The buzzword when it comes to the office environment is “flexible”. Trends, technology and tight budgets are reshaping the office interior. Cube farms are being eliminated as more companies are moving to an open floor plan and shared work space environment. Server rooms are being replaced with cloud-based solutions. And, the average square footage of offices is getting smaller – leaving most companies with an excess of outdated amenities. But don’t look at it as bad news. This flexibility trend is forcing businesses to rethink the traditional office space, and that’s a good thing. Here are a few ideas on how to spiff up your office on a shoe-string budget.
So Long, Server Rooms
Office space was converted into server rooms (not to be confused with data centers) as companies and the need for data storage and processing grew. Now, small to mid-size companies are getting rid of those noisy, energy-sucking server rooms and switching to cloud services. Why? It’s simple. 40 percent of most businesses’ electric bills are for technology. Eliminating server rooms means eliminating energy consumption.
Here’s something to consider. Since server rooms have to be air conditioned and fire protected, some companies are finding success with renting out old server rooms as storage space.
File Under Paperless
Business means paperwork; paperwork means files; files mean cumbersome cabinets. There always seems to be a stack of boxes taking up space somewhere in the office. Now there’s a paperless option – electronic document scanning and storage. Virtual cloud services allow you to scan and store documents online – with the ability to access them anytime, from anywhere. Now that’s flexible! If you want to go even more “green”, there are companies that accept mail on your behalf, scan it and let you decide what you want to keep.
And if you’re wondering what you should do with all of those stylish filing cabinets, consider scrapping them. Scrap metal dealers will actually pay for them!
Interior Design
The cubicle office design has been around since the late 1960’s. Now companies are either condensing or completely getting rid of the partitions. The modern office space offers work stations, couches and less traditional office furniture. Meanwhile, other companies are keeping with the tradition as their need for more space grows. Either way, the need to add or subtract furniture can be costly.
One of the best ways to keep costs down is to consign. Need a new conference table? Buy a used one. Need to get rid of cubicles? Consign them.
More with Less
Eliminating wasted space helps to reduce rent, and selling out dated amenities can produce extra cash flow. Look around – if it’s not being used now, it’s highly unlikely it’ll ever be used again.