Interior Workplace Strategies
So, you’re on the hunt for new office space — which isn’t an easy process to begin with. But now you are being asked some questions that could be hard to answer, from how many square feet you need, to how long of a lease term you would sign (as if those were mutually exclusive topics) and more. For a small business owner, these questions bring other topics to mind, such as how to accommodate future hires, what to do if you outgrow the space and how to project how many employees you will have in three to five years.
We understand how you feel, and Rightsize has the tools to help businesses plan for the future and find the right size office space.
How to find the "Rightsize" Office Space
Step One: Employees By the Numbers
First, conduct a Space Requirements Analysis, by completing a headcount of your current employees. Break down how the current workspace is configured based on the ratio of open workstations to those in private offices. Then, think about how those different departments work together within the office space. Does one group need to be close to another in order to maximize productivity? Then, be sure to also account for storage needs, common areas, number of small and large conference rooms and office equipment. Once you have your roster and equipment list mapped out, it will be much easier to figure out a baseline list of how many people to accommodate, and the total overall space requirement.
Step Two: Planning for the Future
After your current employees are accounted for, start thinking about future expansion. Try to project your growth strategy over the duration of the lease, starting with departments that are positioned for growth. But don’t go overboard - if you are expecting a very large expansion within the next five years, consider negotiating an expansion option into the lease so that you can safely add on extra space, without having to pay for an unused portion upfront. Another helpful lease provision is a termination option, which can make it easy to break the lease after a predetermined amount of time using a monetary penalty .
Step Three: The Layout
Think about what kind of configuration you’re looking for in your new space. If all of your employees are going to work from a private office, that would significantly increase the square footage requirement compared, for example, to a benching system. Big workstations or sleeker work areas should be decided upon up front. If you’re not sure, a furniture vendor and design team can help you weigh the available options to get a good idea of how many square feet you will need for each person.
Step 4: Employee Feedback
Consulting with employees to find out their specific preferences and requirements is part of the Rightsize Business Requirements Analysis. You could be surprised to learn that your employees are looking for more small meeting rooms and fewer private offices. By ranking the information into a ‘must have’ priority list, you can identify what is important to your workers, which could impact your total square footage and layout requirements.
Step 5: Space Planning
A Rightsize professional can take your requirements and quickly develop a floor plan with a range of square footage options with varying layouts, making the decision about how much space to lease become suddenly simple. Naturally, there are many things to consider when laying out a new office space, and it all starts with planning and communication. We can help make sure that you are completely prepared.
About Rightsize:
Rightsize Facility Performance, headquartered in Chicago, IL, is a nationwide office interiors and facilities services firm serving corporate clients in transition. Founded in 2004, Rightsize employs an industry leading “Design/Furnish” approach to ensure seamless workplace transitions and is a single source for interior design, furniture procurement, delivery and installation, asset disposition, facility decommissioning and ancillary project services. Through its Office Furniture Center brand, which includes OfficeFurnitureCenter.com and a 200,000-square-foot showroom, Rightsize also provides a single source for quality workstations, desks, seating, filing, conference and reception furniture.
