In business, problems don’t come conveniently signposted weeks in advance, allowing you to prepare properly. The same can be said for office growth, which doesn’t show up with a formal warning but manifests in ways that are often difficult to recognise but no less disruptive. And while the odd desk here and there can paper over the cracks, it can’t be considered a long-term solution. Once these compromises start affecting teams and clients, the space can quickly become a constraint.
In this guide, we’ll detail five signs that can help growing businesses recognise when they have reached the point where new office space might be a better option.
The growth of a business changes how the office is used over time, so while a couple of extra people here and there are easy to accommodate, especially in hybrid working scenarios, these workarounds can change how comfortably everyone feels and works in an office in the long term.
Deciding whether these occasional inconveniences have moved the current space beyond what it was initially designed to support is often the major factor in finding new office space to rent in Warrington, or other areas of the North West.
The following are signals, not fixed rules. One of these issues may well be manageable. It’s more a case of whether these issues appear together. It might be time to move.
Once empty corners or areas intended for lunch breaks or informal meetings start becoming fixed locations for people in the office, it’s clear the original layout may no longer be accommodating the team that’s housed within it.
And this pressure affects more than people’s personal space. Storage is at a premium when it should be an essential, walking around the office becomes more awkward, and the distinction between focus and shared areas becomes blurred.
All this changes and reduces the benefits that come from a multi-functional office space.
Constant competition for meeting rooms, coupled with a shared calendar in which they are always unavailable, is often a sign that growth is happening in two areas:
If team members are regularly having to take calls in shared spaces that are often busy with office chatter, because there is nowhere more focused to take calls, the office is not supporting day-to-day operations.
This scenario highlights how moving to larger office spaces doesn’t always mean going somewhere with more desks, but rather somewhere that has a variety of different spaces. Today’s working life is varied, and any potential space needs to accommodate that.
First impressions count for clients, yes, but also for new employees. Their first few days in an office can be in danger of being unnecessarily awkward when ‘desks’ have had to be cobbled together at the last minute, or worse, they have to work in another room next to the main office space.
While a practical problem first and foremost, this issue projects a sense that the business wasn’t ready for their arrival and that they don’t have a proper place in the team.
Avoiding this issue starts by including future headcount in any new office decision, rather than leaving it to be something that is sorted at the last minute.
One of the many benefits for a growing business is the increased number of pitches, meetings, and in-person client conversations.
The downside is that if there are no meeting spaces, this lack of space becomes visible to external stakeholders, which can create an impression that does not match the business they have been dealing with online or over the phone.
A suitable number of meeting and event facilities should be part of any future requirements for office space to rent, not just a nice optional extra.
While a lack of desk space or overcrowding is a visible way to measure an inappropriate office space, there are other signs that are harder to measure, but arguably more impactful.
People may start avoiding office days because the noise levels are affecting how they work. And while a cramped workspace can’t account for every morale issue, physical surroundings do shape everyday experiences, be that someone’s concentration or the ability to simply take a break.
Listening to people who have worked in that environment for a long time can help to reveal pressures that headcounts and floor plans hide.
If one or more of the five signs just mentioned feel familiar, start by separating the immediate issues from future requirements. For instance, an office that fits the exact headcount today could become a recurring problem if recruitment is already planned.
As well as standard desk requirements, other areas of an office such as meeting rooms or lunch areas may determine whether a prospective office space actually feels bigger and thus works better.
Don’t rush into decisions. Give your office search the appropriate amount of time and consideration. Allow yourself and your team time to compare locations and facilities before the space genuinely becomes unworkable.
Flexible lease terms can also be particularly useful for growing SMEs because they reduce the risk of signing on to a space that may soon become inadequate for them by the end of the year. The Base, for example, has several flexible lease terms for office space to accommodate this kind of unpredictable business growth.
Businesses beginning their search for that next office space in Warrington can look to The Base.
This Grade-A, 50,000 sq ft office and co-working building located in the heart of Warrington is aimed at growing businesses who want modern office space and access to an established community of digital technology and advanced engineering businesses.
Our flexible lease terms make it easy to accommodate future growth plans without headaches, and our 24/7 fob access means businesses can do what they do best no matter the time of day.
As well as that, meeting rooms and event facilities provide separate space when your teams need to host clients or run larger sessions.
While a nicely appointed, large office space solves that space problem, growing businesses rightly want access to services to help them tackle the challenges that arrive alongside expansion.
Businesses based at The Base also receive free, exclusive access to its Elevate business support programme. This support includes one-to-one adviser sessions tailored to individual business needs as well as practical Elevate workshops, alongside access to partners in other areas of a business such as employment law, grants, and finance.
As well as office space, Elevate gives tenants places to seek practical advice as new commercial challenges arise. This turns The Base into a place that links office space with wider business growth.
Recognising that your business has outgrown its office means viewing potential new spaces in person as much as it does reviewing specification sheets. Booking a tour makes it easier to judge whether the overall environment works for the way the team operates.
So, if you’re a growing business based in Warrington or nearby and considering office space, a tour of The Base provides the chance to discuss requirements and see whether the available space suits the next few stages for your business.
01925909777
info@thebasewarrington.co.uk
The Base, Dallam Lane, Warrington WA2 7NGOn behalf of
