Looking For Office Space? Before You Choose, Think About How Much Office Space You Need

When you start in business, it is easy to get carried away about the office space you will use. Luxurious communal areas, high-tech break-out zones, and Googlesque recreational facilities are great aspirations to have. Still, it might be a good idea to leave such luxuries until you made your first million or two!

When you choose an office space for your new start-up, or even if you are an established business, you should consider the area you need. No-one wants to be paying for space they are not using, so this article aims to help you decide on what size of office is suitable for your needs.

Things You Should Consider When Choosing Your Office Size

Most people don't put much thought into the space they need for an office. They tend to be swayed by what their competitors are using or by an estate agent's advice. You can get a more accurate appraisal by asking yourself a few basic questions:

What business operations will you use the office for?
Is your business purely online, or a mix of online and offline?
What furniture do you need?
What specialist equipment do you need?
How many workstations do you need?
How many staff are in the office full-time?
How many staff are in the office part-time?
What facilities do you need, such as meeting rooms, presentation facilities, canteen, etc?
What type of layout do you want - collaborative, privacy, etc?
Have you any plans for expansion in the near future?

Open-plan offices give you a greater degree of flexibility, and of course, you are not wasting any space with internal walls. To provide you with an idea of the space required for close-off or private offices, an appropriately sized office for a manager would be around 100 square feet. If you need to include a meeting table in such an office, the size will increase to approximately 200 square feet.

According to the Workplace (Health, Safety, and Welfare) Regulations of 1992, the minimum workspace you need to provide your office employees is 40 square feet per person. However, the average space allocated is between 50-60 square feet, and if any employee needs filing cabinets or storage, this can increase to around 100 square feet.

Other areas of your office that you should consider the minimum sizes are as follows:

Facility	Minimum Size (square feet)
Reception Area	100, pulse 10 for each waiting space
Small Meeting Room	100
Large Meeting Room	150
Standing Dining Area	75
Seated Dining Area	75 plus 25 for each seat
Kitchen	75 plus 25 for each seat
Break-Out Area	75 plus 25 for each seat
Storeroom	200

Conclusion

It is great having lots of space for your office employees to enjoy. However, office space comes at a premium, and you should carefully consider whether you will make fair use of the space you rent and whether your business can afford to rent additional space. Hopefully, this article will help you assess how much space you need for your office.

Looking For New Office Space? Here Are Some Common Mistakes To Avoid When Making Your Choice

It is vital for people who work in an office that they have a comfortable and work-friendly environment in which to spend their days. Failing to do so can lead to a loss in productivity and a high rate of staff churn.

However, choosing an office can be a laborious and time-consuming process, which often results in the wrong type of office being selected, merely to get something quickly. To help you when choosing your next office space, here are some common mistakes to avoid when selecting an office.

Not Considering Future Expansion

Expansion might be the last thing on your mind when you are going through the stresses of office-hunting. However, failing to consider your future expansion plans can leave you with tricky exit negotiations down the line. If you have any goals or aspirations to expand, you should consider the length of the lease you take on and make sure it fits your needs.

Committing To An Inflexible Contract

This mistake is linked to the previous point, in that you do not want to have a lease that offers you no flexibility. You do not know what situations are around the corner, and your lease needs to reflect the flexibility you need in business to deal with upturns and down-sides.

Committing To A Lease Totally Based On The Price

Price is an important aspect of your office lease, however, it is not the only factor. Committing to a lease solely based on the price can leave you stuck in an inappropriate office space that leads to a drop in productivity and an increase in staff churn.

Considering Only Workstations or Desk Spaces

Having an office where every employee has their own desk might be great for the individual employee, but it is in no way cost-effective for your business. There will be very few days of the week when every member of staff will need a desk.

You may have a flexible working policy whereby staff can work from home on certain days or spend some days on the road. Selecting an office space so that every person has their own desk is not practical and will very quickly hurt your pocket.

Failing To Check The Office Condition

A quick walk through a potential office taking a few snaps to show your colleagues and staff is not sufficient. You need to do your due diligence when you are checking the state of the new office space. Signing a lease without doing so could leave you open to all sorts of costs. Check on the condition of appliances and facilities, and make sure that you have sufficient to meet your needs - electric points, heating, A/C, etc.

Failure To Consider Design

Even an office that is the right size has sufficient working facilities, a reasonable price, and a flexible lease; it might not be suitable. It simply might be a little bit drab and dingy. Do not underestimate a well-designed office space. Having a pleasant working environment will reflect on your employees, so consider the office design.

Hopefully, considering these common mistakes will help you avoid making them when you select your next office space.