Being the facility that houses your employees every day (as well as acting as a marketing tool to impress clients), the need for the office to be functional, comfortable and inspiring is simply vital in modern-day business.
If you recognise the need for change, the nagging question that may emerge will be, do you stay, or do you go? Would it be more beneficial to undertake an office refurbishment, create a new fit-out or move to an entirely new facility altogether?
As a professional office design company with over 30 years of experience in creating innovative workspaces, we have constantly offered advice and assistance to firms that have been stuck between making such choices. Below, we have put together some advice on how to pick the best option that suits whatever your particular requirements may be.
Choosing Between an Office Refurbishment, Fit-Out and Relocation:
Making the Initial Decision:
Before you think about which of the options would best suit your business, it’s important to be sure that improving the current workspace will be of benefit.
Does your current office…
- Support your plans for controlled business growth?
- Reflect and define your brand?
- Retain existing personnel and attract new talent?
- Provide a cost-efficient solution?
If the answer to any of these questions is ‘no’, then your business would likely benefit from a fit-out, refurbishment or relocation to optimise the workplace.
Which Office Improvement Will You Choose?
The difference between choosing between a refurbishment or fit-out of your current space is that an office refurbishment refreshes the existing space, whereas a new-fit-out has you reshaping the interiors. A relocation to a new building will see you perform either.
Here are some key points to think about when considering your current office space:
Do you need more space to cater for business growth and additional staff?
If space is an issue in your current office, it can be easy to choose to relocate to a new, bigger office. In fact, an office refurbishment can often free up space, making more effective use of the areas that you already occupy.
One of the major issues that many of our clients have had with relocation is that their office is in a great location for their business (it may be near transport hubs, have lots of amenities around or be near the bulk of their client base, etc), so moving away to a less suitable area will negatively affect the business. However, staying put without means for growth isn’t ideal either; it means the firm will miss out on fulfilling its potential, and potentially lose out on business to rivals who do have the scope to grow. Redesigning the current location is the best medium to have; balancing the need to stay in the area with the need for a larger office, many of our clients have been shocked to discover how much space their current locations can save by using thoughtful office design techniques.
Is your location restricting your business?
Conversely, relocating the office can help the business move to an area that is more suitable for the needs of its employees and clients. Talented workers will expect a certain level of quality from their work surroundings; not just in the design aspects of the interiors, but where the office is located. There’s a reason why some of the biggest and best businesses congregate around town and city centres; a major reason being that such places are able to bring in people with their transport links and amenities. Placing your business in such an advantageous location will only help you to increase your talent pool.
Another reason that some of our clients cite as their reasons for relocation is to gain the benefits from lower lease and occupational costs. Certain offices in certain areas will be more expensive to rent than others (especially in large cities). If the cost of rental is rising above what the business can afford, then profit margins are going to suffer. An office relocation can provide you with an opportunity to gain a more cost-effective facility.
Can you make adjustments to your current space?
An issue for some businesses may be that they cannot make adjustments to their space; the building may be listed or subject to a strict agreement with the landlord, etc. If you find yourself faced with such issues, a relocation is the best way to create your ideal working space. By making use of a professional office relocation and fit-out company, the process will not be as disruptive or stressful as you might think. The benefits they bring will allow your business to flourish, so don’t let the thought of upheaval cloud your decision-making when it comes to thinking about the use of your current office.
Who do you want to impress?
If you have to host your clients (whether you’re undertaking meetings or require a showroom facility), what does your office say about your business? An office that seems dull and dingy will only create negative feelings in your visiting clients, whereas interiors that are bright and exciting, are more likely to make them feel positive. In short, if your current office design does not match how you would like your business to be perceived, then a refurbishment, fit-out or relocation could help to improve your reputation.
Some of our clients use an office refurbishment or a fit-out of their current spaces to give the business a ‘fresh start’. The opportunity to create a bespoke design that reflects the philosophies of their business is a great way to inform and impress their visitors. Not only does this help to build their reputation as a forward-thinking innovative firm, but breathing new life into their office interiors helps to improve the morale of employees by giving them a new environment to work in.
If you would like to learn more about which approach would suit your business the best, why not consider getting in touch with the office design and fit-out experts here at Oaktree Interiors?
Choose Oaktree for bespoke office design
Regardless of the size of your business or the industry you may work in; the Oaktree team can work alongside you to produce the ideal workplace environment that will inspire, inform and impress. Our service comes with a completely free, no-obligation consultancy – this includes a full survey and 2D/3D presentations of what your preferred office design would look like.
Please feel free to browse our website for further information about our services, the company in general and the works we have performed. We have recently produced a white paper that contains wide-ranging information on the benefits of undertaking a new office design; feel free to download the PDF here.
To get in touch with our team directly to learn more about office refurbishment or fit-out, give us a call at 0345 21 86955 or alternatively, send an email to hello@oaktreeoffice.com.