If you are in the planning stages of setting up a new business, or are preparing to expand with another couple of offices, it takes a lot of planning to furnish and equip the new office space. Here is our checklist to ensure that you cover all the bases when setting up new office space.
- Long Lease – There’s little point in investing in office space if you don’t have a long lease and a further option is also preferred. Get a lawyer to look over the lease and make sure that you have everything you need in terms of resources and permissions. Check for clauses regarding night working and noise limits, indeed, your lawyer should be asking for a few things to be amended or clarified; the last thing you need is a restriction you hadn’t considered.
- Communications – Nothing less than a dedicated Broadband connection will do; all your business communication with use VoIP platforms, so you need guaranteed bandwidth. Talk to a managed IT service provider and they can create a secure high-speed Internet connection that can be wirelessly transmitted throughout the office (no more cables).
- Furniture – A trip to Auckland’s best furniture store is called for, where you can choose chairs, tables, cabinets and desks and the supplier would deliver when you are ready. They have the best brands at the cheapest prices and you can order via their website, if you prefer. Cloud solutions eliminates the need for filing cabinets and the open plan layout is the best all-round solution. Contract carpeting ensures a regular change, search online for your nearest provider.
- Health & Safety – Of course, there are state requirements regarding fire exits and extinguishers and an inspection will probably be carried out just prior to opening, but if you are in a serviced office, none of this is applicable, of course. The state website would be able to direct you to the information you need to ensure that your new office complies fully with state requirements.
- Design Concept – You should have a firm idea of the layout, but if not, the office fitout contractor has all the solutions. Interior design is critical for office space, as you want people to be productive and it is always a good idea to involve your staff in the decision making when furnishing office space; this gives them ownership and they will likely have some great ideas. Hold a special meeting and ask each staff member to think about the new office layout and you might be pleasantly surprised. Who better to design the space than those who work there? Using half partitions, you can create zones and open-plan styles encourage dialogue, which is important for any team.
- Office Cleaning – Resist the temptation to DIY; search online for a local office cleaning contractor and ask them to quote for the operation. Coming to work to find last night’s coffee cups still on the table simply isn’t an option and with a clean and fresh working environment, your staff will be productive. Click here for tips to improve your customer experience, which is important.
- IT Hardware – Presumably you have a commercial removal company handling things, otherwise you need to either supply new terminals and screens, or reinstall the ones from the old office. It is so easy to end up with a spaghetti mountain of peripheral cables when installing IT hardware and this is best left to the IT technicians. Wireless solutions greatly reduce the number of cables, which should be channeled into the floors and walls. Click here for information on computer hardware from the Australian government.
The Office space is a reflection of you and your organization, so it needs to look good and with the right ambiance, your employees will be happy with their new work environment, especially if they helped design it. This point also applies if you are working with a virtual office. With only 4 steps, it can become a flagship for you. This is one step in the growth process, and you can look forward to further growth as your business expands and gains a solid reputation in the local community.
