4 Things You Only Realise When Setting Up Your First Office

Moving into a commercial workspace for the first time is an important milestone for many fledgling firms. So, if you’re planning to move into offices in the near future, you’re no doubt excited about what lies ahead. However, there’s a lot to get to grips with when you make this transition, so it’s essential that you’re prepared. In this blog, we look at four things that many bosses only realise when they’re setting up their first office.

Finding a suitable workspace isn’t straightforward

The first potential hurdle in this process is finding suitable premises - and this may be more difficult than you anticipate. There are a whole range of issues that you’ll need to consider when you’re searching for a base for your business. For example, it’s critical that you choose an office that falls within your budget. If you end up tied into a lease that puts too much strain on your finances, your company’s bottom line will suffer. It might even spell the end for your business. When you’re calculating how affordable offices are, make sure you look beyond the basic rent. You’ll also need to factor in any bills that are applied on top of this. Depending on the type of agreement you sign up to, these could include service charges, utility bills and business rates. Then there’s location to think about. Is the premises you have in mind convenient for your staff members to get to, and is it easy for your customers to find? Consider flexibility too. Will your lease agreement give you enough freedom to up or downsize as required? For start-ups, short-term lease agreements on serviced offices are often best because they tend to provide considerable flexibility. Your office should send the right signals about your business too. Bear in mind that people will associate your workplace with your brand, so it should reflect your general ethos. Right down to things like how many car park spaces come with the premises, you should consider all the details before you sign on the dotted line.

The costs of kitting offices out can quickly spiral

In the excitement of moving to a new office, it’s extremely easy to overspend. If you don’t set a budget at the outset of this process and make a concerted effort to stick to it, you could put a big black hole in your company’s finances. From purchasing all-important office chairs, desks and storage solutions to kitting your new workplace out with all the tech you require, your costs could quickly start to spiral. There are ways to keep your spending down though. For example, before you go on a shopping spree, it’s a good idea to break down exactly what your workplace needs to function properly and how much money you can afford to invest. This should help you to avoid unnecessary purchases and control your outlays. Also, keep an eye out for office furniture and equipment that represents good value for money. At Furniture At Work™, we appreciate the importance of providing affordable products. Highlighting our commitment to this, we run a Best Price Guarantee.

There’s much more to effective workspace design that desks and chairs

If you’ve not put much thought towards office design before, you might assume it’s as simple as making sure you have enough workstations for your members of staff. In reality though, there is much more to effective design than this. As well as making sure that you have enough high-quality seats and desks, you’ll need to think carefully about the layout and décor of your office to ensure you create the best possible working environment. You’ll have to consider everything from how to control noise levels to how much flexibility you want to give staff in terms of how and where they work in your office. You might want to create breakout zones to provide people with an area they can go to hold impromptu meetings and discussions with colleagues, and perhaps you’ll decide to incorporate a quiet area where employees can escape the hubbub of the main office to concentrate on tasks that require total focus. In terms of décor, try to create something that both boosts morale and reflects your brand.

There are a wide range of health and safety issues to consider

The scrutiny you have to apply to issues of health and safety may come as a surprise. As an employer, you’re expected to adhere to strict rules when it comes to workplace risk management, and it can take a while to get your head around all of the regulations. Safety pervades virtually all aspects of workplace design, from the layout of workstations to lighting levels. For example, you’ll need to make sure you provide compliant seating that provides workers with proper support. You’ll also be expected to ensure that the items your workers use frequently are located within convenient reach, and take care to position work surfaces at the correct height. To comply with the law, you’ll need to get used to doing frequent risk assessments too. This will ensure you identify and address any hazards. You can get all the safety information you need concerning these issues on the Health and Safety Executive website, and it’s a good idea to do some thorough research on this topic ahead of moving into your new premises. Being diligent at this stage could help you to avoid a whole range of problems further down the line. There’s no avoiding the fact that moving into your first office can throw up some potentially challenging issues. From identifying a suitable premises to kitting it out properly and on budget and making sure you stick to the letter of the law on health and safety, there are a variety of things to consider. However, as long as you’re prepared for these issues, they needn’t cause strife for your startup.

April 6, 2017 | View: 385 | Categories: ROOT