These are the four key factors we look at in terms of office space and size when designing a workplace strategy for a client:
Your work environment has a lot to say about your brand and the way you work, so it is critical to make sure it is saying the right things.
The first step in working out how much office space you need involves knowing how the space will be used by staff and guests. Think about the nature of the work your employees perform on a day-to-day basis, the amount of desk space they need and how long they spend at those desks.
Additional factors include the number, size and technology needed for meeting areas, as well as the physical or digital storage available to each employee.
It is important to determine the purpose of your office redesign and how it fits into your overall business objectives before planning the details of your new workplace.
Is your goal to improve productivity, reduce costs, increase collaboration or increase efficiency?
Knowing what you want the end result to be will make it much easier to determine how much space you will need.
Most businesses work on the basis that each employee in an office requires about 12 to 14 square metres of space, with the minimum requirement for New Zealand office workings being 10 square metres.
If your organisation needs to provide privacy for clients or employees, offices that include enclosed spaces usually aim for 14 to 20m2 per person.
These numbers do not take into account essential non-work areas such as kitchens, bathrooms or utility spaces such as server rooms. These are estimates and your actual needs will be specific to your organisation, so it is wise to have a workplace designer assess your business to provide an accurate estimate of space requirements.
While it is obviously important to ensure your office space accommodates your current needs, it is equally important to ensure it will support your future needs and potential growth.
If you are expecting to expand your workforce during the course of your commercial property lease you will of course need to make certain your office space has the capacity for additional employees. Similarly, if your future plans include downsizing, outsourcing or increasing workflow automation this should also be taken into account when considering the amount of space you need.
As businesses increasingly move their systems and data into the cloud, the technology and space requirements of your IT infrastructure is likely to undergo considerable change in the coming years, and you need a workplace with the flexibility to adapt to these changes.
If you are looking for expert advice in assessing and designing your workplace and making the right office design decisions, get in touch with us and discover how we can help you transform your workplace.
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