Prepping For Your Office Remodel
Office remodels are not at the forefront of most business owners’ minds when they set up shop but it is something they may face if their business begins to grow. As your business expands, your physical space needs to grow too, but this can be difficult to co-ordinate it you are not prepared properly. Part of planning an office remodel is understanding the preparation that goes into ensuring that things go as smoothly as possible and stay on target. The worst-case scenario is having unproductive employees or frustrated clients due to remodeling.
This preparation guide will help you with your office remodel – making the transition as smooth as possible for you, your clients, and your employees.
Identify The Remodel Type
You should start preparing for your office remodel by deciding on what type of remodel you are going for: 1) building a brand-new office from the ground up, 2) reworking an existing space with some major, or minor, renovations.
- Building New Offices For Your Business
Building new offices for your business is less disruptive for your employees and clients as business can carry on while the new premises are being completed. Your main consideration from an employee and client perspective is coordinating the actual move to the new location once it is complete.
Something else to consider with a new build-out is to make sure that all your planning for offices and work space is done ahead of time. Plan the layout and flow prior to any construction commencing to make sure that you can begin business again as soon as the move is complete. It is also easier to change the layout in the design stage rather than once construction has begun. Settle on how you want work stations to be set up, where you want the break-room to be located, and what extra facilities you will need for your employees such as a kitchen, conference area, etc. Working with a professional contractor is a necessity to keep your plans on track and within reasonable expectation.
Renovating Current Work Space
If you are upgrading your current work space you need to plan for the impact that this might have on employees’ productivity and your clients experience visiting your business. On the plus side, renovating your current space is easier in the sense that you already understand the building you are in, but it will have challenges during the preparation process.
Your first step will be deciding how you will renovate, what areas to begin with and then make arrangements for the employees in this area so that they can continue to be productive elsewhere. Your preparation must include space to let employees work in until their area is complete and space for clients to visit without having to be in the middle of a construction site.
It’s advisable to be open with your employees and keep them as informed as possible as to the status of the renovation – how long it should take, if there are any delays to the renovation, what the plan and process is for each person’s work space, and how you are going to try and keep them as hassle free and productive as possible. If you do not communicate these things with your employees you could run the risk of demotivating them and lowering their morale with a seemingly endless renovation process.
Depending on your business you might need to have the work done outside of normal business hours so you don’t disrupt visiting clients or employees. So, make sure you have a plan for after-hours access to the business premises as well.
Client Comfort
Another key concern are your clients and how your renovations are going to affect them. If you are going to be moving into a totally new building you would need to do the move over a quiet work period or weekend. You can also look at doing a move during the evenings, in stages.
Something you need to consider is keeping a space open to receive and interact with clients. Make sure you have alerts up about the renovations and how long they should take. If you need to close the offices for a short period of time, you may need to plan an offsite office that can be utilized during this period. However, you may also consider that the office remodel take place over a quieter period for example during the holidays, which would allow for as little disruption to your business as possible.
A nice courtesy to clients is apologizing for the inconvenience and inviting them to a reopening party to keep them happy, informed, and feeling like they are part of your business family.
Easy Flow From Old To New
Before your office remodeling is underway make sure that you are have an inventory checklist and lay-out plan from each office and each area. Having these done ahead of time will create less confusion when an office has been packed up. This will help once renovation is complete and you need to unpack – you don’t want to be left wondering what exactly needs to go where. Having each employee complete a checklist for their area will make the unpacking and organizing easier.
Also, make sure that you have a system for the move so, for example, boxes from the meeting room are labeled as such and kept aside to go back into the meeting room. This planning and labeling will help reduce the time it takes to get your business back up and running.
Communication Is Key
One of the most important elements in preparing for your office remodel is communication. You need to make sure that the plan for the renovations are communicated effectively to each employee. The plans need to be detailed and give exact timelines and what needs to happen in those timelines. This way all employees will have a good understanding of the details of each step.
Taking these steps before you begin construction will have a positive effect on what can often be a stressful project. As the saying goes – prevention is better than cure. Making sure you have as many of your bases covered before launching into remodeling your business, will have you, your employees, and your clients all working together toward a less stressful and frustrating period. Add to this the expertise of a seasoned office renovation company, like Miller Construction & Design, and you will have a formula for success!
