Ten motives why you should get a professional office interior design8741798
De BISAWiki
Maximise your usable office space and work areas
In the UK, office space is at a premium. Business rates, lighting, heating, and VAT; not to mention staff costs all count. However, the highest yearly expense for most companies is the rental of professional business space. The fees have gone through the roof! Many businesses grapple to keep up with the monthly fees that landlords demand and in many cases, the lease terms are lengthy and unfair. Any break from these tough contracts can be a fate worse than business death!
Is it any surprise that the commercial perspective of the country is changing? Companies are being forced to think long and hard about office space planning.
Small businesses are being taken to the limits. There comes a time where something has to give. Any self-respecting aspirational employer never wants to fire invaluable staff; not to mention have to deal with the pain of putting another person on the pavement. If costs can be recovered 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 home too fast
It never fails to amaze me how many companies claim they have outgrown their office 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 litter such as paperwork, documentation, equipment, hardware, furniture. In most cases, they're items that are not necessary 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 ending a business rental in favour of signing on the dotted line for a new, lengthier and most likely more expensive lease to store this mess elsewhere? It's a story I hear all the time.
If these organisations consulted with a office interior designer to redesign their existing office, they could gain 10-20% more space simply through clever use of space and ingenious ways of maximising what they have.
So here's ten points 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 Box files, paperwork, unused or outdated desks, chairs and general paraphernalia that get in the way. It feels like you are literally tripping up every time you attempt to go from one end of a room to the other. The first point you need to work out is does all this stuff really need to be on site? If not, trash 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 realised you had.
2) Business Disruption Any business owner knows just how disruptive it is to go through a relocation. It's not just the physical aspect of moving office; it's the spend involved, the days when you cannot operate as normal, moving phone lines, internet connections. There's also the inconvenience to employees. Does this alter their daily commute? Moving office has to be the last option when you consider these issues.
3) Client Management Many associates like the fact that they know where their supplier is based. Moving a few miles may not seem like much, but it could cost you a few high turnover clients who you've suddenly displeased. So the paradox is you believe you just saved yourself 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 flakey at times. Don't put them at risk unless a move is absolutely essential.
4) Pros & Cons Before moving office, have you created a list of pros vs cons? I'll take a bet and say you haven't. Sometimes, sorting everything in boxes and moving seems like the simplest logical solution but in many cases, it isn't. There's a large cost overhead to consider when moving. I've already raised 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 experience, documentation and records led to basic networks, servers, computers, equipment and phone systems all failing to work correctly. It is a pain when nothing works and this costs a lot of money to fix!
5) Hidden Costs Have you considered that your existing furniture configuration 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 space. So why assume this furniture will simply fit into its new home, look right and do a better job? In most cases it rarely does. Ok, so it may fit into a larger floor plan but can it outperform itself? No way. Furniture doesn't increase in size just because it sits in a wider room. Here's the hint. 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 purchase new furniture and storage solutions to suit. Yet more expenses!
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 events to discuss. Can you expect that from your new landlord? When moving to new locations, you have no inclination if there's longstanding maintenance needed or if a problem is ready to surprise you. Will you get your issues 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 heart of high traffic, high business areas of does this put you into the wilderness? Many businesses take the gamble of going to a more peaceful 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 associates 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 issues getting to work. Moving a long distance away from your current location may be the dumbest move you ever made.
9) Staff Morale A new look office that involves the input of your staff can help reenergise and motivate 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 consulting your team alongside a commercial interior designer, you are serving to evolve the business and give your staff a feeling of importance, justification and input. It's a superb way to use a trying situation as a great opportunity to inspire 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 relocating altogether. Moving takes a massive effort and big pockets. And whilst a complete office remodel is no breeze 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 find space where you thought it never existed. They conceptualise in three dimensions and can visualise where invisible space can suddenly become usable space by using bespoke modular office partitions. If square footage is at a premium, there are clever 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 building wall dividers. Cabinets 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 it in the end.
Detailed info on office space planning can be found on the main website.
