Tips on How to Plan Your New Office Space

Regardless of whether you are thinking of building a new office from scratch, or are thinking of moving offices or renovating an existing one, sooner or later you will have to think about purchasing office furniture.

You will also need to devise an office space plan for your employees, which will take some effort and brainstorming on your part to get right. For instance, before you begin planning a new layout, you will need to devise a perfect balance between aesthetic appeal and pragmatic benefits or efficiency.

You will also want to maximize the space that you have in order to make the most of it, while at the same time ensuring that all of your employees are comfortable while they work. In other words, uncomfortable employees will usually lead to disgruntled and unproductive employees, and given the fact that some industries have reported high turnover rates, your main goal should be to retain your workers so that they become happy and loyal employees.

Below, you’ll find some handy tips that you can use when designing an office space plan for your new office.

Light is Important

Survey after survey has found that one of the most important things to most employees is access to natural light. Thus, when planning your office space, one of your top priorities should be to have natural light enter as many rooms as possible.

In fact, many experts agree that most employees would not enjoy working for several hours a day under fluorescent lights that can be quite harsh. In addition, many people in North America currently suffer from vitamin D deficiency, which can cause bone issues, as well as immune system problems, depression, and other health ailments.

Thus, given the fact that the sun serves as a natural source of vitamin D, natural light access will not only provide health benefits but also boost employee morale and productivity in the process. Hence, think of your natural light design plan as a long-term strategy that will yield long-term benefits for you and your business.

Space for Multiple Uses is a Must

When we are referring to having space for multiple uses, what this will mean will differ depending on the type of work that you and your workers are involved in. However, it can also be argued that eventually, every business will need at least one room that is designed for meetings or seminars.

By the same token, a room that is used for meetings should not be vacant when meetings are not taking place either. In other words, an unused room is a waste of space that could be put to much better use. For instance, if you have employees that are very creative, then perhaps they can use your formal meeting room as a brainstorming think tank when your company is not holding formal business meetings in it.

Maximize the Benefits of Remote Technologies

For the longest time when people thought of an office, they would think of a place where people would sit in front of rows of desks, typing away for hours on end on their bulky PCs or typewriters.

It made sense for people to work inside an office if they needed to physically transport files and other documents from one department or person to another. However, thanks to the power of state-of-the-art remote technology, the physical transportation of files within an office is no longer necessary, and may even be considered a cumbersome way of doing things.

For instance, when you are planning your office space, you can create online filing systems that will free your employees from having to be stationed at the same workstation day in and day out. As such, you can free up some much-needed space that can be used for other purposes. You can consider investing in some versatile and ergonomic multipurpose furniture while you’re at it.

Also, while studies have found that most workers feel more at ease when they work in an office, having a personal space that they can call their own and that they can customize can allow them to transform a traditional workstation into a personalized one. Again, an ergonomic workstation would be ideal, as it can help improve posture, align the spine, reduce pain and discomfort, boost concentration, reduce anxiety and depression, and even prevent arthritis.

Ask Your Workers for Their Opinions

Studies have found that employees who feel that their bosses care about them and respect them are more likely to remain employed at their firm or office, and also report higher levels of workplace happiness and satisfaction. Therefore, you should try and gather the opinions of your workforce, as they will know, more than anyone else, what needs to be improved in the office.

Moreover, while their input may not necessarily be the most cost-effective, feasible, or practical, their opinions may still prove to be quite useful when you are formulating your office space plan. In fact, issuing a basic survey to all of your employees may allow you to learn about problems that you didn’t know existed or never gave a second thought about.

The Michaels Global Trading Difference

If you would like to learn more about how you can create the ideal new office space for your employees, then we can help. Since its inception, Michaels Global Trading has been committed to providing our clients with cost-effective office and warehouse solutions.

We can also help your current office become more versatile or help your new enterprise expand so that you can unleash its full potential. To learn more about our client-oriented office furniture liquidation services, please visit our website.

We can also be reached at 888-471-5066 for a free, no-obligation consultation, and Michaels Global Trading is a fully bonded and insured office furniture liquidator that assures a high level of transparency and clear and concise communication throughout every step.