Designing for Growth

Designing for Growth

A company with one or two employees and just starting out must create a design that allows for growth, and the same holds true for a larger company which has been in business for a number of years – every business, no matter its size or its age, should plan for growth. After all, if your business isn’t growing, it is likely standing idle or languishing. Businesses need to grow in order to thrive and be successful. Your company space, your offices in particular, should always be designed to accommodate expansion that comes with success.

Growth is always more desirable than the alternative, though this progress brings its own obstacles and challenges. Without a plan, your office space will reach capacity quickly, and keep you from expanding when the need arises. Planning ahead can help your company avoid these growing pains. As your company succeeds, it is crucial that you have the ability to increase your space. With the development of your business in mind, these design tips will help you create an office space which supports growth, motivates your team, enhances efficiency, and offers flexibility for additional staff and greater workflow.

Talk to Your Existing Team

Regardless of the size of your team of employees, choose a few to offer input regarding the space and be actively involved in the design process. Allowing employee contributions allows for input but doesn’t relinquish your responsibility in the process. Instead, it values employee input/opinions while retaining the needed control. At each stage, team members should be reminded that the newly designed space must reflect your company culture and brand. In addition, studies have shown that employees who contribute to the planning are more likely to remain loyal and support the final changes.

Shared Office Space Means Flexibility and Collaboration

Modern office design offers up flexibility with shared space that is used for a variety of tasks. In addition, the increase in remote workers means less need for space dedicated to single users. Consider the employees who truly need dedicate space and which employees can move among work areas easily. When your space includes conference spaces, collaborative areas, and semi-private spaces, you’ll find your team members interact more thus increasing innovation, improving productivity, and enhancing a healthy work environment.

As you design your office space for growth, consider the potential for additional employee needs for at least two years into the future. During this phase, determine if more office space is needed or if a redesign of your current space will be able to accommodate your company’s anticipated growth and development. If you feel additional space is needed, have realistic expectations of actual useable space, costs, and timelines.

Planning Work Flow and Growth

Continuing your design for evolution and growth means coordinating your workflow. Simply put, this means locating employees who frequently collaborate near one another and creating more private, quite workspaces where needed. During the planning phase, you need to consider expansion as well. If you add space to your existing design, keep in mind, some of it may go underutilized until the growth phase begins.

Should you need guidance or advice, you can consult the professionals at Perillo Construction who are well-equipped to help you determine needed office area, as well as the best layout for private, collaborative, and public spaces in your design. In addition, they can guide you as you select new furnishings and other components to create a seamless, aesthetically pleasing space for you, your team, and your clients.