Because people spend so much time in the office nowadays, it only makes sense that the business proprietors or personal entrepreneurs put a lot of thought into the choice of workspace. Being in the market for office space; what you choose is incredibly important to the business’s pace of growth and its success in the future. The office you will shelter your team in will affect not only your day-to-day operations but also the brand image. A correctly chosen office can make employees happy and productive, as a vital component to happiness at work is a healthy and sophisticated working environment.
When looking for office buildings for rent, the future tenants usually make a long checklist for what makes an office perfect. This list includes numerous features – from natural daylight to ergonomic furniture. Yet, each potential occupant understands that, given the evolution of the modern work suites, what is regarded as “perfect”, now varies a lot, and depends upon lots of factors. In the process of choosing the new business residence for you and your company, it will be necessary to consider what you and your employees or teammates will need to succeed. Given the fact that a commercial real estate market is very much diverse and dynamic, scouting for a perfect office solution may become a real headache, or, at least, a challenge for renters. Be it a traditional office, a flexible one, or, maybe even a property, designed for remote work (a virtual office space), etc. that you prefer to choose; some essential steps are to be taken not to miss any important detail.
Here are five steps that should not be overlooked when in search of a perfect office suite.
Location is a priority
Ask any person who at least once in his or her life looked for the commercial space about the most crucial thing that influenced the choice and, in the majority of cases, you will hear the word “location”. The office location primarily matters because people don’t want a long commute to and from work in this already fast pace of life. A short commute makes for happier, healthier, and more productive employees. Businesses should consider offices that are near employees’ homes or public transit. If commuting isn’t a burden, businesses can better attract and retain workers from a wider geographic area. The availability of parking is also essential, as most workers drive to work using their personal vehicles. It is necessary to think about the security of the particular neighbourhood, as well as what you can find close to the office. Here we speak about facilities like coffee shops, gyms, entertainment centres, cafes and restaurants, etc. Research where your employees live, pay attention to the specific features of the particular location and choose a place that will keep your colleagues happy.
Size
Whether it is the first office location you choose or maybe you already have to expand your business and are looking for a larger room – a size of the office suite can define the limits of your comfort. Practice shows that it is normal to have 70 square feet of space per person. However, nobody knows your business better than you do. Thus, you have to figure out what type of workspace you need, how many desks you will have to establish, and how many people to accommodate. Probably, the design plan of your workspace includes some additional features that concern the issue of the office size. Here we speak about meeting rooms, spaces suitable for spending breaks, kitchens, etc. It is not only the square footage that you need to pay attention to. For instance, high ceilings are especially conducive to creative work. A workspace should also be visually-appealing to draw customers’ attention, and skimping on space can have adverse effects on tenants’ productivity.
Infrastructure
Very often, some specific features of the office can be more critical to some businesses than to others. And it doesn’t mean that this or that particular venue is not good. Nowadays, though, there are very few businesses that can not function without a stable and fast Internet connection, telecommunication services, etc. A vast array of offices presented for rent today usually called serviced ones, already propose the use of particular sets of facilities and services as parts of tenancy agreements. Still, a top-notch office infrastructure doesn’t mean only Internet or phone lines, either. It is the combination of features such as ergonomic furniture, tech supply, availability of postal services, etc. It is indeed efficient for future tenants to have everything they may potentially need at hand, rather than to look for important services somewhere else. A well-equipped office rental is a way to dedicate more time to business than to managerial tasks. The quality and reliability of the service matter too. There’s no point paying for a service that is being interrupted constantly or cracks under the strain of a busy day.
It’s all about the environment
Can you imagine the house without people who live there? What does it look like? It’s just a brick and mortar space, which, in such a case, doesn’t serve its primary purpose. The same may be said about office space. When looking for your perfect business accommodation, it is indeed necessary to pay attention to the office community you will join and the environment that will surround you. Actually, the environment, already created in the work suite, can have as positive as a negative impact on your productivity and satisfaction. Usually, the tenant mix in the serviced business centres ensures excellent networking and teambuilding opportunities.
Pricing
Last but not least is the issue of pricing. The fee, you will be expected to pay for the commercial space is one of the most vital factors that influence the choice, which tenants make for or against the proposed work suite. By spending too little, you may finally find yourself and your teammates not satisfied with what you have chosen. Spending too much, on the contrary, you may struggle to pay for rent, which may result in downsizing, and even leaving the office, you have chosen. What is more, quite often, the office rental also predicts some hidden expenditures(office maintenance, utilities, parking spots, etc.). Neither of these scenarios is suitable, as the office space is usually a tool for growth, not vice versa.
Today, the commercial real estate market has numerous flexible leasing proposals, that are tailored to tenants’ needs. You can opt for trial periods, pay per month or even per day. Everything depends upon the type of venue you want to get. In order to cover a vast target audience, each location has numerous office rental solutions, suitable to different rental budgets. By choosing the right one, you will likely achieve the goals quickly, as it is better to plan the budget efficiently to ensure sustainable business growth in a sustainable environment.
Some of the other helpful perks regarding the office space rental may be cooperation with reliable commercial real estate brokers, visiting the venues by yourself before signing a deal, or, in case it is not possible, joining the virtual office tours, etc. Still, you will never know whether the solution you have made is a right or wrong one until you try spending some time in the office. By the way, the employees’ feedback about the venue usually helps a lot in understanding of the quality of the workspace, facilities, and services provided there, its accessibility and so on.
When opting for the perfect office in the location you like, compile the list of questions which may help you define why this or that particular office is suitable or not. It is indeed a great way not to miss something important when in search of your first commercial space or relocation to the new one.
