Is your business office proving to be a problem at the moment? A lot of the time, business owners forget to even look at this as a potential issue, as many just see it as a space like any other, in which people do their work. But, your business office needs to be more than this. It needs to be somewhere your employees feel safe, where they feel as though their career is being nurtured, and where they are able to work in comfort.
If you don’t provide this for them, chances are they are not going to work for you the way that you want them to. This might not even be a conscious choice, sometimes it just happens. So, in this article, we’re going to be taking a look at some of the things that you should consider when trying to determine whether your business office is actually a problem for your business. Want to know more? Feel free to read on.
Is It A Productive Space?
The first thing that you should be asking yourself is whether your business office is a productive space? Is there an opportunity for people from your business to work together when they need to, while also having their own little work space in which they can complete their tasks? If the answer is no, then you have a problem.
In this day and age, things are different to how they used to be. Commonly, you would see people behind closed doors in offices to give them some privacy. However, while this does still happen, a lot of others are all together so that they can bounce ideas off the team, and collaborate better than you would be able to through closed doors.
Make sure that you’re thinking about this when you’re designing the office space, and if you think that what you’ve got right now isn’t working, then there is absolutely no reason that you can’t make changes.
What Is The Vibe?
You also need to think about what the vibe is in your office. Overall, you want to present as a professional business, but also a place that is comfortable. If you come across as stuffy, nobody is going to want to work with you, or choose you to provide for them,..except stuffy people.
So, you need your business office to be friendly, you need the space to feel warm and welcoming, without giving the impression that you are in someone’s living room. It’s a tough balancing act to manage, but it’s one that you must figure out if you have any shot at seeing success with the way that things are.
In some cases, clients may feel as though a business is too relaxed, and this gives off a poor impression as they start to wonder if you’re capable of providing what they need. While we agree it isn’t fair, it’s the way it is.
Does The Exterior Appeal?
When you look at your commercial property from the outside, how does it look? Does it look like it belongs in a magazine as one of the best buildings in the area? Or, does it look like it has come straight out of a crime novel in which the main character lives in a rough neighborhood? If it’s the latter, you need to do something about this asap.
It’s worth hiring someone to paint the building, hiring a company that offers commercial tree removal and inspections if you have a lot of trees in the area, especially if any seem as though they could be going over in the near future. As well as this, you need someone to maintain the exterior regularly, cleaning it, cleaning the sidewalk, watering plants that you need by the front door to make it seem more welcoming, and so much more.
We understand that it can be hard to make a building look appealing, but it is possible, and you need to figure it out if you have any chance of drawing in any sort of foot traffic.
Have You Got Security?
Now, do you have any forms of security within your business? If the answer is no then why not? This should be addressed as soon as possible otherwise you are leaving yourself open to various crimes. Did you know that there is a cyber attack on a business once every twenty seconds, this can come from unprotected systems or employees providing criminals with the information they need. Work with an IT company to give an extra layer of protection to your files and computer systems.
Physical security is also paramount. Consider how you can protect both your interior and exterior, potentially with the use of security guards on site. They will look out for your company, mainly when it is closed.
Does It Work For Your Employees?
Finally, consider how everyone feels about the office surroundings. You can gauge this when you have one to one meetings with everyone, these are a safe space to speak about any issues or concerns that people have.
If someone has come to you with concerns about the environment, then how can you change this or even improve it? It may be that it is too loud, especially if you have all employees under one roof. You should give the okay for employees to wear ear phones if they struggle with sensory overload, this will prevent them from leaving anytime soon. Keeping an employee around is far more beneficial than having them leave and needing to hire someone new.
So, if it doesn’t work, change it up. It might be that you provide private cubicles for employees to use throughout the day. You could also add a nice kitchen area with separate seating.
We do hope you found this interesting and it gave you some ideas on how you can rectify any issues or complications within your business surroundings. Making your company environment work for everyone means you will face less employee churn rates and save money in the long run.
