Office space is expensive and not all of us can afford to upsize to bigger premises. This often means having to make do with a smaller office. Of course, as you hire more staff and add more equipment, you may find that you start to run out of room. Fortunately, there may still be ways of coping with your limited office space. Below are just a few ways to maximize space in a tiny office.
Go paperless
If you’re still storing piles of paper files in your office, consider whether it’s time you went paperless. Nowadays, there’s very little need to store paper copies of files – everything can be stored and shared digitally. A paperless office could allow you to free up space taken up by paper filing systems. This does mean making digital copies of all your paper documents, but in the long run, your filing system will be more efficient.
Cull the clutter
On top of the paper, there may be other items cluttering up your office such as unused furniture. You may even have broken machines that you haven’t gotten rid of yet. A clearout could help to free up space. This could be done in conjunction with an office refurb. Look into cheap skip hire and throw out anything that’s old or surplus.
Say no to big desks
Large executive desks are often not necessary in modern offices – they’re just a way of showing off. Today’s desks don’t need to be big, because they typically don’t contain as much equipment. On top of this, computers and monitors are much slimmer nowadays. Small, slim desks are often just as practical as bigger desks – and they’ll save space.
Share rooms
In many old offices, bosses – and even some employees – would have separate rooms. Nowadays, it’s much more popular for employees and managers to share open-plan spaces, as it helps to improve collaboration. If you or your employees are still using separate rooms and there is space in each room for more than one person to work comfortably, consider sharing rooms to maximize space.
Embrace remote work and hot-desking
Do all of your employees need to be working in the office? Or could you still run your business efficiently with employees working from home? Allowing employees to work remotely could allow you to take on more recruits without the need for more desks. So that all employees still have the option to come into the office, you could consider embracing a hot-desking approach. This involves taking turns in using desks rather than having assigned desks.
Conduct meetings out of the office/conduct virtual meetings
Many offices have dedicated space for meetings such as conference rooms. This could be space that could be used for extra desks. Consider whether you really need a dedicated room for meetings. Instead, you could use the opportunity to get out of the office, meeting up in a coffee bar or library for an inspiring change of environment. Alternatively, when it comes to meetings with clients or applicants, you could conduct virtual meetings via Zoom. In some cases, you may even be able to replace meetings with shared WhatsApp groups. All in all, there are a lots of alternatives to having a dedicated meeting room.
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