In 2023, it’s fair to say that many business owners are evaluating their office space needs with even more scrutiny. While moving into a newer, bigger, and brighter space used to be the goal, many company owners are instead looking at ways they can relocate to a space that supports a hybrid or flexible-working model.
For some, an office relocation allows them to expand their teams and improve collaboration, and for others, they need something minimalist and functional that can be utilised sparingly. The fact remains, moving into a new office can be exciting and invigorating for a team to be more productive and stimulate business growth, but managing such a relocation can be stressful, disruptive and challenging.
If you are weighing up the pros and cons in your head, and want to make a smart, informed decision about your office space, then look no further than this guide. This will explain why an office move, whether you’re downsizing or expanding, may be worthwhile for your business.
Reasons to relocate your office
Whether you are expanding to accommodate your growing team, moving somewhere more accessible and with better facilities, or finding that you’ve merely outgrown your existing space, there are plenty of reasons to relocate your office. Some of the most common reasons for doing so are outlined below.
Cost savings
If you aren’t ditching the idea of having rented office space altogether, then moving to a newer facility can help you save on valuable rent costs. Office space is significantly less competitive than it was pre-Covid, although the market, according to Workplace Insight, is ‘bouncing back’.
Most businesses are downsizing offices because they realise that hybrid and remote working isn't going away. As such, smaller offices typically come with lower costs, given that fewer employees may use them at any given time, and the reduced amount of energy, heating, lighting and resources that’ll be used. Flexible workspaces mean that you aren’t paying for unused space while being able to scale your space in line with your business needs.
Improved morale
Many companies are choosing to relocate to more accessible and convenient areas for their teams as a way to reduce commuting times and give them plenty of cafes, restaurants, retail spaces, and bars to access. This also offers a better client or customer experience should you be hosting them regularly.
Also, retaining staff is crucial, particularly for roles that are increasingly difficult - and expensive - to recruit for, and many in your team would feel compelled to be more ‘present’ in an office that offered many perks.
Better use of space
Moving to a new office provides you with a fresh perspective to shape your work environment to suit your business needs. If you anticipate that you’ll be accommodating more employees in the coming months, you can make strategic plans for this, and it’s much easier to do that with an empty office than change your current setup and disrupt your operations.
Relocating to facilities that better suit your organisation would be more than ideal, and again, bigger does not always mean better.
Enhances your brand
You can tell a lot about a company with its office decor and style. Relocating is a way to change how you make a positive and memorable first impression with your clients and customers.
Your brand identity and purpose will likely change as your business evolves, and as such, so will others’ perceptions of your brand. Moving offices gives you plenty of freedom to express your desired message, and your office design style will also allow you to reflect that.
Also, property alterations, even if you are in close proximity to other businesses, can be a great option to expand your network, connect with neighbouring companies and form mutually beneficial relationships, which is always good for your brand.
Business growth
If you have a professional and modern office, depending on your location, you may be able to attract more candidates to apply for vacancies. Many people will jump at the opportunity to work for a business that’s local and that has high-quality facilities, and as you’ll know, employees are instrumental in driving your business growth.
With additional office space, you’ll be able to accommodate more team members and certainly send the proverbial message that you’re striving for bigger and brighter things, rather than treading water.
Improved collaboration and technology
Ambitious business owners see an office move as a way to scale upwards and adopt enterprise-grade technology that can improve productivity. Many new offices present innovative methods of communicating and collaborating, paving the way for enhanced business telecoms, fibre connectivity, additional server rack space, more room for desktops, and much more.
Your office can be built around your teamwork and collaboration methods, and ahead of your move, you can arrange with your specific service provider(s) to ensure everything is in situ before you set foot in the new space.
Managing expectations of a relocation
These are just a handful of the advantages of relocating your business. It’s important to remember that with any office relocation project, you will encounter roadblocks and unexpected disruption, one way or another. Therefore, moving at a particularly busy period is not ideal, and your best bet is to do so when business is likely going to be a bit quieter and you can justify the interruption.
An office move relies on effective planning and organisation; the earlier you start planning, the fewer hasty decisions you’ll have to make. You might want to consider seeking external outside help like moving companies or professional office designers to help ease the burden.
It’s also important to ensure that your employees’ concerns are addressed. Whether they have reservations about their commute, parking, a new workplace setup, make sure that you can comfortably address anything they bring your way. Telling them well ahead of time and giving them plenty of advance notice, and even consulting with them about their opinions on such a move, will be a good place to start.
Depending on the types of installation work you require, you’ll likely need access to the office and wider premises (if a shared facility) to allow contractors to complete important jobs. You will likely need to arrange for your electricity, phone and Internet services to be installed, as well as any tradespeople for any construction or decoration tasks. This will, naturally, come at a price, but it will undoubtedly make the process less physically strenuous.
Finally, and sticking to the same point, moving offices is not cheap by any means, often costing between £3000 and £10,000, depending on distance, size of workforce and space, amount of furniture, and so on.
Relocating can be financially burdensome, particularly if you don’t factor in aspects like your current lease and early exit fees, moving insurance, service disruption, and reallocating valuable budget, of which a sizeable chunk will likely be put towards your move. You may well end up re-evaluating your service providers, suppliers, products and technology that you use, which can present its share of stresses.
