When it comes to factors that influence overall productivity in your office, one cannot neglect the importance of the proper work environment. While making sure your office meets some of these high criteria may seem as a never-ending process, pulling all the right moves at the start can definitely make your job a lot easier later on. With this in mind, here are five things you should definitely consider when starting up your startup office.
1. Think about the Expansion
Relocating your office is a pricey, complicated and even a risky matter, which is why it would be in your best interest to avoid it whenever you can. For this reason, once you set your mind on a particular location, you need to consider the future growth. Otherwise, you will be forced to relocate in the nearest future, which yet again exposes your company to all the above-mentioned problems. In general, try to look beyond the current state of the office and see if it has the potential for the future growth that you expect your company to encounter.
2. Location, Location, Location
They say that the most important thing about any real estate is its location and they are right for the most part. Having a prime location may cost a fortune, but it definitely improves your prestige, which is definitely not an insignificant thing. The best part, however, lies in the publicity stunt you can pull in this way. You see, going with a downtown office will give some of your employees a chance to cycle, walk or use public transportation to work, which significantly reduces your company’s carbon footprint. In other words, you get the right to label your company as green and thus have your marketing benefit from it, as well.
3. Local Storage Options
Having a plethora of reputable storage solutions in the vicinity can make your life a lot easier during the move. By having a safe and nearby place where you can stash all your most valuable goods and equipment, you get a lot of maneuvering space. In other words, you would be allowed to move in several stages, instead of being forced to deal with all of this at once. Conversely, should you change the location of your office, this will come in handy once more. All in all, local storage options are definitely something you need to consider.
4. Furniture and Equipment
A lot of people tend to underestimate the cost of purchasing adequate furniture and equipment, believing that the lease is the largest monetary issue they will face in this setup. Sure, if you were to furnish your office with the low-end gear this may be true, but you need to aim for cost-effectiveness instead of frugality at any cost.
The notion of office ergonomics is a powerful tool for any new business owner, which is why you need to make sure that all the workstations you purchase are up to a certain standard. Furthermore, seeing how the greatest majority has already migrated into the digital environment, you need to get a high-end hardware that is capable of keeping up with all the latest platforms.
5. The First Impression
Finally, when leasing out a place, you need to remember that your headquarters are not just a place where you come to work, but also a location at which you will meet your partners and clients. This is why, you need to choose a place that will make a strong impression on them, possibly even leave them in a sense of awe. For this, you need to keep an eye out on the driveway and the exterior of the company. Make sure that the name of the company and its logo are visible from the driveway and pay a special attention to the reception area. Its decoration, as well as the choice of the right receptionist, can be vital to making a great first impression.
In Conclusion
As you can see, there is a great deal of consideration, planning and work to be done during your office setup. The above listed five items are just the tip of the iceberg and some of the honorable mentions are establishing company culture and updating your contact info on website and promotional products. Once you manage to get all of this covered, you will finally be able to reap the full benefits of your new workspace.
