think of your office space as an investment
Office space is a leading expense for most businesses. As part of strategical company growth planning, you should think of office space as an investment.
When choosing office space, you need to remember that you’re not just buying office space. You’re buying a strategic growth plan. The very best serviced office providers are experts in their field, and should be able to help you with any of your requirements.
Businesses need space where they can work collaboratively, and space to turn off and get comfortable. We’ve spent years looking at the functionality that teams need, and how they use their space from day to day. The leading serviced office providers should be using those principles when designing their workspaces – investing in the most effective solutions for helping businesses grow, rather than cutting corners to offer cheaper office space.
Serviced office space which offers many company essentials as standard, such as high spec IT systems, meeting rooms at your disposal, car parking space, and so on, can mean that companies make significant savings, as opposed to having to pay for individual components that are essential for the day-to-day running of the business.
Is your IT infrastructure slow, temperamental and generally holding your business back? From high-speed Wi-Fi, to a professional IT team ready to offer support should a crisis occur, strategic office space planning should prioritise moving into an office with a high quality, reliable IT infrastructure. Offices that are home to a high-spec tech infrastructure can help employees sharpen IT skills and get through workloads quickly.
Plan B…
The last thing any business wants is to be tied into a contract for a large office, with a tiny workforce occupying it due to an unexpected reduction in business. This is when having flexible office space can prove extremely important. Being able to ‘upsize’ or ‘downsize’ with a moment’s notice can save businesses significant amounts of money, not to mention the embarrassment of having a diminished team rattling around in an oversized office.
Do you want more than just office space? Would you rather an office that helps your business to grow, engaging and inspiring your employees? As experts in serviced office space, we have years of experience working with businesses to create personalised working environments that bring out the very best in their employees. Why not book a viewing to see our professional serviced offices in Leeds and Harrogate?
