Tag: office space

How to Find the Best Site for New Office Space

Scott AsaiLeave a comment

Office space is not as essential as it once was, thanks to the proliferation of home working environments; that said, businesses still need office space from time to time, and it can also improve the company culture and worker morale. But don’t dive in. Carry out the right diligence and market research to make sure you invest in office space that will deliver on your aims. 

Office Location 

The world has changed, and people are no longer interested in a long commute to the office. Nowadays, remote working environments are conventional, but sometimes a shared space is required. In this case, you need to make sure your office is close to the majority of workers. 

Studies show that workers with short commutes are happier, healthier, and more productive. Not only that, a short commute is better for the environment and more sustainable for the business. Prioritize the site of the new office space, and you invest in the productivity of your business.    

Comfort and Space 

Employees spend much of their lives in the workplace, investing their time in your company and bottom line, so it’s important they feel comfortable and happy in the workplace. Effective workplaces have plenty of space for employees to walk around and chat and comfy furniture.   

The type of rooms and furniture you choose will determine the productivity and success of your employees. Modern companies like Google try to create spaces that are inspirational and convenient. And if you have high ceilings, your employees are likely to be more creative overall. 

Variety of Rooms 

Open-plan offices are excellent, especially for employee interactions and company culture, but they also need to be divided up into meeting rooms and workstations for daily tasks. Having a variety of rooms gives you more options, especially when it comes to meeting your latest clients. 

Search for buildings that are conducive to employee morale, but that also provide rooms and working spaces for functional activities. Modern office spaces tend to have a good balance of everything and can be worth the investment. Older buildings also work if they are modernized.  

Commercial Inspections 

There are different ways to acquire a building for commercial purposes; you can rent them or buy them. When you invest in a building, you need to make sure it suits your purposes, and your money is not wasted. That’s why you should consider a Commercial Building Inspection. 

A commercial building inspection can determine the quality of the structure and whether there are any issues in the building, like mold. Building issues can lead to litigation that costs money and affects the reputation of the business. Always partner with a commercial building inspector.  

Company Research 

Maybe you have heard that people and businesses work best under certain conditions – high ceilings and open-plan offices, for instance. But is this really the case? Carry out some internal research with your employees to find out what kind of office environment would suit them best. This kind of research can save your business money and make your employees a lot happier.

Renovating Your Office This Year

Scott AsaiLeave a comment

Collaborative post – may contain affiliate links

Your office is often like a second home. After your house this is the place you spend the most time and it is a place you need to make your own for maximum comfort and productivity. 

Today we want to talk about your office and renovating it for the better this year. Make the most of the space you have and transform it into the perfect workplace for you and your employees. Use these ideas below to change and improve your office for the better in 2021.

Create a zen space 

We all know how important mental health is, and as an employer it is time for you to take control and take action for the health of yourself and your workers this year. One of the ways you can do this is convert a small spare room into a zen space which has calming colors on the walls, beanbags to sit in, and a TV and books for entertainment. You can hang a small sign on the door that indicates when the space is occupied and from this you’ll be able to allow your employees in here when work is becoming too much and they need some time to calm down. A room like this will make a massive difference to the mental health of your workers and will create a healthier working environment. 

Repaint the walls 

One of the easiest ways to transform your office in hours is to repaint the walls with bright and inviting colors. Enough of the boring greys and blues already! Consider instead adding bright and warm tones such as red or orange to the walls to brighten the space and make it more exciting for your employees. Bright colors help to stir alertness as well as motivation in your team and psychologically it will keep them on the ball and make them more productive. 

Invest in better chairs 

Chairs are an important part of your office and you need to invest in the best ones for your team. Make sure to invest in comfortable and supportive chairs for your employees and yourself to reduce to risk do back problems and sick leave in the office. 

Consider an outdoor area 

An outdoor area is a great idea for a commercial property because it will allow everyone to get away from the stake air of the office for a while and reset. You can use a commercial grade cement mixer from https://thompsonrock.com/ to lay a flat concrete surface and then add benches and chairs for people to sit at. A few choice plant pots here and there will also be great and it gives everyone a good space to reset and relax. 

Build a communal area 

A communal lunch area is a great idea and a cafe inspired look will be good for informal meeting with clients too. Consider building a communal cafe in your office and have coffee machines on hand for people to make their own drinks. You can even add plug sockets to allow people to work on their laptops in this area if they prefer this now and again. 

Ensure You Have the Facilities to Accommodate Visitors

If the business you run requires people to visit your office regularly, you’ll need to make sure you have facilities to accommodate those visits. This starts with making sure your visitors have a place to park that’s secure and safe for them. You can hire paving contractors to sort that out for you, and then you can focus on perfecting your meeting area.

Renovating your office for success is a challenge but if you take some of these ideas to your project you could end up with a stunning workspace for everyone in your company.

5 Tips for Getting Back to Business As Society Reopens

Scott AsaiLeave a comment

Collaborative post – may contain affiliate links

If you’ve managed to keep your business afloat throughout the lockdown, then it must be great news to hear that things are easing up and you can finally start earning. The thing is that the coast is not clear just yet. Even though your business is reopening, it might still need to operate on survival mode for the first couple of months. To help you navigate your way through the rough waters ahead, here are five tips to get you on the right path to reopening your business.

  1. Go over your finances

The first thing you would want to do when reopening your business is to go over your finances. Your business may have been closed down for the last couple of months, and if this is the case, you probably didn’t rake in that much. Going over your finances may involve doing some AR management, cost evaluation, and financial projections for the coming months. 

Once you do this, you can then decide how to move forward. Keep in mind that this might equally involve cutting down costs just so you can keep your business afloat for the first couple of months after reopening. 

  1. Re-hire your employees

If shutting down your business caused you to lay off your employees, this is a great time to bring your strong team back. No one is saying this will be particularly easy to do, as employees who have been laid off quite recently are entitled to unemployment benefits as well as some additional cash from the government. 

For that reason, they may not be too keen on returning to work, especially if they are concerned about how safe it is to work in the midst of a pandemic. One way to lure them in is by leveraging their health insurance. 

  1. Prepare your workplace

As mentioned above, one reason most employees might be hesitant to come back to work is that they are worried about their health and safety in the workplace. While reopening your business, it’s your responsibility to make sure that your employees feel safe coming back to work. 

The CDC recommends a distance of at least 6-feet between individuals, so you should consider restructuring your office space to adhere to this. Also, providing face masks, hand sanitizers and a designated area for washing hands can make your office feel like a safer environment to work in. 

  1. Go over your current business model 

This might be the very last thing that you want to do, but it is one of the major things that can keep your business afloat when it opens again. While going over your current business model, you need to ask yourself some important questions like “is this current business model profitable considering the current business environment?” 

Think about the products/services you sell, who your target market is, and how you deliver these products/services to your consumers. Can all these aspects of your business model rake in gains the way they are? Asking yourself questions like this can help you restructure your model in a way that will allow your business to adapt accordingly. 

  1. Take advantage of government funds and help from the community

The government has provided different funding programs and resources for businesses such as the Paycheck Protection Program to help them in their time of need. Also, in a lot of communities, landlords and local vendors are offering their help to businesses by either easing rent or reducing the cost of materials. 

Do some research on what your local community is doing to help restore businesses, as well as some of the options you have when it comes to government funding. Take advantage of these resources to help you get your company back on its feet.

Thinking of Renovating Your Office? Here Are 4 Things To Consider

Scott Asai1 Comment

Collaborative post – may contain affiliate links

Are you thinking of renovating your office space in the near future? Something that many businesses decide to do as they grow, it’s a wonderful way of making the most out of a space, while adding exciting new features. Creating a great environment for staff to thrive in, they will love to come to work each day when the project is completed. 

But before you take the leap and sign on the dotted line, there are several key things that you should consider, including the following:

Your Renovation Budget  

One of the first things that you should consider and determine at the start is how much you want to spend on the project. It needs to be a realistic budget that you know that you can cover – so it’s a good idea to make a list of all the features you want in the new space and their costs before agreeing to the project. 

From the price of the materials needed for the renovation to labor costs and any downtime that comes as a result of it, it will put you in a better financial position if you plan for this sooner rather than later.

Your Ideal Time Scale 

Another key thing to consider when it comes to your office renovation is the time scale that you want to stick to. It’s vital to keep in mind that if it’s a large renovation project, your staff might have to work remotely or you’ll be on skeleton staff until it’s finished. 

So, make sure to determine how long you can realistically operate in those circumstances before agreeing to it. An alternative to this, is to complete the renovation in parts so that there isn’t lengthy downtime. The timescale will of course, depend on what you’re planning on having done and how long the contractors have estimated.

The Design of Your New Office 

As well as your budget and timeline, you’ll also want to think about what type of design you’ll go for. Whether you’re planning on simply updating the decor so that it’s more modern or you’re looking to add new spaces (i.e. a creative space for your employees to work in) within the building, this should be decided on in the first stage of the project. 

What Services Will You Need to Hire?

Your renovation project will undoubtedly require the assistance of various services to ensure that it’s completed on time. From hiring a construction business to decorators, architects and skip bin hire, there are more people involved in a renovation project than you might initially think.

Although it might seem costly to hire certain items and professionals, it’s worth it in the long term. Giving you the peace of mind that everything has been done correctly the first time, you won’t need to invest in alterations in the future. 

Final Thoughts

So, there you go! Those are the top 4 things that you should keep in mind if you’re considering renovating your office space. Of course, what you do and the way that you renovate your office is up to you. But if you are organized and prepared for the venture, then there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be successful.

Do You Need An Office To Run An Effective Business?

Scott AsaiLeave a comment

Collaborative post – may contain affiliate links

Part of what makes a happy working environment in this day and age is the flexibility. When you are working in an office, everything seems somewhat regimented. But when you are in charge of a business or trying to set one up, a lot of your working life may very well be at home. But this begs the question, do you actually need an office in order to run a business effectively? Or is it about a little bit of give and take, so you can benefit financially, but also get the work done?

Look At Your Clients

It all depends on making that solid impression as well as the industry that you work in. When you are trying to manufacture components, many clients may not necessarily care where you are operating from, just as long as you keep up your end of the bargain. In terms of the manufacturing industry, there are companies like WES Ltd that provide assistance for businesses in terms of engineering and welding. And when you start to look at your client base, you may feel somewhat sheepish that you don’t have an office or a base, but does this really matter? Sure, for some people, impressions count for everything, but this is where something like a virtual office can really come in handy. Just as long as you provide that impression that you are a fully functioning business, and you are delivering the goods do you really need an office? It doesn’t seem like it.

Can You Build A Culture Of Remote Working?

While you may very well need clients dotted around the world, when you have employees that are able to do everything from the comfort of their own home, it’s possible to build this culture of remote working without an office. The fantastic thing about remote working is that it gives you the opportunity to liaise with people in so many different ways and now due to various collaboration tools like Slack, it’s not as important to be in the same room. Building a culture of remote working is partly to do with the technology you have, but it’s also about how you communicate yourself. Just as long as the work gets done, and you provide that degree of flexibility that’s imperative to remote workers, you provide a business framework that can get more done. A lot of people prefer to work remotely for this very reason.

What If You Need An Office Sometimes?

This is a very common issue. If you need an office for meeting up in person, it’s never been easier to hire a space for meetings. Because we can run a business without a location, just as long as the internet is working effectively, it’s possible. The fact of the matter is now that so many businesses are starting from a remote location, and try to keep it that way, you could do exactly the same. It can improve the culture but it can also improve the bottom line.