As office designers, we’re used to creating large workspaces for businesses looking to provide their teams with several thousands of square meters to work and thrive in.
However, several businesses are actually going in the opposite direction, looking to downsize their office space.
Companies are downsizing, decreasing their total office area or the number of workspaces. But what benefits does office downsizing bring and how can companies downsize their office effectively?
Companies sometimes look to downsize their offices if employees work from home or alternate between office and home during the week, meaning the office is never used at capacity. Data from our clients shows that average daily occupancy of their office spaces is only around 25-30%.
For most businesses, the largest costs is maintaining and running their office space. So if this isn’t used at its full by employees, it’s either time for a revamp to make sure the workspace is actually responding to the workers’ needs or perhaps there is just too much space to fill with today’s working model.
The first step towards a successful office downsizing is a workplace analysis, to determine the use of individual rooms or track employee turnover during working hours. This will highlight where to make cuts or changes without losing value. Unused or sparsely used areas can thus acquire a completely new meaning and character.
But a smaller office doesn’t mean less functional. On the contrary the smaller the space, the cleverer the layout. And the starting point is always making sure the office is tailored to the needs of the people working in it daily.
If the pandemic taught us anything, is the need for flexibility and adaptability. Flexible furniture is a great feature to help maximise the space while making it fully customisable to each situation or person. From foldable, height-adjustable tables on wheels to moveable shelves, railed curtains or screens to create separate areas or ‘anywhere’ meeting rooms.
Areas for quiet work can be created from special soundproof units equipped with a desk and comfortable seating - these take up very little space and offer a perfect place to concentrate.
To read more, please visit: How to effectively downsize the office? | CAPEXUS.cz