Any business that wants to stay ahead is constantly seeking ways of improving. Increasing
productivity and driving growth are firmly at the top of the agenda, but to genuinely succeed, a working environment needs to appeal to all members of a workforce (both incumbent and future), of varying ages, genders, skillsets and abilities.
The right space management can optimise your space usage and, lower costs. Poor or
incorrect space management will increase overheads and decrease the efficiency of your
workforce.
So, how can you measure ROI when it comes to a refit?
Consider your working space
Office space management is a lot more than choosing what colour to paint the walls. You
need to delve in a little deeper and consider the impact that the office space itself has on its
users.
Work patterns have changed and continue to remain flexible. For you, that means stepping
back and gaining a better look at the overall picture. Are a considerable proportion of your
staff working remotely nowadays? Taking on a hybrid approach?
If so, it could well be that you require less overall space than you think, or you might want to
utilise the space using the innovative design that comes with flexible offices and agile
working, i.e. acoustic pods, collaboration spaces, meeting and breakout areas, and so
on.
In the preliminary stages, it’s important to establish whether you need a full refit, or can
simply maximise the space that you plan to spend most time in. Once you’ve established
this, you can expect ROI.
Productivity
A sure-fire sign of a successful office design is by examining productivity. A good, flexible
office layout should serve your workforce well, thus increasing wellbeing and productivity. If
staff are becoming jaded and wanting to spend more time working remotely, ask yourself
whether it might be related to a stagnant working environment.
Prior to your refit, consider whether you have wasted areas that are uninspiring and
impacting negatively on productivity. Do you have, or need sufficient areas for private work?
Are there collaboration spaces for team meetings that won’t impact on the rest of the
office? Would your team benefit from a breakout area that takes them away from their
desks for a short while to recalibrate?
Productivity will come naturally when you address the needs of your workforce and design
your fitout in keeping with this. In turn, you can guarantee a good ROI.
Different spaces
For your workforce to work to the best of their ability, they need the right amount of space
and different working areas. You don’t want a cramped office, but neither do you want
excess space that’s both unnecessarily costly to you and distracting to workers.
Consider factors such as noise – is excess noise distracting your team and compromising
their productivity? If so, look at incorporating specialist office furniture such as private
acoustic office pods for essential phone or video calls, or team meetings. They’re also
great for temperature and acoustic lighting which all contribute to mood and energy levels.
Office furniture plays a huge role in getting the best out of your team, so a good
arrangement of seating options from ergonomic chairs to comfortable sofas will provide
something for everyone, and every task.
Staff retention
If you’ve noticed a rise in staff turnover, it’s time to ask yourself how you might be
contributing to their decision. It’s perfectly natural for a business to lose staff from time to
time, but if it’s becoming a common occurrence, it could well be time to address the cause.
Have you considered the overall office temperature? Lighting? Aspects like these impact on
wellbeing and , despite sounding trivial, can actually have a bearing on both physical and
When you manage your office space well, you’re giving employees the right tools to do their
jobs more efficiently and more creatively. There are plenty of studies demonstrating that
employees working within modern, flexible offices are less likely to leave their jobs, not to
mention that your layout can attract or deter new candidates!
A well-designed and maintained office with good access to technology is one of the most
desired aspects of an office space. In fact, many successful office spaces provide desks
with power points to allow for modern hotdesking options. The more desks or areas that
provide these, the more easily staff can place themselves anywhere to plug-in and access
their workload. Simply put, it’s a matter of convenience, and with that comes greater job
satisfaction.
Losing staff and having to frequently recruit is both time-consuming and costly. Get it right
from the start by future-proofing your workspace, and your staff retention will vastly
improve. That’s how you ensure you’re getting ROI.
A final word
ROI isn’t straightforward and requires a great deal of forethought. The best advice we’d give
is to consider the working patterns of your workforce and use your space accordingly. Once
you’ve crossed that bridge, you can establish how office furniture can help with noise,
lighting, temperature control and creating an overall uplifting office environment that boosts
productivity.
It always helps to work with industry professionals that have vast experience in office
fit-outs and can assist you in planning your refit. That way, you can guarantee that you’ll be
getting ROI and not giving yourself an unnecessary financial expenditure.
FluidSpace can talk you through your office fit-out and ensure you make the right decisions
from the start.