So, as we try to restore some normality in our daily lives and return to work, there’s a good chance you’ve got some reshuffling to do in your workplace. According to the latest American Industrial Hygiene Association recommendations, office desks should be at least 6ft. apart from now on. If you’re going this route, you might be considering undertaking a business remodeling project while you’re at it. These are the basics to know before you get started.
1. Set Up a Business Remodeling Budget
Nothing to do with business ever works independently of a budget, and office renovations are no exception. Review how much money you can spare for your renovation before you make any promises to your employees. Once you’ve got a set figure, you need to account for priority items first. Make a list of your necessary improvements and categorize them by priority. High-priority items should include things like repairs to your building’s electrical system, or off-brand signage. Likewise, commercial restroom remodeling is essential to providing the best experience, as it’s one of the surest ways you can instill confidence, value, and comfort to your guests, clients, and customers. Only when you’ve got pricing on these essentials can you start to allocate money toward the nice-to-haves. This exercise will give you a good idea of whether you have enough cash in hand to continue with your refurb, or whether you’ll need to apply for finance. Like home renovations, business renovations often go over budget, so allocate some extra funds for unexpected expenses too.
2. Review Existing Conditions
Are there areas of your building that aren’t quite up to scratch? It’s important to address these issues during your office revamp. If you’re moving to a new commercial property, check if the building has any existing violations. Unless you deal with these issues promptly, you could face steep fines down the line. One of the best business renovation benefits is the opportunity to redesign your building’s accessibility. Look through the ADA bathroom requirements to ensure your bathrooms make the grade. Install ramps for wheelchair access, and make sure you have enough space to accommodate wheelchairs in publicly accessible areas.
3. Deal With the Paperwork
Every municipality has its own requirements when it comes to building renovations or alterations. Apart from the code issues above, there might be other boxes you need to tick before you lift a hammer. Check with local issues regarding architectural plans, permission to make any exterior alterations, and environmental regulations. Your building might have outdated, gas-guzzling heating and cooling systems that need replacing soon. In this case, it’s a good idea to address these issues now, rather than go to the expense of replacing them later. Remember, any of these requirements belong on your high priority list. Other issues to consider are the licensing and OHS procedures. Make sure you employ a contractor who’s not only experienced but also has all the relevant procedures and paperwork in place.
4. Plan for Increased Productivity
Remember all those things that irritate you about your current workspace? Now’s your chance to eliminate them. Review your office layout and figure out how you can better streamline your workflow in the new design. Consider which type of configuration will increase efficiency between departments. Look at the location of your printers, meeting areas, and rest areas. Can you move highly productive areas to a quieter part of the office, away from busy gathering places? Can you relocate your printers to a location closer to the employees that use them more often? Is there a way to reconfigure your office space to promote sales or customer service? Perhaps a separate room for incoming goods will improve the flow of your office space. Maybe you should reconfigure your canteen facility for better traffic flow. It’s important to get input from each department about how the new layout could improve their productivity.
5. Bear Your Brand in Mind
Never underestimate the power of a good brand. You’ve worked hard over the years to build good brand recognition in your neighborhood. Don’t include a brand refresh as part of your refurbishment plan unless you’ve done the groundwork before. Re-branding your business with new signage, a new logo, or updated colors needs careful planning. If you intend to do this, you need to implement professional market research first and develop a marketing plan to introduce customers to the changes gradually. So, if you’re in a hurry to change up your business premises, rather leave re-branding for another day.
6. Put a Plan Together
Now that you’ve got all your raw ingredients together for your commercial renovations, you can start with the exciting part. Bearing all the above considerations in mind, set up a detailed plan for the proceedings. A phased approach is best. You’ll need to reshuffle your work areas several times during a big refurb. Make sure you can relocate workers to suitable areas while their new section undergoes work. If needed, some teams might need to continue working from home for a while. If possible, your contractor can perform some of the most disruptive refurbishments after hours or on weekends. If you want to maintain productivity and limit potential losses, take your time working out a cutting-edge plan for proceedings.
7. Communicate Your Plans
The final and most important step is filling your employees in on the details. They don’t need to know every little detail of the operations, but you must inform them of anything that affects them. It’s best to set up a task team of trusted team leaders to manage the transformation on your behalf. They can act as a hub of information for staff members, make sure your contractors stay on track, and adjust the master plan when needed. Likewise, your customers need to know about any service interruptions that affect them. Social media posts are a good way to keep them informed of any changes to your office hours as well as build-up excitement about your new, better premises.
Move With the Times
The business remodeling phase is a good opportunity to get your office up to speed with the latest trends and technology. Research contemporary design and decor areas and invest in the best innovations you can afford. Chances are you won’t be going through this process any time soon, so make sure you get the most impact out of it. If you’d like some more ideas on what’s hot and what’s not in the world today, keep browsing our blog.
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