Ten arguments why a business needs a professional office interior design9291983
De BISAWiki
Revolutionise your usable business space and work areas
In the UK, office space is high cost. Business taxes, lighting, heating, and VAT; not to mention staff costs all stack up. However, the greatest yearly expense for most companies is the rental of professional business space. The fees have gone through the roof! Many businesses jockey to keep up with the monthly fees that landlords charge and in many cases, the lease terms are lengthy and harsh. Any break from these firm contracts can be a fate worse than business death!
Is it any revelation that the commercial landscape of the country is changing? Companies are being forced to think long and hard about office space planning.
Small businesses are being pushed to the limits. There comes a time where something has to give. Any self-respecting forward thinking employer never wants to lose invaluable staff; not to mention have to deal with the emotion of putting another person on the dole queue. If costs can be recouped elsewhere and a business can survive, a business owner will in most cases explore these roads by consulting an office fit out firm. If not, this could be an unwise and costly mistake.
Companies can outgrow their surroundings too quickly
It never ceases to amaze me how many companies claim they have outgrown their commercial space. Yet the number of employees on their team has changed very little. The long and short of it is they have simply gathered more garbage such as paperwork, documentation, equipment, hardware, furniture. In many cases, they're items that are not needed on site or are simply collecting dust. With some intelligent thinking, their time and energy would be far better used towards a building refurbishment.
So why would you consider breaking a business rental in favour of signing on the dotted line for a new, lengthier and most likely more expensive rental to store this junk elsewhere? It's a story I hear all too often.
If these businesses consulted with a professional interior designer to refit their existing office, they could gain 10-20% more space simply through sensible use of space and creative ways of maximising what they have.
So here's ten thoughts you should consider which should persuade you that your next investment should be a getting a brand new office interior designed and not jumping ship:
1) Collecting Junk Most offices I visit have stuff everywhere. Box files, paperwork, unused or outdated desks, chairs and general objects that get in the way. It feels like you are literally tripping up every time you want to go from one end of a room to the other. The first point you need to work out is does all this garbage really need to be here? If not, trash it or find a low cost secure storage space to take these non-essential items off site. If they do need to stay at the office, consider changing your storage systems. Every good interior designer knows how to create space that you never realised you had.
2) Business Disruption Any business owner knows just how disruptive it is to go through a office move. It's not just the physical aspect of moving office; it's the costs involved, the days when you cannot operate as normal, moving phone lines, internet connections. There's also the inconvenience to employees. Does this change their daily commute? Moving office has to be the last option when you consider these pitfalls.
3) Client Management Many associates like the fact that they know where their supplier is based. Moving a few miles may not seem like a big deal, but it could cost you a few high-income clients who you've suddenly pushed away. So the contradiction is you believe you just saved the company money and increased your space by moving when in fact, you just cost yourself a hell of a lot more. Client relationships can be a very flimsy at times. Don't put them at risk unless a move is absolutely necessary.
4) Pros & Cons Before moving office, have you created a list of pros vs cons? I'll take a guess and say you haven't. Sometimes, packing up everything in boxes and moving seems like the quickest logical solution but in many cases, it isn't. There's a large cost outlay to consider when moving. I've already covered business interruption however what about the expense of packing up items, moving and reinstalling essential equipment? You'll be stunned how much you take the existing systems you have in place for granted. I can recall so many scenarios where a business moved and setting up their infrastructure proved very hard. A lack of skills, documentation and records led to basic networks, servers, computers, equipment and phone systems all failing to work correctly. It is a downer when nothing works and this costs a lot of money to repair!
5) Hidden Costs Have you considered that your existing furniture collection may not work in your new proposed office? In most cases, offices evolve with a business and furniture is bought to fit the dimensions of that space. So why assume this furniture will simply slot into its new home, look right and do a better job? In most cases it never does. Ok, so it may fit into a larger floor area but can it outperform itself? No chance. Furniture doesn't grow in size just because it sits in a bigger room. Here's the hint. Sometimes, the room isn't the problem. It's your storage solutions and it's inevitable, that when you move office, you will also have to purchase new furniture and storage solutions to suit. Yet more expenses!
6) New Contracts, New Pitfalls You have an existing relationship with your current landlords and know exactly what to expect from them and the level of cooperation they'll give when there's problems or business to discuss. Will you get that from your new landlord? When moving to new premises, you have no idea if there's longstanding maintenance needed or if a problem is ready to surprise you. Will you get your complaints resolved quickly if they do arise? This is a peril that may not be worth avoiding.
7) Location, Location, Location Is the new location of the proposed moved in the perfect place? Does it put you in the middle of high traffic, high business areas of does this put you into the desert? Many businesses take the gamble of going to a more rural location in exchange for lower rates and more room. What this can end up doing is having a business that is so far removed and detached from the commercial centres that your customers start to feel that way about you as a business. Remember, image is vital!
8) Commuting Does driving to the new offices cause you or your staff greater issues? If so, does this mean that previously dedicated staff who arrived in good time may suddenly become an issue due to traffic, length of commutes, costs and difficulty getting to work. Moving a long distance away from your current location may be the worst move you ever made.
9) Staff Morale A new look office that involves the input of your staff can help reenergise and stimulate your team. A new office can have the opposite effect as it feels like a pull having to move away from familiar, convenient and established surroundings. By consulting your team alongside a commercial interior designer, you are serving to evolve the business and give your staff a feeling of importance, recognition and input. It's a superb way to use a testing situation as a great opportunity to galvanise the team around you.
10) Budgets Overall you'll be surprised to learn that a complete refit of an existing office is usually far less interruption and more importantly, far less cost to a business than exiting altogether. Moving takes a massive effort and deep pockets. And whilst a complete office remodel is no drop in the ocean either, it's still a great deal easier than taking an entire office and moving it several hundred yards away.
Professional office fitters know how to find space where you thought it never existed. They conceptualise in three dimensions and can see where invisible space can suddenly become usable space by using bespoke modular office partitions. If square footage is really tight, there are ingenious ways to make a room multifunctional with adaptable, moveable partitions made from glass, frameworks and modular systems.
A large meeting room can become a group of small consultation rooms just by installing wall dividers. Shelving can always go upwards as well as sideways. Desks can be multifunctional and still look chic, stylish and contemporary.
So before you decide its time to say adios to your current surroundings, think again. The time, costs, hassle and interruption may not be worth the effort in the end.
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