Make the most of your office space
WITH the commercial property market at an all time low and budgets tighter than ever, companies are looking to downsize office space to save on rising rent costs. Working out how much office space you need and organising it accordingly is an important process that needs careful consideration. Businesses are increasingly looking to outsourced specialists to do more than just organise the logistics of a move but to manage this process from start to finish.
Until recently, the link between physical environment and employee behaviour was largely underestimated, but the opportunity to take a closer look at how office design can impact on mood and attitude has led to some dramatic findings.
According to The Work Foundation, 85% of UK office staff feel that their working environment inhibits
creativity, and a further 25% have serious complaints about various office environment factors. Poor lighting, over-crowding and a lack of privacy or storage are some of the common complaints, resulting in reduced enthusiasm and inefficient workflow.
The modern workspace now extends far beyond the office and there is more to workspace management than moving into a new space and buying new furniture.
Taking these factors into consideration and moving an entire workforce can be stressful and time consuming. Getting it right is a science and there are key steps a business should take to maintain efficiency whilst ensuring employee wellbeing.
Is it practical to introduce home working? Business managers are increasingly looking at whether it is necessary to keep all their employees on-site. With the right technology and support systems in place, moving some employees to remote working environments can reduce the need for space and therefore save money. Reduced travel to work also reduces the company’s carbon footprint.
Introduce flexible hours and shift working: Allowing flexible working hours makes the company more attractive to prospective employees who can move their start and finish times to suit family arrangements and choose to avoid the normal commute times. Shift working also offers a company the ability to maximise the office accommodation by using the workspace twice in the same day.
Employ flexible storage and de-clutter: Poor storage of items, particularly consumables like stationary and documents, results in the office feeling crowded and disorganised. By fully utilising storage units, companies can create a much less cluttered feel to any environment and reduce the need for space. Instead of having a waste paper bin
per desk, introduce one bit per every ten desks, encouraging people to interact with others.
Make more of the desk: Keeping the work surface clear and reducing the size of desks decreases the need for such large offices and makes employees feel less stressed. The PC, the monitor, keyboard, mouse and an array of in-trays, box files, stationary and personal effects, all compete for space on an employee’s desk. Good design will enable much of this clutter to be removed and less space will be needed. Flat screens, replacing larger bulky screens, can be mounted onto moveable arms suspended from a central post at the rear of the desk. Stationery and box files can be kept in organised and compact storage units leaving a need for very little desk space.
Appoint a ‘space champion’ and use communication: It is important that your workforce is kept up-to-date on all changes in the workplace, particularly when a company is relocating and dramatically changing the work environment. This creates goodwill and ensures that communication is clear and ongoing. Appointing a ‘space champion’ in each department, to liaise between management and staff will guarantee the involvement of all employees. Bringing all your staff together will ensure a smooth transition and improve the chances of co-operation and understanding from the whole team. Martin Atkinson is managing director of PiMS Workspace