Officeman Guide to Moving Office

Office Man GUIDE to Moving Office The environment that you work in can have a huge impact on your business. From the office layout, size and style, the furniture and storage you use, location and transport links and even the type of building your office is in; it can all play a part in nurturing a positive atmosphere to both your staff and your clients. The following guide will help you achieve a stress free office relocation: MOVING OFFICE TIMESCALES The exact timeframes will differ depending on a number of variables; however the following timescales can be used as a guide: Office Size ( sq ft) Approximate Timescale for the Move (months) 1000-3000 5000-10000 +10000 4-8 9-12 12+ » Moving office can be broken up into three main parts: 1. 2. 3. AGREE FIT OUT FIND THE OFFICE THE LEASE TERMS THE OFFICE DRAW UP A BUDGET » A breakdown of the costs involved in renting office space, over a 5 year lease term. RENTS 55% RATES 16% s/C 11% FIT OUT 9% OTHER 3% PROFESSIONAL FEES 2% FURNITURE COSTS 2% NEW TELEPHONE SYSTEMS I 1% THE IT INFRASTRUCTURE 1% A ROUGH GUIDE TO FIT OUT COSTS: A MID RANGE fit out usually costs between £20 and £40 per sq ft. A BASIC economical fit A HIGH END fit out out can be achieved for will usually cost in excess of under £20 per sq ft. £40+ per sq ft. » Be aware of your capital allowances - Up to 70% of the relocation and refurbishment could be eligible for some form of tax relief. » Allow a contingency budget of between 5-10% of the project total. FIND A BUILDING Don't underestimate the importance of finding the right kind of building for your business. » Questions your property agent will ask you: Do you prefer a multi-tenanted or self What style of office are you looking for? Modern, period, media or corporate? contained building? Do you require raised floor for your IT infrastructure? Are you looking to be all on one floor? When you're looking for a new office, take into GET THE OFFICE SIZE RIGHT! TOO MUCH SPACE = overspend on your office space. account: TOO LITTLE SPACE = TRAVEL LINKS cramped, uncomfortable working conditions. THE AVAILABILITY OF PARKING » As a general rule of thumb the average office works out LOCAL AMENITIES at around 100 sq ft per person. PROXIMITY To EXISTING OFFICE Hire an acquisition agent to help you find the right office. They will usually have access to most available properties. (Consider how a major change in location will affect your staff and clients.) MAKE AN OFFER ON THE PROPERTY When negotiating the terms of the lease consider the following points: » What is the best rental » How much of a rent free period price that you can achieve? can you get? Research into recent comparable transactions to get a feel for market in the area. Most landlords offer rent-free periods at the start of the lease. This is a strong negotiating point where great savings can be made. » Is it possible to cap the service charge? » Can you insert a break clause? » If you need flexibility, such as the option to leave before the end of the lease, try to insert » The service charge PAUSE covers the running of the common parts of the building. Try to cap the service charge so that if the landlord carries out major improvements or significant maintenance work, the service charge cannot increase above the agreed cap. a break clause. Making an offer on a property can be a rather complex process, so it's advisable to use an experienced commercial acquisition agent. CARRY OUT A SITE SURVEY » Hire a building surveyor to spot any structural, electrical or plumbing issues. » If problems are apparent, you can either negotiate a better lease deal or have the issue resolved by the landlord. APPOINT A FIT OUT CONTRACTOR » Compile a shortlist of the best fit out » Set out an agreed companies for your requirement and arrange face-to-face meetings to discuss your project in depth. payment schedule. The more clearly this is set out, the less likely there is to be discrepancies later. • Meet the implementation team, not just the sales team. » A fit out company will usually start by drawing up a space plan for you to plot the most effective layout for your Agree a liquidated damages' clause. This will negate any losses occurred to you, as a result of delays made by the fit-out contractor. • Check the contractors client feedback ratings on OfficeMan. new office. DESIGN YOUR OFFICE The layout of your office space is a crucial consideration. From open-plan to cellular pods, a layout for one organisation might not be the best layout for another. Here are a few important things you need to consider: Consider the existing features of the building. For example: COMMUNICATION BREAKOUT AREAS Do certain members of staff need to be grouped together in order to effectively communicate? Do you need spaces where staff can concentrate in silence? » Locating kitchens and tea points in KITCHEN AND EATING areas where NOISE FACTOR FACILITIES plumbing already exists. Do you need a separate area for a telesales department? Do you need a large kitchen or will a small tea point be sufficient? » Making the most of areas RECEPTION AREA where natural light enters the STORAGE Do you want this separate from your main body of staff or not? Do you need filing cabinets or a separate storage room? building. MANAGEMENT STAFF A well planned layout can benefit your company and help to increase staff productivity levels. It's impractical and expensive, to rearrange floor space afterwards. Do senior managers and directors need their own offices? Environmental issues are an increasingly important consideration. Ensure that any new appliances have an energy efficiency rating and fit your office out with energy saving light bulbs. Consider installing Review your service providers. If possible, switch to a green Here are some easy A TYPICAL FIT OUT TIMELINE sensors in the office to ways to reduce your carbon footprint: automatically turn the lights off when not in energy supplier (one who sources their ue. electricity from renewable sources). ---..... DAY 1 Shortlisting of potential fit out companies / Development of project brief Small changes now can save your company a lot of money in the future. SELECT IT SUPPLIER ***-- DAY 2-6 Development of office space plans, interior design and preliminary budgets Look at new Ensure that Ensures It is essential that you plan all of your IT and telecommunication needs ahead ШПО your IT security is solid and up to date. areas of new technology systems can be easily upgraded in the that can be -*- DAY 7 Presentation of installed to smooth out future. operations and increase productivity. of the work. initial designs DAY 8-20 Even an hour Back up data, in the event of Production of IT networks and telecom systems must be set up and ready to go before you start moving in storage facilities and furniture. of downtime can be disastrous for detailed designs and scope of works documents an emergency. operations, so consider upgrading your phone network, tightening up / Site survey DAY 21 security or installing new handsets. Preferred fit out company appointed It can take up to 8 weeks to get a BT phone line installed! DAY 22 Submission of building control applications, licence of BUYING FURNITURE alteration and health and safety planning Selecting the right furniture can have a huge effect on the overall appearance of your office. However you need to ensure that comfort and ease of use is taken into consideration, as well as aesthetics. ---- DAY 22-29 Finalising designs and fit out contract / » Check the delivery times available on » Check the continuity of any furniture that you lease or buy, for example make sure that the Procurement of October H material 28 DAY 30 Delivery of furniture. product line is set to continue for the materials » If possible source all of your furnishings from one main supplier. You can save a lot of money foreseeable future for DAY 31 - 45 when you need to accommodate more staff. Infrastructure installation with bulk discounts. (data cabling, soft power, floor boxes, SELECT A REMOVALS COMPANY plasterboard partitioning, kitchen facilities/ tea point etc) Phew, you're almost there! Now is the time to move everything from your staff to stationary, into your new office. -... DAY 45-55 Installation of » Provide your removals firm with a floor plan with precise details of where everything should be placed, from desks and chairs to plants and filing soft finishes: glass decorations, doors and frames --. DAY 55-57 Design detail: manifestation/ glass frosting, cabinets. blinds » Make sure that computers and any equipment are protected during the move, to prevent scratches and other damage. DAY 58-60 Site clean, snagging and fit out hand over LET EVERYONE KNOW ---- DAY 60-62 Furniture installation -- DAY 63-65 IT installation DAY 67 Move in » Ensure that the contact information is up-to-date on all » Make sure that all of stationary, your website, emails and on-line profiles. » Finally sit down and have a well-earned cup of tea in your new office. YOU DESERVE IT! your clients and suppliers know your new address! OfficeMan www.OFFICEMAN.CO.UK %01-