Going for a full-fledged office refurbishment can be a scary prospect. Here are some steps to simplify the process and get some basics out of the way:
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| Office Refurbishment |
- Budget
Figuring out how much you are willing to spend on the refurbishment is the first step. Well, to start with, these types of work are not different from any other project. There are always many possibilities. However, how much the owner can afford to spend determines, and puts a limit to all these possibilities. With a bigger budget, one can set out to completely change the layout of a space. Having a smaller budget at your disposal may mean that your office refurbishment may have to be realized with a different approach to transformation and beautification. You have to choose between fitting a new space out and refurbishing afresh.
- Working styles
Different workplaces have different styles, in tune with how the business works, and what will facilitate the business in the facility. With refurbishing, you also get the chance to change some things around and re-imagine how your staff works. You may consider innovations to improve productivity and work-flow, and hence, business. You can choose to go for Workplace Assessment to find out what is the ideal working style for a company like yours. It can help you find out the best working style and environment for you and your staff. Doing all these can help you to further flesh out the office refurbishment plans.
- Environment
Environmental factors have to be taken into consideration when you are planning your office refurbishment. This will help you eliminate common issues in the office. Noisy spaces or those that echo a lot can do with acoustic solutions. An office that does not get adequate natural light can be complemented with appropriate lighting solutions. You have to acknowledge the limitations and the strong points of your working environment when drawing up your office refurbishment plan.
- Technology
You need to find out if you are using the right technology for your business or not. Having the appropriate technology for your industry is essential in a modern workplace. You could speak to technologists for this purpose. Doing this helps your business stay ahead of the curve.
Find out if your business needs to embrace new technology to improve efficiency and to keep up with the competition in the latest happening in your market and industry. Your office refurbishment plan needs to take technology into account.
1. Growth
The growth stage your company dictates a significant part of your office refurbishment plan. If you are in the middle of rapid growth with new recruitment and equipment, then you will have to consider expanding first, before refurbishment.
2. Well-being
Workplace well-being is one of the most important factors dictating workplace refurbishments. Simple things can be included in the workplace to boost the well-being of the employees like keeping plants in the lobby or waiting room for the circulation of fresh air, open spaces for posture correction and exercise, adding a cafeteria, exercising control over acoustics and so on. When you offer your staff options about where and how to complete their work, you adopt a humanized approach. This is bound to reduce the mental stress from modern workplaces.
3. Restrictions
It is also essential to consider the mechanical, electrical, or structural restrictions imposed by the facility you have. For example, if the building in which your facility is housed also has other tenants, you may have to stretch to finish the refurbishment work only after work hours. At times, the architecture can also dictate the use of space.
If your facility has a thermal mass ceiling, it can restrict the addition of a false ceiling, impose restrictions on the lighting, and other services, and acoustics as well.
This list is not exhaustive by any means, but it is an excellent point to start thinking about how to go about a project of a large scale.