1. Decide what factors are driving your need for office space
Before deciding on the need to get office space, do an internal analysis and see what is driving the need for the office location. Many companies now are fully remote, and meet perhaps several times a month for a jamboree and then continue doing the work at home. For knowledge workers, this is a great setup as the commute time and cost is saved and workers are able to do many of the tasks that need to be done during the day. For example, you could prep a boeuf bourguignon in the morning or put your clothes in the washing machine before the day starts. You could drop your kids off at the kindergarten or primary school and be back home after rather than go to an office which is far away. There is perhaps another added benefit for parents in that they can also pick their kids up from school and then go back to work. Essentially working remotely adds the kinds of benefits to the flexibility of an ordinary employee that previously was only afforded to company owners and CEOs. Work becomes embedded into your personal life.
2. Decide what the dimensions needed will be
Once you've decided that you really do need office space work out the follow:
- how many employees you will have sitting in the office
- how many visits from customers might take place
- whether you need a conference room/meeting room
- other amenities such as a kitchenette
- space for private calls such as a booth
- sharing the office access with other companies
- shared or owned printer and scanner resources
- internet connection or vpn services
- parking
- tube or rail access
- outside food places such as Gails
- how busy the road is
- traffic noise that can be heard inside
- whether the temperature control is adequate to prevent heat or cold
- sunlight during the day e.g. lower ground floors usually have poor natural light
- the other companies in the building
- whether reception area is needed
- how post and packages will be dealt with
- how convenient bathroom facilities are
- whether showers are needed for employees who cycle in or run at lunch
- and other variables
3. Refine your office spec
Once you've decided what you need and have a decent spec outlined, then you are ready to go to the market to see what is available. It is important that your office spec be a result of collaborative thinking because otherwise you may miss factors which could be vital to your long term needs. For example, if disability access is needed or you want the office to be powered by renewable energy or you want the office to have 24 hour access, these are critical factors that should be added to your office spec and are easily forgotten if only one person is responsible for the office spec generation.