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Make your Office Work for you: Top Tips

You spend approximately one third of your adult working life in an office and you spend half of your waking time there. Your office environment should be a place of passion, warmth, comfort, stimulation, productivity, relaxation, fun,  joy. It shouldn't be a cold faceless clock in clock out, artificial environment.

Office tips: things to think about

  • A professional environment doesn't have to be heart less, cold or artificial
  • Pets and/or plants add contact with nature and interaction (check with landlord  and allergy sufferers)
  • Natural light is essential - a window less room is not good for well being. Natural Ventilation ie opening windows are a massive beneift too.
  • Internal glass offices look great, but badly planned and without ventilation, they become landlocked and airless.
  • Think about semi private spaces with acoustic padding on walls or padded meeting pods
  • Places for break out - down time, social, client meetings
  • Book shelves, library, filing, storage, photocopier etc can either be incorporated into individual desks or centralised
  • Reception, meet and greet, separate customers from office. Screening works, but try not to isolate the receptionist! 
  • Don't give away the offices' only window to a space that's rarely used.
Picture

Location

Factors to think about when choosing an office location.
  • Visibility to target client
  • Prestigious address-is it relevant?
  • Grants available for address?
  • Transport and parking for you, clients and staff-can non drivers get to an out of town business park?
  • External recreation space and views on to it
  • natural light, ventilation

Working from home

Distractions include
  • House work
  • Kids
  • Jobs
  • Garden

Crisis points - when to relocate

  • Staff in the house putting strain on facilites
  • Storage
  • Run out of Space
  • Access for clients
  • Unproffessional
  • Work/life balance

Where can your home office be?

  • Closeble self contained corner study unit
  • Attic
  • Spare room
  • Dining room
  • Kitchen
  • Basement
  • Garage
  • Conservatory
  • Extension
  • Out building

Types of Office

  • Serviced office
  • Rental
  • Buy premises or get change of use
  • Purpose built

How much will it cost to move into an office?

  • What are business rates? click here
  • Looking for offices in South Manchester or Cheshire? click here
  • Looking for Office furniture? click here
  • Need some advice? click here

North West Women's Enterprise workshop

Picture
Download grid, office tables and equipment for layouts here. Print both on A4. Not to Scale.
paper_grid.pdf
File Size: 141 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

paper_tables.pdf
File Size: 294 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File