How offices conduct business has changed drastically over the last few years. While the norm used to be cubicles in a massive room and one common kitchen area, this setup can lead to high overhead costs, unhappy employees, and a lack of motivation all around. As companies continue to offer remote opportunities, all of the wasted space adds up in unnecessary costs. That’s where downsizing can come in handy. While it’s often seen as a negative action, downsizing your office can lead to positive changes, you just have to be flexible. To help, here are a few tips on how to survive office downsizing.
1. Take a Minimalist Approach to Furniture
Older office furniture tends to be big, bulky, and heavy. While this provides employees with a ton of space to do their jobs, it can also limit the amount of usable floor space for the entire company. When you downsize your corporate space, bulky furniture doesn’t transition well. Instead, swap out old desks and furniture for more minimalistic designs and modular options.
2. Utilize Open Seating in the Office
Assigning each employee to an individual desk creates a lot of wasted space, especially in larger organizations. If some employees are out of the office visiting clients, others are working remotely, and a select few are out sick, you find yourself staring at more empty desks than not. Instead, consider getting rid of your cubicles and utilizing open seating in the office with collaborative desks. While this will lead to minor decreases in personal space, you’ll be able to move into a much smaller office while still maintaining areas for privacy and common use.
3. Offer Remote Working Opportunities
If you’re looking at moving your corporate office to a smaller floorplan, consider offering remote working opportunities ahead of time. This will allow employees to work from home and give you a better understanding of how much space you actually need. While there should still be the option to come into the office, it’s unlikely that your whole team will be there. Conversely, to avoid crowding, you can offer specific in-office days based on employee availability or desire. This creates a functional hybrid office model that will keep you and your employees happy without hindering your business’ goals.
4. Repurpose Your Common Areas
Another great way to survive office downsizing is to completely rethink how you use your common areas. While many offices tend to have a kitchen that’s used as a common area, office that incorporate open seating or office designs have the opportunity to create more usable collaboration spaces. This can help encourage creativity while boosting productivity and overall office morale. While you don’t need to add a ping-pong table, consider making some modern changes to common space. Conversely, you should also include private spaces where employees can go when they need to concentrate.
If you plan to downsize your corporate office and also need to reduce the size of your workforce, try to be understanding and approach any layoffs with transparency and empathy. To avoid any problems, it’s best to work with your HR team during this process.
For companies that are going to downsize their corporate office, consider investing in new furniture to help support your changes. Utilizing reputable office furniture installers, like the professionals at On Point Installations, can help ensure each item is installed safely and effectively. We partner with both furniture dealers and end-users to provide collaborative services that are mutually beneficial. If you need to get rid of some of your office furniture during a downsize, we can help with that too. On Point Installations offers storage or warehousing to fit your needs. This allows you to take a strategic approach to downsizing, so you can rethink how you use your space without committing to getting rid of furniture completely.
On Point Installations has the expertise you need when downsizing your office and adapting your workspace for more hybrid models. We provide non-union commercial furniture installation services throughout the Chicagoland and Midwest region. Our mission is to provide our customers services that fall within budget while exceeding quality expectations. Whatever your office needs are, On Point Installations can manage the project from receipt of product to customer sign-off. Call us at 847-550-4042 to learn more about how we can help you survive office downsizing or get a free quote today.