When looking at relocating your business, one of the biggest factors that business owners look at is simply the bare amount of office space available to them. When considering their options, businesses must balance the concentration of employees with the level of comfort needed to retain those employees long term. Additionally, they have to forecast for outside factors like company growth.
It is easy to quickly feel overwhelmed. Does that warehouse-sized open floor plan fit your business needs, or can your business move into the smaller office down the street just as seamlessly?
Where does one even start?
First and foremost, you give Inside the lines a call.
At Inside the Lines, we believe efficient and healthy work environments can change people’s lives for the better and greatly contribute to the overall success of an organization. We’ve dedicated years to helping businesses make the right decisions for their office plans.
When you question, “How large should my office be?”, we have the answers you need.
Here are some of the most important aspects to consider when determining office space for your business’s next move.
- How many employees do you have?
- The first thing to do is to establish your baseline. We will strategize around your employee number, making your design as efficient as possible for your current staff. Each employee has different needs and requires different amounts of space as a result.
- Do you need individual desks?
- This is where Inside the Lines separates ourselves from the pack. Our consultants consider each employee’s work functions and what that means for their workspace. We understand that you want to maximize the space available to you, but you also want to accomplish that feat without sacrificing efficiency. Answering these questions will go a long way towards figuring out your office space needs.
- Do you expect company growth?
- Every business owner should have 90-day, 1-year, and 3-year forecasts at a minimum. Analyze your expected growth and ensure your new office gives you room to accommodate it.
- How fast will you be growing?
- Rapid growth will obviously warrant more flexibility in the plan. If you’re expecting to pace your growth over the long run, you have more time to make incremental improvements.
- At what level in your company do you anticipate growth?
- Senior-level employees often require their own private workspaces. Those private offices can take up your square footage rather quickly. When forecasting growth, be sure you’re analyzing beyond the raw numbers. Strategize around the growth of your various company roles along with the workspace requirements corresponding to each.