How To Choose The Right Office For Your Business

Choosing an office for the first time, or the tenth time, is always a challenging thing to do. It means a lot to have the right place to run your business from. You have to consider your budget, how many staff you have, how long you can pay for the office, which facilities you need – the list of considerations is a long one. The good news is that there is a lot of choice, and ultimately, with good consideration, you should end up with the perfect new digs for your business, especially with the following tips to help you choose:

Where Is It?

The location of your office is so important because it impacts how you are able to tend to your daily business tasks. It impacts how easy it is to get to work, how easy it is to take deliveries or invite people to interview with you or have meetings with you.

The location itself is also impactful because of the increased cost of the space, the closer it is to the city centre. The West End of London equals a hefty office rental charge of £117 pounds per square foot. Towards the outside of the capital, the costs are substantially lower because the location isn’t as premium.

Some Londoners choose to utilise London self storage for office stock and paperwork so they can have their main operations in a premium office location. All the stock, postage items, filing cabinets – everything big and bulky goes in affordable self storage, and then all the meetings and main daily goings on happen in the expensive office space – it’s a really savvy compromise when you’re on a budget.

Lastly, the location can also impact the amount of space on offer. Usually, the more inner city the office is, the smaller the space on offer will be. More compact office spaces come available because most businesses can’t afford the rent of an entire inner city office block or floor.

Does It Have Accessibility?

The accessibility of your office is important if you want to ensure that you have a diverse and inclusive team. A diverse workforce is a strong workforce, and ultimately, if you invest in an office that ensures accessibility for people with special needs, accessibility needs and other considerations, you invest in a modern and unbeatable team.

What Is Security Like?

The security of your office is so important because it is the security of all your business belongings. You can’t be worrying that all your computers and stock will be stolen. You also need to ensure your team is safe, especially if they work at night in the office. CCTV, door locks, gating, lighting – all the security needs should be met and ideally exceeded. If you rent the office it is worth checking who is in charge of maintaining these kinds of features, as that could be an extra cost for your business and although the cost is worth it, if you can have that maintenance included in the rent it is better for your bottom line.

Does It Meet Your Eco-Considerations/ Needs?

Ultimately, most businesses want every aspect of their business to be eco-friendly, because customers care about it, companies with good morals care about it, and the government is setting targets for it. An office that already has recycling plans in place, as well as good insulation, double glazing, energy-saving measures and more, means you’re already able to reap the benefits of better eco-considerations as soon as you move in. Often, hot seating offices or serviced offices have more eco-credentials because they are actively managed and there is more benefit to the landlords to provide the very best facilities, including green facilities.

How Much Does It Cost?

The cost of the office rental should be affordable for as long as the minimum contract is. Don’t do the maths for a month, do the maths for six months or more, so you know you can afford the whole contract period without falling into arrears. Do compare the costs, too, so that you are getting good value for money. You don’t want the cheapest, but rather the best possible service and included perks for the money you pay per month. If you are on a budget, self-storage is a really great option, not only because it tends to be very affordable, but because the contract is flexible and often you can give a month’s notice, not six or 12 months, as is often the case with a more official warehouse or office contract.

How Long Is The Contract?

As we mentioned above, the contract of many offices can be 6-12 months, if not more. This is incredibly difficult for businesses that are likely to experience growing pains. Ideally, the office you choose will have a flexible contract, and if it doesn’t, it is important that you think about that carefully. Might you need to move quickly? Are you likely to struggle to pay for the six months, or forecast a way to pay for the six months? Startups may particularly struggle with this issue. Perhaps, instead, consider utilising self-storage as an office option, which is likely to have a flexible contract that gives you more leeway overall. Or, choose an office that is smaller and more affordable, utilising self-storage for your stock and more extensive storage needs.

Think Carefully About Your Choice Of Office

Ask all of the above questions and more to ensure that you choose the perfect office for your business needs. It should be flexible, affordable, suitable and secure. Do also consider self-storage, working from home, virtual offices, shared offices and other options so that you know exactly what your choices are.

With the right research and lots of thought, you can choose the perfect office space to suit your needs and take your business from strength to strength moving forward.