An office refurbishment is a rare occurrence for businesses as it often comes with a big price tag. With the refurb coming at a cost, it’s vital that businesses do all they can to ensure that everything goes to plan.
It can seem like a mammoth task, with so many factors to consider, but with careful planning, it won’t be long until you’re sat in your new look office that does everything you intended it to. Here are some steps to follow in your office refurbishment process:
Does your office need a refurbish?
Before you jump headfirst into that office refurbishment that you’ve convinced yourself you need, think about what is wrong with things currently and if a full refurbishment is what’s needed.
If you’re situation ticks any of the following then an office refurbishment might be timely: the office appears outdated, your company is growing and space is at a premium, your company has rebranded and doesn’t reflect your ethos or you want to change the way in which your employees work.
What do you want the refurb to achieve?
To ensure the office refurbishment is a success, you need to first look into and write down what you want the refurb to achieve. Frequently looking at this list of goals through the process can keep everything in check and make sure you make the right decisions so that the purpose of the refurb is achieved.
You might want the office to improve collaboration between workers, improve natural light, add open space, increase storage, create areas for meetings or quiet zones for tasks that require concentration or simply just rejuvenate the space after years of neglect. Identifying this will make it easy to recognise what you will need.
Budget well
Once you know what you want to achieve with the office refurb, you should be able to more accurately plan out your budget for the project.
There’s no escaping the fact that the office refurbishment is a major investment so it’s best to create several budgets that explore the different options available to you – right from a budget refurb through to a thorough, all-inclusive refurb.
The price of the refurbishment will, of course, depend on many factors though, such as the size of the building/room, the complexity of the project, quality of the finish and necessary features.
Designing the workplace for millennials
Is your company’s office appealing to millennials? Take a step back and view your office in an objective manner. Is it full of cubicles, lifeless colour and energy-sapping creativity? If so, do you really think that’s going to help your company in attracting the best new talent?
With more millennials (those now in their twenties and thirties) working in the office every year, their influence on the workplace design continues to grow. A 2018 study found over 20% of millennials have turned their back on a job offer simply because of poor workplace design and atmosphere.
So, what do millennials want? Millennials don’t want to be restricted to their prison-like cubicle. Millennials want bright, open spaces that encourage collaboration with other workers. Think unconventional, think creative and think social.
What colours should you use?
It might seem unlikely when you come to refurbish your office, but you should direct some time to consider the colour schemes in the office. There are plenty of studies that back up the fact that the colours used in the office affect productivity, mood and energy.
Vibrant colours, away from the dull greys and blacks, are an easy way of giving employees a long-term energy boost. Colour can be added through the furniture, painting the walls as well as soft furnishings.
Yellow raises positivity and happiness – particularly useful in areas where teamwork is needed.
White is useful in creating the appearance of space in offices where natural light is limited.
Green is calming so it best used where you want employees to feel comfortable and relaxed.
Red increases the heart rate and respiration. A good quality for physical activity, but not quite fitting for the office.
Blues are typically the most favoured colour as it promotes communication and increases productivity and confidence.
Don’t forget to add some nature
Being stuck in the office all day isn’t typically great for connecting with nature. Nevertheless, nature and fresh air have long been known to improve one’s mood. So, how about bringing nature into the office space?
Adding some potted plants and trees to the office reduces stress and research shows that productivity can increase by as much as 15 per cent by adding some plants to the office.
Buying the right office furniture
Since 1960 Trent Furniture have been supplying UK business, office and commercial furniture throughout the UK and overseas. Our office furniture ranges make it easy and cost-effective to solve all of your business furnishing needs in one stop.
If you are local to Leicester you can visit our showroom and chat to our furniture experts, alternatively call us on 0116 2989 856 to talk through your office furniture needs.