Small businesses that decide to take the leap from home-working into opening their first-ever office are likely to be enthused, excited, and ready for their next big push towards growth and sustainability. An office space can be remarkable for team-building, productivity, and ambition, helping you create a working ethos that will drive your business forward. But before all that, you need to be sure you’re set up in your office in such a way as to encourage productivity and hard work. That means taking the time to plan your office move, as this guide will demonstrate.
Cabling
Before you even consider which furniture to place in your new office space, the first thing for you and your team to consider are the cables and digital nuts and bolts that will need to run throughout your office. You need to spot where power cables ought to run and where structured cabling to link your phones and your computers up ought to be placed. You’ll be surprised by just how many wires are required to support your office tech – and these need to be meticulously organized – by yourselves or by a specialist fitting company – before you move into your office.
Furniture
Next up is office furniture. Put simply, there are three types of office furniture that every company’s going to invest in, and that’s chairs, desks, and filing cabinets. The desks and chairs are especially important, as they’ll dictate how well your workers are likely to work. Uncomfortable desks and chairs are hardly going to inspire the flow state you want your workers to enter while they’re in your office. So it’s worth investing in quality, durable and comfortable office supplies in order to invest in your office for a productive long-term.
Computing
Seeing as your workers have been used to working from home, they’ll all own powerful laptops that they could well bring into the office to use. But you may also wish to consider offering them business laptops, or even desktop computers with extra monitors, which studies have shown tend to be more effective in business offices. Whatever you choose to go with, make sure you’re able to easily connect your hardware to your cabling and to your power supplies so that the first day that you move your staff to your office, everyone’s able to find a desk to work on.
Extra Touches
Small touches in an office space can go a long way. Whether that means adding a few posted plants in the corners, or giving your staff different areas to work in a hot desk capacity, it’s always appreciated when an office goes the extra mile to make their staff feel comfortable. You can even ask your workers whether they’d like to handle an extra budget themselves, to invest together in the kind of office space they’d most like to work in. This will help build trust and affection between you and your workforce.
Building your first office space is an exciting experience. But by using these tips, you’ll ensure you’re also building an office that’s productive and set up well for the long-term.
