How much office space do I need?

When looking for the perfect serviced office space for your business, there are a number of important things to take into account.

When it comes to deciding on how much office space you need, it’s not always as straightforward as you might think. For instance, you know how many employees you have, so you know how many desks you need, but how does this this translate into square feet?

Key things you may consider when deciding how much office space you need:

• How many employees do you currently have?
• How much equipment do you have to accommodate?
• Do you have plans to take on more employees in the near future?
• What style of office would work best for your organisation?
• What is already included with serviced offices?
• What are the advantages of an open-plan workspace?

How many employees do you currently have?

Generally, modern serviced offices are much more spacious than traditional office spaces as they include a large amount of social/common space and kitchen areas.

On average, serviced accommodation provides 50 sq ft per desk, however, when you take into account the spacious nature of serviced workspaces, the total space per tenant within modern serviced offices usually exceeds 130 sq ft.

Simply multiply the number of employees you have by 50 sq ft to get a good idea of how much desk space you will need.

How much equipment do you have to accommodate?

If you have large or bulky equipment such as free-standing printers, scanners, photocopiers or servers, or if your employees work with multiple monitors on their desks, you will need to ensure that you chose an office space with sufficient room for these.

Do you have plans to take on more employees in the near future?

Due to the flexible nature of serviced offices, you do not need to factor in future growth when choosing your next workspace as you can easily expand within the building as your team grows.

We recommend that you take only the space you need for now as this will help you to maximise value for money and reduce the need to pay for excess unused space. When the time comes to expand, we can help you to quickly locate a larger, more suitable office space that you can move into seamlessly.

Serviced offices allow the client to get the best value for their money through ‘high density’ desk layouts. This enables clients to pay for a 10-person office whilst populating it with 13 employees, thus reducing their ‘price-per-desk’ cost on paper.

What style of office would work best for your organisation?

The structure of your company has a huge bearing on which style of office would work best day-to-day. For example, if your company has a traditional hierarchical structure, you will most likely prefer to have an office with other smaller offices for the managers and directors of the company.

Conversely, if your company has a fairly flat structure and the separate teams within the organisation often work closely together, an open plan office may provide a better solution.

What is included in serviced offices?

Meeting rooms

With serviced office accommodation, meeting rooms, varying in size, are available with many completely free of charge for you to use. This eliminates the need for bespoke meeting rooms to be paid for on a full-time basis without being utilised effectively.

Social/lounge areas

Serviced offices offer large social areas and lounge facilities where workers can relax and socialise, or work independently away from their desk.

Kitchenette

Rather than paying for a permanent kitchen, with serviced offices you can have a fully-stocked kitchen with unlimited tea, coffee, and water, which is cleaned and maintained for you, all included in your monthly fee.

Server rooms

Serviced offices invest heavily in their IT infrastructure and have large, modern and secure server rooms where the client can house all of their equipment safely. These rooms are built to the highest standards, with full air-conditioning, CCTV and security all included.

What are the advantages of an open plan workspace?

• An open plan workspace makes it easier for employees to communicate with each other as there are no barriers between them This can, in turn, help to improve teamwork and the flow of ideas.
• Having an open plan workspace can also help to create a more relaxed and friendly atmosphere and improve social bonds between employees, boosting team morale.
• Having all employees in one room, instead of being broken up into individual offices, makes it much easier for managers to communicate with and instruct their team.
• Choosing an open plan work space can also help to reduce costs as resources such as printers, photocopiers, lamps and staplers can be shared by employees.
• Having all employees in one place can help to boost productivity as employees can discuss projects with each other and their managers and receive quick answers to queries.
• An open plan office gives you the space to grow your business if you are looking to expand and employ new staff in a short space of time.

Looking to find your perfect serviced offices? Get started today!