Overseeing the fit-out or refurbishment of an office space can be a daunting prospect. From the initial planning phase to move-in day, each stage in the process requires careful consideration to meet your business’ needs. Whether you’re looking to refurbish your existing office space or set out on a full office fit-out from scratch, we’ll aim to talk through each step in this guide to ensure a smooth, successful project.
Planning
Before you start, there’s a few crucial aspects that you need to consider – when do you want your move in date to be, how many people do you need to accommodate in your office space and where they’ll need to be situated in the space plan. Once those factors are determined, that’ll allow you to work back from there.
After this, it’s worth asking some more specific questions such as how many workstations and task chairs you will require and whether your team need any additional specific equipment to carry out their job successfully. If you’ve got plans for future growth, you may want to consider a bit of future proofing at this point.
Design
Next up, you’ll want to consider the overall design aspect of your project.
Think about the flow of your office space. A well-planned layout will allow easy movement for your employees and boost collaboration. Mapping out specific areas for focus work, meetings and quiet spaces will give you an idea of how your office will flow. At this point, considering how your employees currently work by getting feedback from them can be extremely beneficial and feed into how you want to lay out your office space. At TG Office Services, we can help you with this by providing a free space planning service to help determine the space you’re working with and how any layout can fit your business’ needs.
It’s also important to think about the sustainability of the furniture you’d like to select. Sustainable choices not only benefit the environment, but also help to keep costs low in the long-term by avoiding the need for replacing poorly built office furniture. In 2002, the Design Council Annual Review found that 80% of the environmental impact of a product is defined at its design stage. By selecting products designed with waste materials, for circularity and with new technologies such as 3D knitting, you can play your part in ensuring that your office furniture is as sustainable as possible.
Further to this, adopting trends like incorporating natural elements or flexible workspaces can make a space more inviting and adaptable. Although it’s very likely that trends will evolve, an office space designed with flexibility and comfort in mind will remain functional for years to come.
Materials & Products
Different spaces and uses will determine what type of materials you’ll want from your office furniture in your new space.
For example, in your reception area you may be looking for comfier, fully-upholstered sofas or seats to create a welcoming first impression for clients or guests. On the other hand, in breakout spaces, you might want to consider products and materials which encourage collaboration.
For focus or desk-based work, consider ergonomic office furniture such as height adjustable desks as well as good quality ergonomic office chairs that will provide the user with maximum comfort and movement throughout the day. With ergonomic office chairs, remember that the best posture is always the next one. This is especially true of the HÅG Capisco 8106, built specifically to encourage movement in various positions throughout the day.
You may also want to focus on finishes that enhance your brand identity. At TG Office Services, we can help clients focus in at this stage of a project by submitting a draft proposal, where we’ll itemise everything required for each work area and give our clients the option to up-spec or de-spec the products depending on the budget and wish list. With strong business relationships with some of the UK’s leading office furniture manufacturers, we have access to a range of products with finishes and materials that will fit your business’ brand identity.
Having the Right Team
Having the right team can make or break a project, so choosing contractors experienced in this field and ensuring that they understand commercial space requirements is key.
With over 25 years’ experience in this area, we’re well versed at TG Office Services to cater to our client’s needs. Typically for us, we’ll work closely with a main contractor who will carry out the hard fit-out. Working alongside an interior designer, we’ll focus on the furniture elements to bring all aspects of the project together.
Moving In and Evaluating
Once you’ve conducted all the necessary health & safety checks, completed a quality control, final inspection and added any necessary final touches it’s almost time to move in.
Hopefully at this point, your set move-in day isn’t far off the date that you’d set at the start of the process. Once you’ve determined this date, it’s time to notify your employees.
At this stage, often months of hard work have passed and it’s time to enjoy your new office space. Having an orientation day will go some way to helping your employees become familiar with the space. It’s also worth considering hosting some kind of informal event to welcome employees into their new space and showcase where they’ll be working, as was the case with ONE BioHub that we worked on last year in Aberdeen.
Once you’ve been in your new office space for a few months, it’s always worth evaluating how the space is working for your employees. Consider conducting an employee survey to see how they’re finding it and whether there’s any feedback you need to consider in order to make a few final tweaks.
With a structured plan, the stress and anxiety of conducting an office refurbishment or fit-out can be minimised. By following each stage of the journey carefully, you can create a workspace that allows for employee comfort and productivity, is sustainable and conveys a positive image of your business.
Looking to get started on your office refurbishment or fit-out? Get in touch with us here to discuss how we can help bring your vision to life.