29 Jun Looking to re-locate? The missing ingredient to your office re-location project…

When looking to relocate, at first it can seem simple; many of us will first approach the task by searching for key words such as ‘office space’; ‘serviced office space’, and ‘corporate office space’. However, as you’re reading this blog, it’s most likely you’ve learnt that it’s not quite as simple as you may have first thought and haven’t, as of yet, been successful with your relocation project.

The most important, but often forgotten task, within the process of searching for new office space is to ask yourself as many questions as possible to build a bulletproof brief for your office space:

• ‘Which location fits in with the business strategy?’
• ‘What office space will best reflect our brand?’
• ‘Which businesses do we want to be associated with?’
• ‘What space will we need in 2 years’ time? Will the space allow you to grow?’

As you can see, it starts to get a little more complicated when you begin to tackle those questions. You must choose a space which fits in with your business’s vision and values as well as your budget, transport requirements and location – just to name a few!

As we speak with Directors, HR Managers and Operations Managers daily about ‘what they’re looking for’, we’ve found there’s one key action, which only usually takes a couple of hours or so, that can really set you off on a positive search for your next office space.

Creating an office space workshop:

It may seem simple and glaringly obvious, however we’ve found that the businesses who engage their team, including the leadership team and directors, are more successful at efficiently finding the office space of their dreams, than those who don’t.

Creating a criteria is the most valuable part of the brief, it really defines and shows you what the team are expecting from your shortlist.

Here’s a breakdown of how a workshop may look:

1. Gather your team and share the objective of the meeting; to leave with a clear brief for the office space
2. Ask your team to individually write on a piece a paper the top 5 criteria they’re looking for in terms of office space
3. Ask everyone to read out their top 5 criteria one by one
4. Defining the adjectives that arise; when your team all agree they’re looking for ‘creative office space’ – ask them to break down what ‘creative’ looks like for them.
5. Encourage discussion within the group with an objective to narrow the list down to a final outline
6. Finally, read out your business strategy and vision and ensure the team agree the criteria is in line with your future plans

Identifying your stakeholders:

Once you’ve got your criteria, it’s important to understand who plays a role in viewing the office space and when it’s best to engage them, you may consider engaging your brand manager and operations director initially and invite your Managing Director or Chief Executive for the final viewing. It’s entirely up to you, but make sure you book those key appointments in.

One of your biggest stakeholders is the business’s employees. It’s important they’re engaged and on board with the move – try sharing photographs on your intranet or high level reviews; the last thing you would want is team members handing in their notice because the office space is too far for them to travel or not inspiring enough for them to visit every day.  Always be aware of your stake holders and manage their expectations.

Budget:

It’s important you understand what you’re signing up to upon your first visit, are you having to invest in telecoms? Do you have to pay per user for Wifi? If you’re looking to install more meeting rooms; how much will this cost the business?

Ensure you have a clear overall budget so you don’t face any challenges down the line.

Timescales:

Time is an extremely important part of your brief; if the office space is for a large team, it’s important they’re clear on timescales so they can ensure the appropriate logistics are in place.

If another business is moving into your space, you need to ensure the move to the new office is complete before your final day, as you don’t want to leave your business homeless.

And of course, it’s important you review your current terms and contract with your landlord.

So, from our experience, a clear brief is the most important ingredient for a successful office search, don’t set off on your journey without one!

Good luck!

To book your free tour here at Spectrum Business Park, please contact Paul today on 07946439970.

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