Let’s admit it; it can be extremely frustrating when you’ve poured time and money into designing the perfect office, only to outgrow the space.
While it usually doesn’t happen overnight, there is a good chance that your team will not be able to fit in the current premises in a couple of years, especially if you’re a fast-growing company.
What’s more, with the rise of the millennial workforce, and their demand for a dynamic and evolving workspace, it is more likely than ever that you will outgrow your office, and fast.
In these circumstances, changing the office can become absolutely necessary. Obviously, this scenario isn’t ideal, but here are a couple of ways you can make the most of it.
Solution 1: Lease Another Space In The Same Building
This is the most obvious solution, and also the simplest.
If you lease out the floor above, for example, you’ll be able to keep your existing office design, and simply outfit the new floor to match.
The main difficulty will be choosing what employees go where, and redesigning their individual spaces. This might require some flexibility, while you determine the best place for everyone. Of course, if you’ve got an activity-based working layout, employees can choose to go wherever works best for them.
Additionally, leasing another space in the same building ensures reduced costs in terms of moving and you also have the opportunity to oversee the shift.
In other words, business owners or managers can keep a close eye on the new space, while ensuring smooth operations in the current office.
This option is also ideal for businesses dependent on location and image, such as retail shops and restaurants – when your business is so closely tied to the location, leasing in the same building is the perfect solution to deal with growth and a changing work culture.
Solution 2: Rent Out Your Existing Space and Move To A New One
Worst-case scenario; you’re quickly outgrowing your existing space, and you can’t find another space adjacent to it. In this case, you have no other option but to move to a different location altogether.
But there’s a silver lining – get your money’s worth out of that lovely office design by renting out, or subletting the space. Tenants will appreciate that the space was recently re-done, so you should be able to rent it with minimal changes.
Additionally, consider the fact that demand for office space is booming, and this is particularly true for mid-market offices between 1000 and 2999 square meters.
Small businesses and start-ups, in particular, need a space to expand without the restrictions of a long term lease. As such, renting your office to this market can help you earn easy money every month, and expand without incurring a loss.
Solution 3: Open Up A New Location
Maybe it’s time to set up in an entirely new location.
Outgrowing your space might be your chance to expand to a new market or a new location. For example, you could rent out a smaller office in the same city for the C-suite and upper management, and make it the head office. Or you could open an office in a nearby city and make that a satellite office.
To gauge the success of such a move, consider whether your current location can easily be duplicated. For example, is your business primarily digital? If you operate and communicate using mostly digital methods, it will be easier to relocate and set up everything.
New research has also shown the benefits of changing the location of an office. For some people, switching up the location of their workplace makes them more creative and productive.
According to workplace strategist, Peter Bacevice, “Place attachment is less important to these people. Rather, they value choice and the ability to work from a variety of spaces around the city—especially if they are on the go, running from meeting to meeting in various locations.”
What’s more, 53% of all workers now value the chance and the flexibility to work in different locations.
Keep in mind, however, that there is a definite downside to changing locations too frequently. Despite the boost in creativity and stimulation that changing offices can provide, adjusting to a new place is no easy feat.
Often, shifting from one place to another too rapidly can reduce productivity – remember, most employees need structure and going to the same office every day helps them set up a routine.
In any case, the key to ensuring a successful relocation is to focus on creating a design that’s conducive to employee satisfaction, and comfort.
In Conclusion
It’s always a risk that you’ll outgrow an office, but with these solutions, you should be able to make the most of your existing space.
To help you make these changes, Streamline Resource Group offers a team of experts who design work areas. Not only do we work closely with your team, but we also first understand your short and long term goals before starting a project, allowing you to make the most of your investment.
