Not every company owns its own offices, and for those who rent, it makes a lot of sense to review every so often the question of whether the premises in which you are working are the best location for the business.
The following are issues you need to bear in mind when considering if it may be a good idea to move to a different office.
1. Cost
The sheer amount of money you are paying in rent is an important issue for any firm. Could you get something as good for less elsewhere? Or can you perhaps get something better for the same price you are paying now?
Depending on the answers to these questions, you might decide there are better options out there and take them up. Alternatively, it could be that you can negotiate a better deal with your existing landlord in order to stay put.
2. Size
Closely related to the issue of cost is that of size. Every company needs enough room for its staff and equipment, but could you have a lot of excess space that you are paying for needlessly? Alternatively, are you cramped and needing somewhere bigger?
A key consideration on this issue is where your company is going. For example, if you have enough space now but plan to expand and recruit more staff soon, it makes sense to start looking around now for somewhere a bit larger.
3. Location
There are two elements to the location question. One is whether the specific building you are in is convenient to get to. Is it near good public transport links or good parking facilities, or is it hard to reach? And if there is a public facing element, is it easy for people to find? Could an office move improve on these issues?
In addition, it may be worth asking whether the company needs to make a much bigger move. If it is out-of-town, could it grow more in a city centre location? Or would it make sense to relocate the firm a long distance, such as moving away from London to reduce costs?
4. User-friendliness
Another important question is how user-friendly a building is. Some offices lack air conditioning, or may be listed buildings in which opening windows is not allowed, all of which could make summers unbearably hot. Alternatively, poor insulation will make them very cold in winter.
Other considerations would include the quality of bathroom facilities, disabled access and car parking space. Not only should these be part of the assessment of the office you are in, but also of any new one you might move to.
5. Avoid change for change’s sake
The above considerations may all provide reasons to think about moving offices. However, there may also be a temptation to simply change the office just to freshen things up in the hope that a change of scenery will boost productivity or bring about some other kind of improvement.
This would not be a good reason to move. Firstly, if there are issues such as output or morale that are causing concern, an office move will not solve these and they need to be investigated and addressed appropriately.
Secondly, it needs to be remembered that any office move takes time getting used to, as journeys and routines may change. That is worth doing if there are obvious benefits to a move, but not when it’s change for change’s sake.
