Searching for a new office begins with one crucial step: correctly approximating the space you need. But where do you start, and how do you come up with the estimate? Size is the first thing people consider when searching for a new office. Seating arrangements, furniture, and layout matter when you know the amount of space you need.
Factors That You Should Consider
How big should your office be? This is an intricate question, and no one can give you a precise formula or exact figure of what you need. Furthermore, if you lease an office with excess space, you will bare unnecessary costs. And if you invest in a small office, you will handicap your business growth or struggle to keep up with your business. For this reason, there are factors you can consider if you want to come up with a great decision.
Workspace
When you kick off your search for new office space, every company will use the same metrics: square footage. It is a metric that most agents use when they show you new office space. The general thumb rule of office space is that it should be between 125 and 225 square feet per person. However, this depends on the workspace layout, style, and type of business. These figures can also depend on particular needs like storage requirements and extra-large conference rooms.
For instance, architects require a lot of room to equip their blueprints, while call center workers require small space for their desks only. This implies that your space will increase if you need offices with closed doors, dedicated meeting space, or a special layout of cubicles and desks.
Layout
To know the amount of office space you need, you should also consider the type of layout your business requires. Essentially you can choose between three layouts: open offices, traditional private offices, or a combination of both. With open offices, everyone works and sits together. Typically, employees sit around desk clusters or community tables in this layout.
With traditional private offices or conference rooms, workers have private rooms with personal desks. If you have a team with diverse requirements, a combination of traditional private office and open office layout will do the trick. With this setup, workers benefit from privacy, although most work happens in the open.
With a traditional private office, you will be limited to the number of people you accommodate, but you can pack several people into one space with an open.
General guidelines include:
- Quiet rooms: up to 50 sq. ft. per person
- Reception areas: up to 75 sq. ft. per person
- Library or storage room: up to 20 sq. ft.
- Restroom: 55 sq. ft. for one person
- Workgroup area: 80 – 100 sq. ft. per person
Culture
Intangible traits like company culture can affect the amount of space your company needs. When looking for a new office, examine your company’s culture and learn how it affects your company and employees. And if you do not know your company’s culture, you might want to review your company values or mission statement.
For example, if your firm values extended stretches of ongoing work, you might want to consider workspaces that facilitate focus and privacy. And if your firm values agility and leanness, you might want a small office and spend the saved cash on growth.
Conclusion
It would help if you learned to calculate the amount of space you need based on the number of employees, plans for future expansion and growth, workspace, layout, and company culture. If you are ready to kick off your search for a new office, call us today.
