Posts Tagged ‘hot desking’

7 Signs It’s Time To Start Looking For New Office Space

Posted on: August 5th, 2022 by MediaVision No Comments

Business growth can mean many things: moving into new markets, growing your team, and at one point or another, moving into a new office space.

Making the decision to upgrade to a larger office is a big step. It’s a huge investment in your business, so you have to be sure it’s the right time. But there are several key signs that you need an upgrade, especially if certain aspects of your space start to come at a cost to productivity.

Here are 7 signs that it’s time to start looking for a new office space.

7 Signs You Need A New Office Space

1. You’re Experiencing Overcrowding

Overcrowding is the most obvious sign that you need a new office space. If you have more staff than you do space, it might be time to consider a different approach.

Legal office space requirements state that ‘workrooms should have enough free space to allow people to get to and from workstations and to move within the rooms with ease’, and at least 40 sq ft of floorspace per employee. While it is possible to have fewer desks than people (agile working enables companies to do this), insufficient space – like desks too close together, cramped communal areas, and not enough bathroom facilities – can damage productivity.

2. You Have A Lack Of Storage

Storage can become a big issue for businesses as they outgrow their office space. As you take on more staff, filing cabinets and stock cupboards become more and more full, causing clutter around the office.

Cluttered desks are a sign it’s time to start looking for new office space with better storage.

3. You Want To Rebrand Your Office Space

It’s important that your office space reflects your brand, especially if you’ve had a brand overhaul, in which case your existing office might not reflect what you want it to.

If you want your space to better reflect your vision, it might be time to consider looking for a new office space. When you look elsewhere, you’ll be able to find a space that has the vibe you’re looking for and is more in tune with your brand.

If you’re a business of 30+, a managed office space gives you more opportunity to completely design your own office space around your brand and requirements.

4. You Have Meeting Room Clashes

With hiring more staff comes the need for more meetings and therefore more meeting room bookings. If you have 1 meeting room for a 20-person or more team, chances are it will be in constant demand. These clashes can cause tension between staff members. And as much as taking clients out for a coffee is a nice gesture, it isn’t a long-term solution to your lack of meeting room space.

Consider the number of people in your team and the need for additional meeting rooms; if you don’t have space to build more in your existing office, it’s a sign it’s time to upgrade to a new office space.

5. You Have Big Hiring Plans

If you have plans to recruit more staff, you will also need to look into moving to a new office space.

Think ahead: if you’re looking to hire 10+ people in the next 12 months, will your office space be able to handle this? If you know, it won’t allow for that many new desks, look into moving ahead of time so it doesn’t suddenly become cramped.

When looking for new office space, make sure you take your hiring plans into account: choose somewhere with more desks than you currently need or somewhere that can accommodate your growth plans.

6. You’ve Seen A Decrease In Productivity

If your office space isn’t optimised for productivity, then your bottom line is likely to be affected. Cramped desk space, ill-advised floor plans, broken facilities, poor natural light, and outside noise can damage your team’s productivity.

Your office also gives employees (both existing and potential) an idea of how much you value them. If you provide them with cramped, poorly lit, uncomfortable office space to work in, the signal you’re sending out is that you’re not investing in employee wellbeing or serious about long-term growth.

7. Your Team Are Complaining About Space

Listen to your employees: if they are complaining about your office space (whether it’s location, comfort or facilities), this may be a sign that they aren’t happy with their work environment. This can really impact their productivity levels.

New office space; a crowded office of busy employees highlights the need to start looking for new office space if you are experiencing overcrowding.

If you’re interested to know how your employees feel about their physical work environment, why not send out an anonymous survey for employees to complete? If several employees suggest unhappiness in their office space, take their feedback as a sign that it’s time to upgrade to a new office space.

Looking for new office space?

If any or all of the above rings true, you might be ready to start looking for new office space. Upgrading your office to a more comfortable space that’s more in line with your brand and growth plans can be great for productivity, employee happiness and brand identity.

Work.Life help start-ups, SME’s and bigger businesses find their ideal office space, providing smaller private offices in our coworking spaces, and larger managed office spaces in London for teams of 30+. That means you can enjoy private and modern office space in central London locations like serviced offices in Holborn, office space in Soho and shared workspaces in Fitzrovia, and at an affordable rate.

Get in touch to book a tour today.

 

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What Is A Shared Workspace?

Posted on: August 1st, 2022 by MediaVision No Comments

Shared workspaces are set up to accommodate employees from different companies, as well as freelancers, creating a place for people to come together to collaborate, socialise and share expertise, ideas, and an infrastructure.

Shared workspaces can be for all industries and business sizes. From smaller start-ups to bigger traditional companies, they provide collaborative environments and are a beneficial way of working for several reasons.

If you’ve ever wondered, ‘what is a shared workspace?’ read on to learn everything you need to know!

What is shared workspace, and how is it different to other office spaces?

A shared workspace is a communal area for working, shared by professionals from different businesses.

This differs from a typical open-plan office space, where employees work for the same company. In a shared workspace, you’ll find employees of different companies, freelancers, consultants, and professionals from various industries. Ultimately, a shared workspace is open for anyone to access should they desire an open, communal area to work from.

That being said, shared workspaces often offer more private space and open-plan work areas. For example, Work.Life workspaces provide the option of hiring meeting rooms and private office spaces, so you can find everything to meet your business needs.

What is shared workspace beneficial for?

  • Costs and Budgeting

Shared workspaces are a functional way of sharing tools and facilities, cutting out some of the usual costs a business may have in their own office space.

  • Interacting, Innovating and Teamwork

A shared workspace presents opportunities that might not be available in an independent office, like developing connections and relationships with people from similar or completely different industries. Not only could this encourage collaboration, but shared creativity often results in positive outcomes.

  • Flexibility

A shared workspace provides flexibility in terms of space and costs. By opting for a shared workspace, you’re only committing to a month-by-month payment plan, avoiding the commitment and financial requirements of a long-term lease — ideal for smaller businesses looking to keep costs down. Plus, by offering the option to easily switch from hot desking to a private desk, to a private office, shared workspaces offer versatility for changing business sizes and needs.

  • Team engagement

In a shared workspace, smaller businesses can offer perks they wouldn’t be able to through greater access to amenities and activities. With benefits such as high-speed WiFi and onsite support, complimentary Friday drinks, healthy snacks and even exercise classes and wellness activities, shared workspaces offer plenty of facilities and a positive community where your workers will feel more engaged.

What are the disadvantages of shared workspaces?

  • Privacy and Confidentiality

For companies dealing with sensitive information or working on private projects, a shared workspace may be too open for certain businesses.

  • Branding and Personalisation

Sharing a space with other companies means personal branding may be a no-go – having a company logo plastered on the wall may not be possible.

 

However, these potential disadvantages are not without solutions: Work.Life’s shared workspaces include private offices and meeting rooms for rent, allowing you to discuss sensitive matters, so privacy isn’t completely out of the picture. This, plus access to the wider communal shared workspaces, means opting for a Work.Life private office space gives you the best of both worlds.

We even allow personalisation of private office space, including putting your logo on the door and walls or even painting the walls in your brand’s colours.

What is shared workspace?; image of desks, chairs and a kitchen area

Work.Life and Shared Workspaces

Now that you know what shared workspace is, why not check out our options? We provide flexible, well-designed workspaces, including private office spaces & hot desking – with perks like unlimited tea & coffee, wellness events, networking, and weekly socials all included. If you haven’t found what you’re looking for, feel free to contact us or book a tour to explore our spaces in person!

Tailored solutions for growing teams

Adding 10 or more team members? That’s exciting — and we’re here to help! For teams like yours, we offer custom membership options designed to fit your needs perfectly.

Let us know some more information using the form below — we usually reply within an hour during business hours. Prefer to chat? Give us a call on 020 3349 8269 — we’d love to hear from you!

 

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