It’s safe to say the pandemic has brought a lot of change to our lives, and particularly to the way businesses operate. Persistent lockdowns have meant most employees have taken up remote working, leaving offices deserted and firms across many industries contemplating what to do next. For example, the BBC reports that 74% of financial services firms are reviewing their office space needs, with most of those looking to use it differently, or get rid of it all together.
Downsizing office space or a shift to working from home looks like the next step for many businesses, at least in the short term, but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing.
Let us take you through our top 4 reasons why office downsizing doesn’t have to be a disaster.
Save Money
The most obvious advantage of downsizing office space is the reduction of cost. Renting an office not only involves paying your landlord, but also paying the utility bills, maintenance, cleaning and more. The larger the office space becomes, the quicker this adds up. By moving to a smaller office, or even eliminating the office all together, you may be able to put the money otherwise spent on unnecessary space into other projects that could be essential to staying afloat in these tough economic times.
Help your Employees Evolve
Whether you shift to a co-working space, remove the physical limitation of an office all together, or find a different downsizing option that suits your business, change allows you to shake up your mindset and try innovative approaches to the way you work.
For example, without a manager within arm’s reach, employees are encouraged to become more independent and use their initiative within their projects and tasks, making them more valuable to your business as they innovate and propose new ideas. Managers are unable to micro-manage, which not only gives employees more empowerment and responsibility, but also reduces stress and opens their time to focus on new things.
On the whole, by allowing your staff the freedom to work differently and evolve their work style, you can generate a lot of value within your business.
Flexible Working and Increased Efficiency
A direct result of this pandemic has been the rise of remote and flexible working, with employees now being better able to work around their personal life and commitments from the comfort of their own home. In downsizing the office, it may be essential that some staff work from home on a number of days in the week, and if you are scrapping the office all together then this will become the new norm.
The advantages of remote working are huge in comparison to traditional office working, for example a new remote format may help your employees to work more collaboratively and productively. This is thanks to the use of various online platforms, which allow teams to host meetings, work simultaneously on documents and share files more efficiently. This may be surprising as surely communication would be easier in person, however when working virtually it takes effort and action to speak to others, therefore most virtual communications between colleagues tend to have purpose, making them more efficient.
Employers should be aware however, it can be a struggle for some employees who may have children at home, may not have the space to dedicate to their work, may have an unstable internet connection or who simply cannot focus outside of a work environment. Depending on the needs of your workforce, this may mean downsizing to a smaller office is a better option than eliminating the office all together, if you can afford to do so.
An Opportunity to Find Somewhere Better
Most of the time, we tend to stick with things out of habit and convenience, and office space is no exception. Often, moving premises can be an expensive and lengthy process and it can seem like it isn’t worth the hassle. However, if you take a step back and assess your current environment, you may find that it isn’t well suited to your business or your company culture.
Think about the values of your business, your staff and their needs, the ways you communicate and the activities you need to complete, and now think about the resources you need to be able to tick all those boxes. It may be that an open meeting area in the middle of your office space is perfectly suited to you, or perhaps separate rooms for small groups to meet would better suit your team structure. You may want a social area and a kitchen, and you may need to be close to key public transport links or have lots of parking spaces.
Considering your individual needs as a business and choosing the right space accordingly can make a dramatic difference to employee morale.
But now what?
Once you’ve decided to downsize, your business may be left with a bunch of excess office furniture and equipment which you just can’t fit into the new plan but don’t want to wave goodbye to, or you may just need somewhere to house it whilst you move to your new space. If your employees are working from home, your business may even want to provide a storage solution for their excess home furniture, which is being sent away to make room for the new work desk.
That’s where we come in. Dedicated to keeping it all safe until you it can be used it again, Go Store York offers short- and long-term business storage solutions to suit your needs. Let us keep your business disruption to a minimum and ensure all packed away items are clean, dry, and safe. Learn more about our flexible, secure business storage rental options, and get in touch to have a chat about your needs.