You’ve bought or leased your office space, you’re hiring your staff, and everything is coming together to get your business up and running. Now you need to set up a functional workspace for you and your new employees.
A comfortable office space is essential if you and your team want to be productive and turn your business into a success. A poorly designed office that lacks proper equipment will make it harder for everyone to do their jobs and will lead to unnecessary delays and make it harder to focus. You want to provide the best space for your employees with everything they need to do their job efficiently.
Before you can design your office space, you need to choose the right building. Decide if it’s best to lease or buy a property. Make sure that you choose a convenient location and a building that has a good layout for the number of employees in your business.
Once you have a space, it’s time to design and furnish your office. Here are a few tips to help you get started.
Make A Budget
Before you go on a shopping spree, you need to create a realistic budget. In order to save money and reduce unnecessary purchases, analyze your finances and decide how much you can spend on setting up your office. Your budget will influence where you shop, what you buy, and how many things you can buy. If you have to stick to a lower budget, you might have to buy some used office furniture and equipment. Preparing ahead of time will help you to find ways you can cut back and ensure that you don’t overspend.
Make a list of everything you need. You can categorize your items by furniture, equipment, services, and supplies, or use whatever categories work for you. Then list the items you absolutely need in each category. In another column, you can add some of the items that aren’t necessary, but you would like to buy if your budget allows. This way you can check off all of your necessary items and if you still have some money left to spend, you can buy a few of your wants.
Make sure you’re thorough when budgeting. Include all of the furniture and equipment, as well as the services and installations you need. For example, WiFi, Structured Cabling Services, and security systems all have installation and maintenance costs.
Design A Layout
The last thing you want to do is buy all of your furniture and equipment and then realize that it doesn’t fit in your space. Before you choose desks and other furniture, think about your space and design a suitable layout. For example, if you have an open floor plan, think about what size your desks need to be to fit enough workspaces for everyone. Don’t try to fit too much furniture into your office, as you’ll need space for people to walk around.
When designing your layout, you should also keep in mind the equipment that will be at each desk. How big are the computers and monitors? Will they fit on the desktop, along with other office supplies? Will you need storage space in your desks, or is a simple desktop enough space to comfortably work? All of these are important things to consider.
Your layout will also depend on what kind of office and work you have. If you have a lot of meetings, you’ll want to dedicate a room for meetings, with a large table and enough chairs for everyone to participate. If your office will receive guests or clients, you might need a reception area, with a comfortable place to sit.
Buy Your Furniture And Equipment
Once you’ve planned everything out, it’s time for the fun part – shopping! You know exactly what you need already and how many of each item, so now it’s just a matter of finding it all and sticking to your budget. If you’re struggling to stay within your budget, consider looking for used office furniture. If a business is shutting down or moving, they might want to get rid of their desks and chairs at a low price.
If you’re buying new, make sure you check product reviews to ensure that you’re buying quality furniture. You don’t want to have to replace your office setup in a year or two. When searching for equipment, make sure you understand the needs of your employees. Not all computers can handle certain software, or some might be too slow for certain tasks. Since computers and software are essential for productivity, it’s best to invest in quality and ensure that you buy computers and software with the capabilities necessary.
Setting up a new office can be daunting, but it’s an essential part of helping your employees and business to succeed. Follow the tips above and you’ll be able to create an office space that promotes productivity and success.
