Whether you’re about to move into a new premises or you’re keen to update your existing workplace, starting from scratch and embarking on an office refurbishment is a challenge. From sticking to your budget to balancing style and functionality, you’ll have a range of issues to consider when you refit your premises. To give you a helping hand, here’s a brief office refurb how-to guide.
Make sure you understand your workspace needs
Your first step should be to make sure you have a clear understanding of the needs of your business. This includes everything from the number of workstations you want to include to the image you’re trying to portray. Bear in mind that it’s essential to consider what the requirements of your company will be over the coming years, not just right now.
It could pay off to enlist the help of expert space planners at this stage. These specialists will visit your premises to assess your needs and make recommendations. Their insights can help you create a practical, stylish workspace that reflects your brand. They will also make sure you take full advantage of the square footage available. This could be especially important if you’re in an area where commercial real estate comes at a premium, for example if you’re conducting an office refurbishment in London.
Set a clear budget
Before you start spending money, you’ll need to set clear spending limits. If you don’t establish a budget and conduct detailed costings of each stage of your refurb at the outset, you could find you spend far too much money on the project. You may even run out of cash before the work is completed, meaning you have to cut corners or leave parts of your office unfinished.
Liaise with your landlord
If you rent your premises, bear in mind that you’ll need to liaise with your landlord about your plans. They will want to know what you have in mind, and they might agree to contribute to the cost of the project or be open to renegotiating the terms of your lease. This could work to your advantage financially, so it’s always worth checking. On a related point, it’s crucial that you find out if you need a licence to make the alterations you have in mind. If you’re working with a refurbishment partner, they should be able to tell you this.
Get your timings right, and communicate clearly with your workers
To minimise any disruption to your personnel, you’ll need to get your timings spot on. Doing as much of the work as possible outside of office hours will help to limit the ill-effects on staff, and on the productivity of your business more broadly. It’s also key to communicate your plans clearly to your employees so that they understand what’s going on and feel involved in the process.
As long as you’re methodical in your approach to your refurb and you get expert help where you need it, you can be confident the project will be a success.