In today’s competitive business landscape and with the rising cost of rent, optimising office space is a necessity. This is especially true in high-rent city centre areas where you will pay a premium for space and every square foot matters. If you have a rent review or break clause in your lease coming up, now may be a good time to consider if your office space is still delivering what you need and if you could be making more efficient use of your space.
Efficient use of office space can boost productivity, enhance employee well-being and reduce overhead costs. However, common issues such as inefficient layouts, lack of planning and cluttered spaces often get in the way. In this blog, we’ll explore practical hacks to help you maximise your office space, improve functionality and maximise ROI.
Understanding Your Office Space: Audit and Plan
Before making any changes, the first step is to audit your existing office space. Identify underutilised areas, bottlenecks, and accurately measure the actual usable square footage. If possible, use space management or planning software to help you create accurate floor plans and assess your property portfolio usage more effectively.
Key questions to ask during this process include:
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How often are your team in the office? If you’re operating a hybrid work model but your office is set up to provide a desk-per-person five days a week, it’s likely that you can make better use of your space
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Are there any areas of the office that are rarely used? Equally, are there any that are always over-crowded?
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How often are conference rooms or meeting areas occupied?
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What storage do you need? Filling cabinets, drawers and cupboards can take up valuable floor space
By answering these questions as part of an initial workplace consultancy process, you’ll be better equipped to make informed decisions about space optimisation.
Workspace Hacks
1. Flexible and Shared Workspaces
A flexible workspace design with multipurpose and customisable spaces can help you optimise space in a number of ways. Firstly, by introducing bookable desks for hybrid workers, or including team zones with shared workspaces, you can reduce the need for a dedicated desk for each employee and free up valuable space for other uses. In addition, movable partitions and adaptable meeting rooms will allow spaces to be quickly reconfigured depending on needs, and support easy transitions between individual work and collaborative tasks.
2. Utilising Vertical Space and Corners
When floor space is limited, look up! Vertical storage space is often overlooked but can be a great resource for freeing up your floorplate. Wall-mounted storage, shelving units, and vertical filing cabinets help maximise space without compromising on storage capacity.
Corners, another underused asset, can be turned into cozy nooks for workstations or small meeting spaces. Consider using corner desks, floating shelves, or compact seating to create functional areas in what could otherwise be wasted space.
3. Minimalist and Multipurpose Furniture
Office furniture plays a huge role in space optimisation, especially when you need to maximise a small office space. Minimalist office design and furniture is ideal because it reduces clutter while maintaining functionality. Think space-saving desks, ergonomic chairs, and streamlined designs that take up less room but are still practical and comfortable.
Additionally, flexible office furniture and customisable work stations can be a game-changer, making it easier to adapt your office to changing needs, without the need for constant rearrangement. For example:
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Sit-stand desks can double as workstations and breakout spaces, and enhance comfort in small areas, helping employees stay productive
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Foldable meeting tables that can be stored when not in use
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Modular seating arrangements that allow for flexibility so people can adapt the space to suit requirements
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Moveable internal walls/partitions so meeting rooms can be easily opened up to create spaces for bigger events or training, or reduced in size when needed
4. Breakout Areas and Relaxation Zones
Even in small offices when you have a compact office layout, it’s essential to provide areas where employees can unwind. Cosy breakout areas can be created by repurposing corners or using modular furniture. A simple setup with a few comfortable chairs and a coffee table can give employees a space to relax and recharge.
5. Smart Tech
Utilising the latest smart technology to maximise office space is also worth considering. For example, digital desk and room-booking systems will make it easier to manage shared areas efficiently as well as monitor usage and prevent unused desks from taking up valuable space.
6. Lighting
Good lighting can make a small office feel much more open and inviting. Opt for natural light where possible, or use daylight-mimicking lamps to create a bright and energetic environment. If you want to take it a step further, an app-based lighting system can help you control and monitor energy usage throughout the day.
7. Declutter and Go Digital
A cluttered office not only looks unprofessional but also reduces efficiency. The good news? Going digital can solve most of your clutter problems. By shifting to cloud storage solutions, you can eliminate the need for bulky filing cabinets and free up valuable floor space. Digitise documents and use wireless setups to reduce cable mess, making your office cleaner and more streamlined.
Putting it Into Practice
Whether you’re a small startup or an established business looking to optimise your current office space, these practical hacks could help you transform your workplace design into a space that not only makes the most of every square foot, but also supports the productivity, comfort and wellbeing of your team. What’s more, by designing your office with flexibility and scalability in mind, you can ensure your space can evolve alongside your business, without the need for a complete redesign.
If you think you could be making better use of your office space but are unsure where to start, get in touch with our friendly team today for some advice on how we could help.