Five things you need to consider when moving your business to a new office
Planning to relocate your business? Here are five things you need to consider when moving your business to a new office.
There are a few warning signs that it’s time to move your company to a new office. The first one is that your employees are practically working shoulder-to-shoulder because the office just isn’t big enough for your whole staff.
The second is the opposite – there aren’t any employees within ten feet of one another because the office is too big for the number of staff you’ve go. And that’s taking money out of your budget that you don’t need to spend.
The third sign is that your employees are unhappy because of where your office is located. Maybe there have been a string of muggings outside the workplace, or perhaps it’s a difficult location to commute to.
Finding the right office for your company is tricky because there are a huge number of office spaces available for rent, and it’s hard to weigh up the pros and cons before moving in.
You’re not going to please everyone. But if you follow these guidelines, you should find it easier to find an office that’s as perfect as possible for your company.
1) Make you account for growth
If you’re a growing company you need to search for an office that’s large enough to accommodate all the staff that you’re going to have in the next one or two years.
It’s a business term called, “scalability.” A scalable office is one that’s going to be roomy enough to accommodate a growing workplace, and it should have enough open floor space so that you can reconfigure the layout to best suit your needs.
There are a few things you need to take into account when considering whether or not you really need a larger office. If you’re trying to dig your business out of debt, you’re better off sticking with an smaller-sized office space because it’ll cost you less money.
You can make a crowded office more habitable by offering flex hours or remote working. But if your business has good profit margins and you’re growing quickly, it’s probably a good idea to invest in a large space.
2) Shop for the best lease
Don’t fall head-over-heels for the first affordable office space you find. Take your time and shop around for the cheapest rents available. It might be a good idea to search commercial real estate listings online to compare and contrast all the different available spaces in your area.
Of course, the cheaper office isn’t always the better office. If there’s an office space that’s a little more expensive, but it will also improve the productivity and happiness of your employees and help you grow your business, then it might be worth the extra expense.
Just remember that your main goal is to boost your bottom line, and you should always be seeking the most cost-effective options.
3) Make sure the neighborhood is safe
Office spaces located in glitzy areas tend to be very expensive, so you shouldn’t necessarily try and relocate to the prettiest neighborhood.
That said, you should also avoid relocating to a neighborhood where there are significant issues with crime – even if office spaces are cheaper. It’s your responsibility to ensure your employees are safe before, during, and after work, so make sure you do adequate neighborhood research online.
Remember, too, that if your employees are salaried, they might not want to work later hours (in crunch-time scenarios) if they feel it’s unsafe to leave the office after dark. Having an office in a bad area also makes it more difficult to hire the best employees.
4) Consider the parking and transit situation
Your employees will probably live in different locations, so don’t pick an office based on commuting times – as mentioned earlier, you’re not going to please everyone.
However, you should ensure that your office does have an ample amount of parking. If not you’ll have to deal with unhappy employees. At the very least, you should find an office that has plenty of street parking nearby if there’s no parking lot. It also helps if the office is easily accessible by public transit.
5) Think About scheduling
Moving your office from one location to the next will take a lot of time and manpower, and it’ll almost certainly disrupt the productivity of your staff.
When you’re considering places to move to, think about the ease of getting everything transferred from one place to the next. Obviously, a closer office means an easier and less costly move.
While this shouldn’t be a deciding factor on where you relocate to, moving logistics may affect businesses that are strapped for cash or which can’t afford to have many employees away from their desks.
Photo by Annie Spratt
