How Much Office Space Do You Need For Your Business?
Looking for a new office space can be confusing and overwhelming. Because you’ll have to think about the future where your business may grow bigger than before. You want an office space that can accommodate every part of your business at the moment and is still able to grow thanks to the extra space you have.
Office space nowadays is available in many layouts, aesthetics, and arrangements. Depending on what type and the size of business you are running. Unfortunately, there is no exact formula that can help you figure this out. You need to get a good feel of your business and find the best office space that fits.
Average space requirements
Space requirements vary from business to business. How much space you need depends on the industry, geographic area, number of employees, etc. If you are not sure about how much space you need, you can always opt in for an open working space.
No cubicles, less or even no walls, and you can arrange the desks and chairs however you want to be as efficient as possible. With this kind of arrangement, everyone can sit together in one large room. Everyone has their own desk and can even switch positions when necessary.
But you can always go with the traditional office space with a hard wall layout and full of private offices and large conference rooms. It may not be popular nowadays, but this kind of layout is better for people who are already familiar with it and need private offices to function.
General space requirement per employee
The most commonly accepted space requirement in big cities is 100 sq. ft. per employee. So 50 sq. ft for desk and another 50 sq. ft for the extra room. This is considered the ideal amount of space per person, and I think many companies are using this rule to find the balance between space and cost.
But, depending on your location, it can be too much space for one employee. If that’s the case, you can consider 70 to 80 sq. ft. per employee. This way you can be even more efficient with the space you have and save more money on the rent. There may be other compromises that you can do such as smaller storage facilities, using benches instead of individual desks, and smaller communal areas.
Cost requirements
Sometimes, we have to make compromises here and there to make sure the company is running as optimally as possible. If large office space is out of your budget, then you’ll have to make do with smaller office space. But that doesn’t mean you’re out of luck, with a bit of planning you can fit everyone in a smaller office space.
Ask your real estate agent how much the space costs per square foot. This way you can calculate roughly how much you’re going to pay and determine the best value for your company. The key is finding the balance of space and cost that your budget can afford.
Remember that you may have to sign a lease that will lock you into one office space for a few years, up to five years usually. So you should consider future growth and think carefully before making the decision. Because if you’re not happy with the office space and want to terminate the lease, you’ll have to pay the fee and for moving to a different office.
Future growth
Now let’s talk about the future growth of your company. If you’re sure that your company is going to grow bigger in the duration of your lease, you should make sure to have that extra space. Doing this is actually more cost-effective than moving into a different office space, which is something that only big companies can do most of the time.
You can create extra space by giving everyone in your office more space in the first place. Then you can reduce the space they have as the company expands. You should tell them that beforehand, of course.
Conclusion
How much office space do you need, well no one can really say. You need to familiarize yourself with your company – how it operates, the work environment, the employees, and anything else. All the tips above should be able to give you a good understanding of where to start.
