Despite the pandemic forcing us to get to grips with working from home, the company office still has a big role to play as businesses embrace hybrid working. Not only is it somewhere you and your staff can go to collaborate and be productive, it’s also the physical embodiment of your brand, providing that vital first impression to any clients, partners or prospective employees that visit. A drab, inefficient workspace can not only harm staff morale and productivity but damage your brand in the eyes of outsiders.
If you think that your own company’s office is in need of sprucing up, but it’s not quite time to move on to pastures new, then a renovation could be the perfect solution. However, this is a big undertaking and shouldn’t be approached lightly. There are so many things to consider, from the design to the cost, all of which can seem a little overwhelming.
If you break everything down though, you’re sure to find the process easier. We’ve listed the top four things you need to consider when renovating your office.
Your renovation goals
Before you can get the ball rolling on an office renovation, it’s crucial that you carefully consider what you hope to accomplish with it, as this will inform the rest of your decisions. Some of the main reasons you might want to renovate your office include:
To have more space
No one wants to work in a cramped workspace. If your employees are lacking the space and resources to do their best work, you are setting yourself up to fail. By altering the size of areas like your hallways or by adding in new rooms entirely, you can create more space for your workforce.
To reduce your operating costs
If you haven’t renovated your office in a while, you could be paying over the odds to run it. For instance, by upgrading the windows and doors to improve your office’s insulation, you can reduce your energy bills.
To complement a rebranding
Rebrands and refurbishments often go hand-in-hand. If you’re changing aspects of your company’s branding like its colour and general personality, you’ll want your office to reflect these.
Other reasons you might want to renovate your office include to boost its health and safety credentials or make it more sustainable.
The cost
With the average office fit out costing between £45 to £150 per square metre, you need to carefully consider how much your desired changes will cost and whether you’ll be able to afford them. There may be different kinds of expenditure involved, from hard costs (like painting and decorating) and soft costs (like legal fees and permits), to vendor costs (equipment, for instance) and project management costs. We recommend consulting with an office interior designer, as they can give you an estimate of how much everything will set you back.
Once you have a rough estimate, the next stage is to think about how you’d actually afford the renovation. If you don’t have enough money in your coffers, then a business loan might be the best way forward. There are multiple options here, including secured loans, unsecured loans, peer-to-peer loans and cash advance loans, though which one is best depends on things like your company’s financial situation and general preference.
The renovation company
It’s crucial that you choose the right office renovation company to carry out your project so that you get the best output and price. To help you do this, be sure to take into account the following:
Qualifications
You want to make sure that the company in question is actually qualified to do what they say they do. A key way to ascertain this is by checking whether the business in question is accredited by a trade association like the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), for example.
Project portfolio
If a company has experience in the type of project you’re proposing, the renovation is much more likely to be plain sailing. Be sure to ask any prospective office renovation companies for a portfolio to see whether or not their experience matches the work you need completing.
Reviews
Finally, check out a company’s reviews before committing to hiring them. This is the acid test for its quality, with many negative reviews a red flag and a sign you should take your business elsewhere.
The schedule
It’s important to come up with a schedule with your contractor so that you know how long the office will be either partly or completely out of use for, allowing you to make alternative arrangements. You may need to organise client meetings for different locations, for example, and although we’re sure your staff are used to remote working by now, it’s also a good idea to let them know how much time they will be unable to go into work.
When working out how long the project will take, make sure that you take into consideration final steps like inspections and cleaning, as they can add extra days on to everything. Inspections are crucial for safety reasons, particularly if there’s been any electrical or plumbing work, while most buildings undergo a builder’s clean after a renovation. As commercial cleaning company NuServe explains: “If you’ve had builders or decorators carrying our alterations or renovation work in your premises, no matter how thorough they are there will always be dust, debris and perhaps the odd paint or chemical splash to clean up. A builder’s clean does exactly that, bringing your site back to a high level of cleanliness ready for your people to move back in and work.”
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