A workspace that allows easy workflow and enough room for movement are two essential features of a good office environment. One way to achieve both these goals for your company is with modern, makeover, creative space planning, and commercial office fitouts.
Effective space planning ensures the creation of a workspace that fosters inspiration, ambience, flexibility, productivity, and well-being while also contributing to employees’ personal development. Yet, this is a great responsibility, and how one goes about it can be overwhelming.
Here, we have discussed how to start when thinking about organising your office space. You’ll know all the details before you start with office fitout, the critical points, and the considerations to follow. So, let’s begin!
What is Office Space Planning?
Office space planning could be an interesting process, as it involves organising an office to maximise the available space for the productivity of the employees. By planning adequately, you divide your office space the right way for different teams and departments. Workspace planning for a common meeting room and other common spaces in your office is another crucial point.
As a business owner, you would want your workplace to be fully functional, a space where the entire team can work efficiently and take a breather to rejuvenate. A well-designed workplace complements company’s vision, goals and objectives. It leaves a good impression on the clients who visit your office and also allows employees to communicate and concentrate better when their workspaces fit within their preference profiles. Here are some additional reasons why your approach should be in line with your goals:
Strengthening the values and culture of the business
When planning a commercial office fitout, consider your company’s culture and guiding principles. A successful workplace is all about a balanced approach, employee happiness, and well-being. A culturally aligned workplace also conveys your beliefs to your clients and other important stakeholders. Imagine your culture getting “incorporated into the furniture”!
Increasing the productivity and well-being of employees
With an ideal office layout, productivity and efficiency will increase in no time. It will also help with collaboration between employees and the convenient location of any work-related equipment.
And, of course, the working environment will provide better employee wellness. A little bit of biophilia and ergonomic furniture in the office design will ease the stress the employees have to cope with.
Adaptability
A flexible office design will make it easy to move and adjust if your company has organisational changes or you wish to expand your team in the future.
Points to Consider Before Workspace planning
Planning an office space involves much more than deciding where desks go according to the building’s floor plan of total square meters and headcount. Many other important factors are involved in creating a workspace that allows your employees to thrive.
Engaging the employees and ensuring they work in the right atmosphere is more important now than ever. When planning for your new office space or relocation, be sure to keep these in mind.
1. Budget Planning
After analysing business goals and requirements, creating a budget for commercial office fitouts is essential to ensure the entire cost doesn’t exceed the company’s budget limit. Due to this, during the office space planning phase of the project, team members can start to tighten down or specify the total project budget. So, from the start, when you establish a budget for the office planning project, it allows you to get off the ground very quickly, knowing that the final budget will be determined after later consultations.
Be sure to keep this in mind: when designing the office, both hard and soft expenses should include permits, utilities, taxes, design, legal fees, and physical ones such as doors, windows, floor tiles, and ventilation systems. Ergonomics is enhanced via the exertions of specialists, so in the case of office furniture, they must succeed reasonably at moderate pricing for a good impression of comfort among their workers.
2. Space Availability
Office design involves many kinds of expenditures and other necessities, such as permits, utilities, taxes, design, legal fees, and costs involved around building doors, windows, floor tiles, and ventilation. While professionals provide a great deal of information on ergonomics, be sure that the furniture you have chosen for your office is within your budget limits and fits your work space the right way. Also, don’t forget to budget for unforeseen expenses related to unanticipated issues arising during the design phase.
3. Layout and Floor Plan
Your new office layout or floor plan’s “flow” determines how people will move around the various areas. Consider whether teams work together or should be close to one another for improved collaboration, how much space they require, and how team members get to various places like washrooms, kitchens, quiet areas, and breakout spaces.
The proper flow of your dynamic business may influence how you process movement across the workplace spaces. A tailored office layout design made by professionals encourages productivity levels and atmosphere.
Smart Office Solutions
- Hot desking solutions: Desking systems allow employeesworkers to reserve desks when they arrive at work, ensuring that everyone has a spot to work without requiring the need to have a separate desk for each employeeworker. It is especially advantageous for flexible or hybrid work arrangements.
- Solutions for integrated print and document management: Smart office solutions provide tools to help businesses create and handle documents effectively, cutting down on paper waste and optimising workflows.
- Smart lighting and temperature management: By combining temperature and lighting control systems according to occupancy, time of day, and individual preferences, these solutions improve comfort while conserving energy.
- Automation: Office automation uses technology to automate repetitive processes like meeting scheduling, building access control, and office supply inventory management. Through these automations, errors can be decreased along with saving a lot of time.
- IoT sensors: Real-time data on the usage of various office spaces is provided by Internet of Things (IoT) sensors. The office layout and space can be improved using this information.
Takeaway
Optimal workspace design through office space planning positively impacts employeeworker well-being, productivity, and teamwork. Improvements in layout, ergonomic furniture, and natural lighting can promote comfort and efficiency in businesses. An adequately designed office involves the effective use of space such that it is lively and has a conducive atmosphere to enhance morale and productivity.
If you own a commercial space and want to switch up its aesthetics, connect with our experts for tailored fitout solutions.