5 SIGNS YOU NEED A NEW OFFICE

Words by Suzie Miller

Your office is overcrowded

Are your employees struggling to hear customers on the phone due to the proximity of their colleagues? Has it got to the point where the teams have to book in just to be able to grab a seat in the office?

At Sandbox we work off at least 40 sq ft of floor space per employee. Having desks too close together, cramped communal areas, and not enough bathroom facilities – can damage productivity. The pandemic has also made us more aware of hygiene and social distancing, which means a lack of space can lead to anxiety, stress, and poor mental health.

You never want to feel claustrophobic in your own office, especially if you are coming in 5 days a week!

There aren’t enough meeting rooms

If you have twenty-five staff and one meeting room, it’s pretty tricky to find a time when it’s free. This can lead to tension between staff who never seem able to book out the room. And while taking a client out to a nearby cafe or coffee shop feels like a nice gesture, it’s not a good look.

And if they’re a prospective new client, you’re not giving yourself a chance of impressing them if all of the building meeting rooms are full!

Consider the number of people in your team and the need for additional meeting rooms; if you don’t have space to build more in your existing office, it’s a sign it’s time to upgrade to a new office space.

You want to expand

Overcrowding with your current staff quota means there’s little to no chance of you expanding and staying in your existing building.

If this is the case, it pays to plan ahead. Don’t just consider how many staff you plan to hire in the next twelve months. Think about how large you expect to grow over the next three to five years.

With a bit of forward-planning, you’ll save yourself the hassle of having to move officers again two years down the line when your office is bursting at the seams again.

You’ve Seen A Decrease In Productivity

If your office space isn’t optimised for productivity, then your bottom line is likely to be affected. Cramped desk space, ill-advised floor plans, broken facilities, poor natural light, and outside noise can damage your team’s productivity.

Your office also gives employees (both existing and potential) an idea of how much you value them. If you provide them with cramped, poorly lit, uncomfortable office space to work in, the signal you’re sending out is that you’re not investing in employee wellbeing or serious about long-term growth.

Networking Nightmares

If your co-working space is devoid of networking opportunities or lacks a vibrant community, it might be worth considering a move to a space where collaboration and connection are actively encouraged.