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How to decide between office refurbishment or relocation

Anybody who has embarked on an office refurbishment or relocation will have been experiencing similar issues which inspired the project, including:

  • Low productivity
  • Poor communication
  • Poor attraction & retention of staff
  • Low levels of employee wellbeing
  • Difficulty navigating or using the space

When you find yourself (or your business) identifying with any of the above, it’s definitely time to start thinking about evolving your workspace in some way.

The tricky bit now is working out if that transformation should take the form of a refurbishment or relocation. If you’re stuck at this fork in the road, the following guides should help point you in the right direction.

Signs it’s time to relocate your office

You’ve outgrown your existing space

Perhaps the most common reason behind relocation is that the business has grown or expanding its workforce and now needs additional space. In order for employees to get the most out of their working environment, they need adequate space, facilities and resource so in this instance, whole new premises are required.

A cost-cutting exercise

As well as expanding, some businesses do also find the need to downsize in order to reduce overheads and spend. Again, where scale of the office is the crux of the problem, new premises will normally be required.

What is an office fit out and how does it differ from an office refurbishment?

A need for better facilities

If you moved into your current space when the business was smaller, it might be more basic than you would ideally like. Perhaps your company is now more profitable and therefore able to afford a property which offers more advanced facilities such as an on-site gym, car park, security systems or a manned reception area.

Structural elements of the building aren’t right

An office refurbishment covers aesthetic elements as well as various stages of the office fit out process. It doesn’t typically extend to adjusting the physical structure of the building or its exterior composition. If a space needs changing to that extent, the best option is probably to look for new premises.

You want to be in a better part of town

As well as to wanting improved facilities, you might also be on the hunt for a new or more desirable location. Maybe it’s somewhere with better local amenities or somewhere closer to your customer base – either way, a brand-new home is likely the best option here.

Knowing when it’s time to refurb an office

Although there are a few reasons – like the ones listed above – which suggest a relocation would be the best plan of action, there are a plethora of office refurbishment benefits. This solution could be the answer if you’re looking to address any of the following…

Attraction & retention of talent – The space might need refreshing in terms of aesthetic, accessibility, facilities, inclusivity or resource in order to engage and keep the best calibre of employee.

Introducing new work settings – Perhaps you just need to make space for some new working environments such as a collaboration spaces, rejuvenation areas or a training facility.

Updating your furniture portfolio – By updating your office furniture, a workspace can be completely transformed in both design and function. It might just be outdated furniture holding you back, not the space itself.

Experimenting with industry trends – You might fancy playing around with current interior design trends such as biophilia, resimercial or industrial design. An aesthetic refurb is the ideal way to do this.

Communicating company branding better – Lots of our customers have come to us looking to update the look and feel of their workplace in a bid to improve how they are conveying their company brand identity and values within their physical space.

Addressing specific workplace issues – This varies from business to business but a popular example is a lack of sufficient privacy in an open plan workspace. In this case, a refurb might be required to introduce solutions such as acoustic solutions or privacy booths.

We have covered lots of these points in more detail in a separate blog post so once you’re done here, click for further reading on knowing when it’s time to refurbish your workspace.

Alternatively, if you’d like to find out more about our office refurbishment services in Liverpool, Manchester and across the North West, get in touch via any of the methods listed below.

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