The pandemic has shaken up the working world in a way nobody expected. With hybrid systems the new norm for the foreseeable future, many companies are wondering if their office spaces are really fit for purpose anymore.

In this article, we’ll take you through the things you need to consider when assessing if your office is fit-for-purpose, and if it isn’t, whether you should downsize, upsize or refurbish.

How do I know if my office is fit-for-purpose?

So how do you know if your office is still working for you?

• Consult with your employees: Any big change, such as moving or redesigning offices, should be talked through with your team. Find out how they use the office space at the moment, what could be improved, and how this current space could be better utilised. Discover what is lacking and what could be changed. This research will help you immensely when figuring out what your team really wants and needs from a space – and whether your current one can realistically offer that. This way, you can make any next steps with them in mind to create an office space that is fit for purpose and conducive to productivity and positivity.

• Look at your finances: Some businesses have thrived during COVID, while others have fared worse. Others have remained much the same. With the demands of an office space changing, now is the perfect time to take a realistic look at your finances and work out whether this money is best spent overhauling what you already have to create a brand new hybrid space, or if it’s a better long-term investment to either upsize or downsize. After all, your office isn’t fit for purpose if it’s damaging your profit, or simply not making the best of the funds you have.

• Location, location, location: Is your current office a little bit too far from transport links? On the flipside, with many staff working from home, do you really need to pay such high rent in a central location? These questions and answers will be different for every company, depending on your new agile working plan. But this might be a good opportunity to reassess whether you could benefit from a better location moving forward and if it could save you money to spend on a better office design and premises.

• Is it agile and COVID-friendly? In the modern and post-COVID world, there are lots of boxes to tick when creating a new office space. It needs to be contemporary, user-friendly, conducive to productivity, have the ability to cater for social distancing and hot desking, and is also designed with your company’s unique personality and brand in mind. Partitions, breakout zones, bespoke furniture, colour schemes, video conferencing capabilities, and desk layout will all need to be carefully considered when planning your new office to spin all these plates.

• Consult with an expert: While you might be bubbling with ideas yourself, consulting with an expert office design specialist and fit-out company can help you to channel these concepts into something tangible and achievable. Getting a professional involved right from the very beginning means that your new office, whether downsized, upsized or refurbished, will be entirely bespoke-designed to the needs of your company, and quite literally, built for your employees to enjoy long into the future. Here at Arc Business Interiors, we’re passionate about helping businesses reimagine their working environments. From office redesigns to full office fit-outs, complete with all practical elements and furniture, we transform your initial ideas into reality.

How should my office be changed moving forward?

Once you have considered these factors and decided that perhaps your office is not quite as fit-for-purpose as it could be, you have three main options open to you.

Office Refurbishment

You should also be asking yourself whether you really need to move offices at all, or whether you can utilise the extra space in a different, more creative way and make the best of what you already have with an innovative redesign from the experts. For example, excess desk areas could be transformed into a collaborative breakout space or a new office kitchen, or even that gym you always wanted to offer your employees.

Office Upsizing

If your current office is cramped and doesn’t allow for adequate social distances, ventilation and ease of movement in line with new health and safety advice, it might be wise to upsize or a bigger site. This is also the best option if you’ve employed many new members of staff throughout the pandemic.

Office Downsizing

With hybrid systems the new norm for the foreseeable future, many companies are wondering if it’s really worth paying rent on their large office spaces when they’re now no longer at full capacity. In these cases, downsizing is a great opportunity to save money on rent and fit out a brand new office space to meet your up-to-date needs.

Arc Business Interiors are a leading office design and fit-out company for the East Midlands and the wider UK. We create flawless and functional interior spaces, and have provided our expertise on office moves and redesigns across the nation. We understand how COVID-19 is changing the interior design world, particularly in relation to working environments, and we’re here to help you future-proof your new office space. Simply get in touch today to discover more.