With so much well…work going on in the office, it’s easy to get caught in a complacency trap where you maintain the same office location and layout for decades, either because it’s ‘too much upheaval’ to move or because ‘it still works, so why change it?’
Yet, for your business to gain a competitive leg-up and even call itself contemporary, it should exemplify state-of-the-art tech integrations in action, progressive work styles, cutting-edge business culture, workplace sustainability and the latest in industry best practices.
The question is, how can you claim any of these without a periodic revision of your workspace? Commercial lease expiry is your excuse to implement some much needed office upgrades, including:
- Negotiating a lease renewal with more competitive terms for your business
- Moving to a new location that drives potential for your growing business
- Negotiating lease amendments that will allow you to make much needed changes to your building’s internal structure, layout and features
- Adapting the workspace to better meet and exceed your business’s current goals
- Opting for a more scalable space that can expanded or altered as needed
- Renovating your office for user ergonomics, incorporating break-out zones and wellbeing facilities
- Expressing your brand’s culture, values and priorities better with a sustainable, energy efficient space
- Fitting out your offices to accommodate flexible, agile and activity-based work styles.
So, without further ado, here’s our comprehensive guide to making the most of the inevitable.
Part 1
Transforming in Place, The Benefits of Refurbishing, Renovating or Refitting Your Existing Workspace
There’s a very good chance that the building you’re in has the potential to become a dynamic space of daily inspiration and upliftment for your staff.
Provided you can negotiate a lease renewal with any necessary lease amendments, you can work with the right partner, like Bowen Interiors, to help you recognise, explore and realise the potential of your current workspace.
Office Lease Due to Expire?
Maximising the potential of your existing space
The truth is, by renewing your lease and renovating, refurbishing or refitting your office space, you can reap all the rewards of functionality, ergonomics, efficiency and flow upgrade, without the need to alter everybody’s commute and moving your brand out of a new location.
Likewise, a refurb, reno or refit of your workplace could be far more cost effective than a full fitout in a new location, particularly if you’re able to negotiate competitive lease amendments in return for permanent upgrades to the space and facilities.
Increased productivity, creativity and innovation
Over the years, we’ve gained a greater understanding of the impacts that various work environments, expectations and habits have on our physical and mental health – as well as on how effective we’re able to be under such conditions.
We’ve learned that certain, non-traditional work styles and facilities have a profound positive impact on employee wellbeing, communication, motivation and more – driving productivity, creativity and innovation. These contemporary work modes include:
- flexible and hybrid work scheduling
- hot-desking
- agile project management
- activity-based working, and…
- plenty of collaboration.
What these and other modern work styles have in common (besides their dramatic boost to productivity, creativity and innovation), is that none of them are properly accommodated in a traditional office layout – so, changes will need to be made!
Improved branding and image, attracting new talent and clients
The interior design of your workplace is a testament to your brand’s values, goals and identity, and it says everything about the way you view your people, including your employees and your customers.
You need to consider the message and sentiment expressed by your current layout, design features and fittings, because it’s speaking not only to your staff but to the public and potential new talents too.
Open plan layouts, breakout spaces, quiet areas, tech integrations and plenty of fresh air and plants all send a message that you haven’t forgotten the human nature of your people.
Enhanced employee and client experience
Your employees, as much as your clients, are the lifeblood of your organisation, and the quality of their experience is directly proportional to the quality of work they produce. By enhancing their experience, you indirectly enhance the quality of your product and your customer experience.
An experienced partner like Bowen Interiors can help you explore state-of-the art integrations, work-mode accommodations and quirky design additions that could awaken true employee wellbeing, drive engagement and transform your daily output.
The same is true for clients, who don’t just buy into a product, they buy into a vision. By improving the dynamics, ergonomics, appearance and overall functionality of your workplace, you can streamline their experience too.
Energy efficiency and cost saving
While energy efficient heating, lighting, outlets, technology and appliances tend to cost more initially, the return on investment is immense over time. This is especially true in older, outdated offices where energy inefficiency may be quietly draining cash from your business.
A commercial renovation, refurbishment or refit has the potential to significantly cut your office equipment’s energy consumption. This includes replacing your outdated appliances, technology and outlets with the latest energy efficient options, and automating mundane and repetitive aspects of work and project management.
There are also further savings to be made by maximising natural and sustainable options for lighting, heating, cooling and ventilation. Contemporary office design experts like Bowen Interiors can walk you through the options and design solutions you need to make the most out of your building’s natural light and available resources.
Sustainability Victoria’s Energy Efficient Office Buildings program showed that local business owners can achieve as much as 29% energy savings, along with a 23% reduction in emissions by 2030, all with relatively simple post-construction installations and retrofits that bring office buildings up to speed with current efficiency practices, science and technology.
9 COmmon Mistakes to Avoid on your Office Fitout Project
Part 2
Moving Out and Up, Modern Office Fitouts and their Advantages
Landlord and lease renewal negotiations can’t change everything, and the time might finally have come for you and staff to relocate, in which case your new premises represents a blank slate that will doubtless need a modern office outfit to make it perfect for your brand.
Benefits of a new location
A commercial space that’s fitted out to reflect your new understanding of workplace dynamics, efficiency and employee wellbeing will breathe new life into your staff, it’s as simple as that. The trouble is, you’re likely to find numerous options that tick the location and size box but fall short on all of the above. The good news is, you can change that.
Now that your company has tried and tested the layout and process in the old location, you’ll be better equipped to tailor a blank-slate workspace to really maximise your team’s productive, creative, collaborative and innovative potential.
A big move represents a new start and when employees recognise that the move works in their favour, with better ergonomics and features than the previous workplace, it will motivate them to do better, work more efficiently, and contribute more value as employees.
Open plan layouts for collaboration
The bad old days of employee segregation, cubicles and a maze of cramped, dark offices are long gone, and a fresh office fitout is your opportunity to reap the rewards of a more collaborative open-plan layout.
Diversified open plan layouts with a mix of formal workstations, meeting hubs, green zones, breakout areas and privacy booths make for a more stimulating environment for your workers. Stimulation of the senses and the opportunity to explore different areas in the space means workers feel more inspired, creative and motivated.
The opportunity to interact with colleagues in different roles and departments while enjoying a more activity-based, collaborative daily process means that workers in open-plan spaces express more creativity, innovate more and solve problems more efficiently.
Ergonomic designs and people-centricity
Few factors say as much about the way you value your people as your consideration of ergonomic features and workplace furnishings, and your attention to accessibility, adaptability and inclusiveness in the workspace.
When it comes to recruiting, retaining and optimising relationships with top talent, the value of people-centric and empathic workplace design simply cannot be overstated.
If your office doesn’t ring true as a healthy, living ecosystem of humans thriving in a rich workplace culture, a large portion of Millennials and certainly the upcoming Gen Zs will simply look elsewhere for greener pastures.
It’s important for modern business owners, managers and recruiters like yourself to see how fiercely modern businesses are competing to win people over just by catering to their humanity in all sorts of innovative ways.
The good news is, the office and furniture design experts at Bowen Interiors are here to help you realise a more contemporary workplace interior that flexes and adapts to people’s individuality, their moods and their special needs.
Accommodating new work modes
There are so many ROI-boosting contemporary and post-pandemic work modes that simply aren’t accommodated by a traditional space.
A tailored fitout in a brand new workplace is your opportunity to accommodate and adopt one or more of these new work styles that are quickly becoming part of the new normal. As mentioned earlier in this guide, these new ways of working include:
- Flexible and hybrid work scheduling
- Hot-desking
- Agile project management
- Activity-based working, and…
- Plenty of collaboration.
The great news for you is that these work modes really aren’t just passing trends that you have to waste money on to be competitive. They’ve actually been tried, tested and proven to be highly effective ways to engage your workforce, maximise efficiency and drive creative insight and innovation.
Integration of technology
In light of the need for more flexible, hybrid and activity-based workplace solutions post-COVID, we’ve seen a massive uptake of AI and IoT driven workplace monitoring and management systems that are helping business owners to make the most of their money – starting with fresh workplace fitouts.
Contemporary offices are using fleets of IoT occupancy monitors, activity sensors, noise monitors, environmental sensors and more to tally and analyse data around traffic, activity and conditions throughout the workplace.
We strongly support the incorporation of these state of the art iBMPS (intelligent business process management solutions) as part of your fresh office fitout.
You can benefit not only from automation of the majority of your most mundane and repetitive daily tasks, but also from an AI driven workplace control panel that delivers invaluable analytics, insight and suggestions on everything from project management deadlines to how you position furniture in your workspace.
Such fully integrated systems are less costly than they sound, and the ROI is immense. That’s because these systems offer real-time feedback on the functionality of your workspace – all actionable data that allows you to optimise your office and operations to perfection.
Sustainable materials
Sustainable upgrades in an existing workspace can be invasive and costly, especially when that space is already fully outfitted. Adding sustainable solutions to a new space that’s being tailored to your needs is usually far more practical.
Sustainable workplace solutions include solar and wind energy, sustainably sourced building materials, recycling solutions, proximity activated faucets, ethically-sourced cleaning products, natural ventilation and heating options – the list goes on. Luckily, your partners at Bowen Interiors can talk you through the process of going green as part of your new commercial fitout.
The truth is, sustainability is not an issue you can ignore, nor should it be, and you have a responsibility to your staff and clientele to exemplify sustainable construction, design and business practice. Doing this can be a game changer in terms of profit, as more and more customers turn to brands with sustainable practices.
You may not realise it, but the same is true for staff and global talent, as more and more people prefer to associate themselves with brands who’re making an effort on the environmental front.
In Conclusion
Work modes and company cultures are changing fast, and you need to change with them to keep your business competitive. Use the upcoming ending lease to negotiate changes, get a fresh start and customise your new or existing space in line with the times.
Whether your commercial lease expiry calls for the redesign of your current office space or an office relocation, Bowen Interiors can assist you every step of the way. Contact us today to discuss your workplace strategy and office space planning needs.
We’re here to create, inspire and help you and your staff thrive!
