Ten motives why a business needs a professional office interior design2462208
De BISAWiki
Optimise your usable office space and work areas
In the UK, office space is at a premium. Business taxes, lighting, heating, and VAT; not to mention wage costs all stack up. However, the greatest yearly expense for most companies is the rental of professional business offices. The fees have gone through the roof! Many businesses jockey to keep up with the monthly fees that landlords demand 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 wonder 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 point where something has to give. Any self-respecting aspirational employer never wants to fire invaluable staff; not to mention have to deal with the emotion of putting another person on the streets. If costs can be recouped elsewhere and a business can survive, a business owner will in most cases explore these avenues by consulting an office fit out firm. If not, this could be an unwise and shortsighted mistake.
Companies can outgrow their surroundings too swiftly
It never ceases to amaze me how many companies claim they have outgrown their commercial space. Yet the number of people 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 all 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 spent towards a building refurbishment.
So why would you consider terminating 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 commercial interior designer to reconfigure their existing office, they could gain 10-20% more space simply through smart use of space and creative ways of maximising what they have.
So here's ten thoughts you should consider which should convince you that your next investment should be a getting a brand new office interior fitted and not jumping ship:
1) Collecting Junk Most offices I visit have clutter everywhere. Box files, paperwork, unused or outdated desks, chairs and general items 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 thing you need to work out is does all this garbage really need to be on site? If not, discard it or find a low cost secure storage provider to take these non-essential items off site. If they do need to stay at the office, consider upgrading your storage systems. Every good interior designer knows how to create space that you never knew you had.
2) Business Disruption Any business owner knows just how disruptive it is to go through a change. It's not just the physical aspect of moving office; it's the investment involved, the days when you cannot operate as normal, moving phone lines, internet connections. There's also the inconvenience to existing staff. Does this alter their daily commute? Moving office has to be the last option when you consider these pitfalls.
3) Client Management Many customers 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 paradox is you believe you just saved the company money and increased your space by moving when in fact, you just cost yourself a bigger price. Client relationships can be a very flakey at times. Don't put them at risk unless a move is absolutely necessary.
4) Pros & Cons Before moving office, have you written a list of pros vs cons? I'll take a punt 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 expense to consider when moving. I've already discussed business interruption however what about the expense of packing up items, moving and reinstalling essential equipment? You'll be amazed how much you take the existing systems you have in place for granted. I can recall so many examples where a business moved and setting up their infrastructure proved very hard. A lack of knowledge, documentation and records led to basic networks, servers, computers, equipment and phone systems all failing to work properly. It is a downer when nothing works and this costs a lot of money to fix!
5) Hidden Costs Have you considered that your existing furniture systems may not work in your new proposed office? In most cases, offices evolve with a business and furniture is purchased to fit the dimensions of that floorplan. So why assume this furniture will simply settle into its new home, look right and do a better job? In most cases it hardly does. Ok, so it may fit into a larger floor space but can it outperform itself? No way. Furniture doesn't increase in size just because it sits in a wider room. Here's the point. Sometimes, the room isn't the dilemma. It's your storage systems and it's inevitable, that when you relocate office, you will also have to buy new furniture and storage solutions to suit. Yet more money!
6) New Contracts, New Pitfalls You have a good rapport 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. Can you expect that from your new landlord? When moving to new offices, you have no inclination if there's longstanding maintenance needed or if a problem is waiting to pounce. Will you get your complaints resolved quickly if they do arise? This is a danger that may not be worth avoiding.
7) Location, Location, Location Is the new location of the proposed moved in the right place? Does it put you in the centre of high traffic, high business areas of does this put you into the backwaters? Many businesses take the gamble of going to a more rural location in exchange for lower rates and larger square footage. What this can lead to is having a business that feels so far removed and detached from the commercial centres that your clients start to feel that way about you as a business. Remember, image is vital!
8) Commuting Does commuting to the new offices cause you or your staff greater issues? If so, does this mean that previously dedicated staff who arrived on the dot may suddenly become an issue due to traffic, length of commutes, costs and issues getting to work. Moving a long distance away from your current location may be the most irresponsible move you ever made.
9) Staff Morale A new look office that involves the input of your staff can help reenergise and enthuse your team. A new office can have the opposite effect as it feels like a wrench having to move away from familiar, convenient and established surroundings. By understanding your team alongside a commercial interior designer, you are helping to evolve the business and give your staff a feeling of importance, recognition and input. It's a superb way to use a trying situation as a great opportunity to galvanise the team around you.
10) Budgets Overall you'll be amazed to learn that a complete refit of an existing office is normally 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 walk in the park either, it's still a great deal easier than taking an entire office and moving it miles across town.
Professional office fitters know how to develop 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 at a premium, there are smart 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 adding wall dividers. Cabinets can always go upwards as well as sideways. Desks can be improved and still look chic, stylish and contemporary.
So before you decide its time to say farewell to your current office, think again. The time, costs, hassle and interruption may not be worth the upheaval in the end.
Detailed info on office fitters can be found on the main website.
