When you rent office space to run your business, your monthly bills can get pretty high. Even the cheapest office can be a substantial expense. Still, an office might be necessary, especially when you have multiple employees who need to work together in person.
If renting an office is an expense you can’t avoid, you probably want to maximize your use of the space. For instance, if all you could get was a large office, you don’t want to feel like you’re wasting unused space. And if you had to settle for a small office, you might be struggling to create a workable setup with traditional furnishings.
Regardless of your situation, if you want to make the best use of your office space, the following tips will help.
Consider creating an open office
There are many different ways to build the inside of your office. You can add big, open tables, individual desks, or partition desks behind cubicle walls. While there are benefits and drawbacks to all of these options, open spaces can be a good choice. They’re cheaper and more flexible, which benefits workers who like the idea of being free to work from different spots each day.
An open workspace can facilitate collaboration by removing barriers to access other employees. As long as people respect the need for silence and focused work, the open space will result in more sharing of ideas and knowledge, along with spontaneous conversations.
If you choose to set up an open floor plan in your office using large tables or desks, the furniture will be somewhat condensed. Then, you’ll have more space to create other areas, like a spot with comfortable chairs, bean bags, or couches and a coffee table for people to take breaks.
It’s worth noting that some people will need a quieter, distraction-free space, so make sure to have at least some enclosed areas for those who have a preference for more seclusion. Not everyone is more productive in an open space.
Report issues to your property manager
If you’re already short on space, the last thing you need is for a random leak in the roof to drive you and your team out of that area. The sooner you report issues with the building, the better.
Reporting problems with your office to the property manager or building maintenance team can prevent issues that have the potential to make portions of your office unusable. For example, if you don’t report a leak in the roof right away, it might develop mold that makes people sick, or the water could just drip from the ceiling onto people’s desks, making that area unusable for a while.
If you notice anything out of the ordinary, report it to your landlord immediately. You should report everything, including issues like strange noises coming from the building’s transformer. It’s your landlord’s responsibility to regularly inspect and repair the transformer, but if you notice something is off, give them a heads up. You don’t want a failed transformer because you won’t have electricity until it’s either repaired or replaced, and that could be a while.
Take cues from small home office designs
There are plenty of tricks to learn from people who turn a small space in their home into a productive workspace. For example, sometimes a small desk is all you need, provided you can keep it clutter-free. Other ideas include:
- Wall-mounted desks
- Corner desks
- Using minimalist furniture
- Using the vertical space on top of a desk for books and supplies
- Adding mirrors
- Add beautiful decorations, like mood boards, wallpaper, and painting the walls a color that makes the space look bigger
Too much space? Host events
Another idea worth considering is hosting events in your office. As long as it’s not prohibited in your lease, use your extra space for business-related events. You don’t want to rent the space to outsiders, since that would almost certainly be a lease violation, but you can host your own events in your office and invite people to attend.
Hosting events, like fundraisers, meetings, demos, and speaking engagements can help you grow your business. It’s also the perfect way to hold meetups designed to introduce people to your business, facilitate networking, and get more clients.
Get creative
Whether you’re working with extra space or not enough room for a traditional setup, all it takes is some creativity to design your office in a way that meets all of your needs.
