A Comprehensive Guide to How Much Office Space Your Business Needs

Every business even small teams have different needs and requirements. These requirements are based on such as nature, size, and environment (work culture). As we mentioned leasing or buying an office space is a different topic, it's a type of investment; but today we will discuss the topic that how much office space does your business need. With these questions and instructions, we will determine key factors that influencing office space requirements.

Questions to Ask

These key questions will determine the right size of office space that your business & team requires to work effectively and productively. With these questions, you will find your answers about leasing the right amount, these tips will guide your decision.

• What is your current employee count?

• How do you forecast your business growth during the rent term?  Depend on your project do you need extra space for new hires?

• Which type do your members suggest? Shared - open spaces or private offices?

• Do you need dedicated meeting spaces for meeting and client visits?

• Do you need extra space for documenting and archive?

Answering these questions will gude you on your office space needs.

How Many Square Feet Will You Need for Each Office Parts?

You need to determine the square footage required for each part of your office.

• Individual workspaces include desk, chair, storage and enough room between these equipmenents. An individual workspace requires approx. 75-125 square feet per employee.

• If you need meeting rooms for brainstorming or client meetings, you have to determine the exact requirement for the size. A small room for 4-6 people need approx. 80 square feet, a larger boardroom for 10-12 people might require 350 square feet. You will add whiteboard, screens and ergonomic seating for these meeting rooms. The approx. size will be minimum of 250 square feet.

• If you need common areas like kitchen, you need to add 50 square feet per your colleague. Regular breaks will be crucial requirements for refreshment and quick meals. Additional 25 square feet per person can create productive relationships and sufficient comfortable spaces for your team members.

• You need to consider seperating an area of 150 - 200 square feet for welcoming area. These reception areas require two desk chairs and comfortable seats for your clinets. In some situations your visitors will wait in this area, this is why you need to keep this space bigger than you expected.

Know Your Business Needs

First important tip is determining current requirements and projecting the potential grow of your company. Depending on the result you need to make a short list of total requirements for your first months and a year. This list has to require; current employee count, projected number of new hires, specific job roles (some may require private room), equipments to boost productivity and creativity. Then you should consider the approx. amount of archive space like storage for files, supplies and inventory. These are fixed areas - equipments like cabinet and shelves, need space for organizing documents smoothly.

Depend on your answer that we prepared in the first topic, you need to consider the importance of having meeting & conference rooms, booths for 1-1 sessions, private booths for calls and focused work and other areas to maintain effective work and welcoming your clients.

By evaluating these topics, you will have a draft result for total required space for the whole operation.

Consider Your Work Culture

Your and your operational teams' work culture is another significant factor that influences the total office space requirements. You need to ask these questions about the working habits of all departments.

• Does collaborative work important for you and your team?

• Which team members need collaborative areas to make brainstorm together?

• How many colleagues will prefer quiet and individual workspaces?

• Does your company allow remote working? If yes, determine the schudule and days per week.

• Do you know the flexibility for working hours in your company?

Check Your Budget

Financial management is the most important topic in this process. Your business' requirements and actual budget will determine the result. If you don't find the right answers for your questions, you won't be able to spend your budget correctly. Some requirements have to be budget friendly to maintain the management of your operation smoothly. You need to make a list of your rent or potential mortgage, monthly utilities, fixed costs, maintenance cost and lastly any other expenses associated with your office space.

Depending on your budget you find cost effective solutions for your business operations. If your budget doesn't cover the projected cost of total office space, you might consider coworking spaces, private office spaces in coworking spaces, dedicated desks and virtual office options. Opting for coworking spaces might be a better result if you face some unexpected challanges with your current.

Evaluate Your Location

Location is a crucial factor, we can sum up these in 2 topics.

• Ensuring employee happiness, belonging, and satisfaction within the organization for easy transportation. The location influences productivity levels of employees. If the office is located in a central location, it will be important to have cafes and restaurants around for employees.

• The value of the brand and the brand perception in the eyes of clients, easy accessibility in terms of location.

Plan for Growth

Our last main factor is plan - projections for growth and expansion opportunities of your business. You need a consistent growth plan to determine how much office space will your business need in short and long terms. Accurate planning for your expansion will determine your actual - immediate needs for your office space.

If you select a small space for your business; employee efficiency, job satisfaction and collaboration will decrease rapidly. If you choose larger space for your operations, it can be costly and pointless decision. You may waste resources and pay higher rental cost than expected if you choose a larger space for your company. Both inconsistent decisions can restrict your business' flexibility.

At our in El Segundo, Hermosa Beach, and Manhattan Beach, we provide services tailored to meet the specific needs of your company. Let's arrange a tour to one of our locations in Los Angeles to meet with your next office space.

Conclusion

As a result you can see that seperating the right amount of office space will be important in terms of collaborative & efficient team members, prestigious area for welcoming clients and brand perception for both visitors and employees.

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