Congratulations! You’ve successfully set up a business! Now it’s time to create an ideal office space you’ll be proud of. But what makes an office ideal or perfect?
There are indeed many things to consider when setting up an office space. Working out the office setting with such things in mind will ensure you, your team members, and visiting customers can all feel relaxed and comfortable in the property.
From determining what office essentials you acquire to giving the space a welcoming feel, here are the top 8 things to consider when setting up an office space.
1. Consider what furniture you need
One of the foremost things to consider for an office layout is what furniture pieces are relevant in the space.
- Would you be the only one in the office?
- Would you have team members working close to you?
- Does your business require sitting and discussing with clients in your office?
- Would you keep a lot of files?
- Would you be on the computer a lot?
Answers to these questions would guide you on what kinds of furniture you need.
A spacious desk and an adjustable chair work for most people. Especially when you’d be on the computer a lot, an ergonomic chair becomes essential. It helps ensure you and your employees are comfortable and maintain a good posture since you’d be seated for about 5 hours and 41 minutes every workday.
Other essential office furniture you may find indispensable include:
- Filing cabinets and storage
- Shelves
- Worktables
If you intend to have a team whose work will be mostly computer-based, then a shared desk would be suitable for them. Get as many as would be enough for your team, and have an extra desk where office equipment may sit.
2. Your industry
Different office layouts are peculiar to certain industries. Setting up an office space typically requires you to buy industry-specific equipment, furniture, and tools.
For example, if you have a hotel or restaurant, your office layout should reflect your industry and offer an on-brand customer experience.
If you’re a manufacturer, medical practitioner, or consultant, comfort and practicality should be your priority when setting up your office.
Furthermore, consider if the nature of your job would require you to meet with clients/visitors in a separate room.
3. Communication needs
Communication is essential in every office. Consider the quality of devices and services you need to ensure you can be reached at all times.
If you have a workforce, you want to ensure you have enough telephone lines and extensions to go around. Shop around for a place where you can get all your communication needs to save money. You can choose to rent, lease, or buy communication systems according to your needs and duration of stay.
Most customers will expect to contact you via email, but it’s wise to have a phone system in your office.
A mobile phone may seem a wise choice, but call charges can be high when they accumulate. Notwithstanding, Some tariff plans are well-suited for businesses.
4. Noise
Productivity often requires undistracted attention, and noise can be a major distraction. If you work close to the main road or factory, it makes sense to use a sound absorbent material such as moss wall covering for your office interior design. Even when you do not work close to a noisy environment, you may need to shield yourself from the goings-on within other departments or the compartment next to yours.
You’ll find a quiet, calm environment much conducive and efficiency-enhancing.
5. Efficiency
Efficiency is a vital point of consideration in any office space. You want to organize your office in a way that makes it easy to grab those things you need so you can get more done quickly. For example, it wouldn’t make sense to have your printer at a desk 10ft. from you when you know you’d be doing a lot of printing.
- Organize the space to minimize the time wasted moving about or around objects.
- Keep frequently used items at an arm’s length.
- Do not store small-sized dissimilar items in the same storage. Sorting through to get what you’re looking for becomes time-consuming.
- Place employees with the same roles together
6. Consider your required office equipment
Office equipment such as computers, printers and photocopiers may seem expensive, but their benefits will more than justify the cost. The right equipment and software in your office will boost productivity, accuracy, and speed since repetitive tasks become automated. Think about how accounting and customer relationship management software will make life easy for you.
You may be tempted to go for lower quality hardware due to cost, but higher quality ones will save you stress and downtime in the long run. Time is money.
If you do more printing in your office, an all-in-one printer will suffice to carry out your small photocopying projects. You can go to photocopy shops when larger photocopying needs to be done.
You can also rent or lease copiers to save cost, but be sure to carefully check the maintenance commitments and buyout clauses.
7. Budget
When starting as a small business owner, the cost will likely always be one of the things running through your mind, and rightly so. You don’t want to spend your entire resources on your office design. However, you also want it to be a space you’re proud of, a conducive environment that promotes productivity and impresses visitors as they walk in.
So it’s worth doing a critical cost-benefit analysis to weigh what kinds of furniture and accessories to bring into your office space.
8. Location
One important point of consideration when setting up your office is its location.
- Are you dedicating part of your bedroom to serve as a home office?
- Are you using a spare room in your home?
- Is it a shared office?
If you’re designing a home office, think about the importance of a well-secluded space, free from family noise. If you’re converting a spare room, consider soundproofing it with safe, natural material like moss wall covering.
Final words
Always take your time to plan, sketch, and execute, as whatever choice you make will impact your productivity in the long run. Whereas some decisions can easily be changed, such as desk positioning, others can’t, for example, purchasing the wrong desk. You must spend money to get a more suitable one.
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