When you’ve been working in the same space for years, you cease to notice the peeling wall covering by the coffee machine and the torn piece of carpet in reception. These blemishes become part of the building’s character. But what effect do they have on potential customers? If you’re working hard to win business, first impressions count.
What are Your Priorities?
After deciding on your budget, there are a number of important space related questions to ask yourself. What is the average age and profile of the clients you are trying to attract? Would it help to add partitioning to a large space? Consider how your work area is used, what equipment you have and how often it is moved and whether your current storage capacity is sufficient. Here are some key areas you might focus on.
Divide Your Space
Partition walls are particularly popular in offices looking to enhance their brand, as they can be used for graphics or company logos, which make an instant impact on potential clients. They can alter the mood of the office depending on the look you want – chic, minimalist, glass partitions, or plain. By closing a space down you can change the dynamic of the workforce greatly, so think hard about who will be affected by changes and how they will adapt.
Office Flooring
Surprisingly, new flooring sometimes makes more of an impact than any other feature of your workplace that you change. It seems to lift the whole mood and lends a bright, cared-for feeling to an environment. Interestingly, this effect seems to hold true in any space, from schools to gyms, reception areas or entire office spaces. Consider making flooring one of the first things you budget for after any building works, for precisely this uplifting feel. Carpeting, laminated floors, vinyl flooring and interlocking tiles surfaces are all good, although keep an eye on trends, as some great new floor coverings are coming on to the market at the moment.
Ceilings
Don’t neglect your ceilings. Take down the remains of the sticky tape that held up last year’s Christmas decorations. Replace the broken ceiling tile and consider fresh paint for other ceiling surfaces. A fresh white ceiling bounces light around the workplace and will make it feel less oppressive than the tatty old ceiling that used to hang over your workers in the past.
Storage
You can never have enough, but make sure what you have is being used effectively. Might it actually be better to ditch your five mismatching filing cabinets and get some smart modern cabinets, which offer more space? If it’s in the budget, then make this a priority. Nothing looks more tired than office furniture from decades ago. Consider using full height cupboards to maximise storage space and consider using these as a room divider to save on the expense of building partition walls.
There are so many ways to improve your workspace. You will find it has a positive impact on both your workers and your clients.
