Nearly everyone enjoys the success of an expanding business. More work, clients and employees allow your business to not only become more successful, but also make a greater impact on your field.
But rent is expensive. It's usually the 2nd-highest expense for most companies. Wouldn't it be great is you could grow your business without taking on the financial burden of expanding office space?
Well there are several simple and cost-effective alternatives to expanding which can be implemented within the perimeters of your existing office.
Rearrange. It seems simple enough, but you’d be surprised how much more efficient you can arrange your office. Your office layout may not be set in stone, so explore a redesign of the layout of your space - remove walls, move or replace the furniture to promote density where extra space is underutilized or unnecessary. Rearrange the layout of cubicles. Cubicles are designed with flexibility in mind, so use them to your advantage rather than arbitrarily partitioning your employees.
Open. Collaborative spaces not only take up less square feet, but they can also promote a more creative and efficient workplace. This is especially true of younger workers who don't want to be isolated in private offices. The social aspect of an open plan where they can talk to each other throughout the day can make a big difference in their happiness in the office. My son recently passed on an offer from another company which included a very large salary increase primarily because the office environment of the new company was very quiet, staid and basically boring. Not everyone will feel this way, of course, but with a generation of workers who have spent a considerable amount of time socializing, studying and working in Starbucks, the buzz of an open environment is preferred.
Cluster. Salespeople are often not in the office much. Instead of dedicating offices or desks in an open layout to each individual person waiting for the occasional visit, condense them into a shared work area. A few shared desks for use as-needed by your on-the-go sales team can save a lot of space and not take away any of the resources. With a shared workspace in place, you can cycle employees between working at home and working in the office. This adds a new dimension of flexibility while allowing for less or reallocated office space. Dynamic office situations such as these can break up monotonous ruts and give a new energy to an office and your employees.
You don't always need more space to expand your business. Sometimes all you need is a new plan.These suggestions may not work for every business and that's okay. It may only take an architect or furniture expert to review your situation to provide solutions other than just taking on more office space. Better to pay an architect, contractor and/or furniture dealer once than to pay the landlord every month for years.
If you would like to talk to an architect or furniture expert, let me know and I can refer one to you.
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