Tip of the Week: 4 Tips for a Smooth Transition to a New Office

So you have elected to relocate your operations to a new office space. While this can be a great way to make progress toward a variety of goals, there are important considerations you need to take into account during your search to find a space that is just right for you and your business’s needs. What follows is a list of factors to keep in mind as you narrow your real estate search.

Building Systems
Not all office spaces are created equal, and so some will have some functionality that others lack. Does the office you’re considering feature enough space for not only your employees, but also for the on-premises infrastructure? Is the HVAC system powerful enough to keep your technology cool enough and your staff comfortable enough to function properly? The ability to install a backup generator is an important consideration to take into account as well depending on the importance of uptime. An extremely important factor, while not always immediately considered, is parking. Will your workforce have enough parking space for all of its members at any given time?

Cables (Phone and LAN)
If you are moving 25 workers into a new office, you’ll need drops for their workstations to plug in to. Have the network cables been tested? How are they ran? There are many factors to consider when running networking cable, such as; making sure they aren’t ran around florescent lighting and power cables, terminating and labeling them properly, and it’s always been a good practice to run two drops for each desk in case something goes wrong.

With a wireless solution, you could get away from using some of the network cables, but setting that up requires some planning as well.

As far as phone cables go, with good network cables you could consider VoIP, which eliminates the need for separate phone cables and utilizes your network and the internet to make and receive calls.

Efficiency and Expenses
This will require a bit of math and comparative consideration, as factors other than price must be accounted for in determining the best value for your company and its needs. One key example is a property’s load factor, or how much space is used up by other features that prevent utility (like hallways, restrooms, and elevators). For example, let’s consider two properties that each have total areas of 15,000-square-feet. The cheaper of the two has an 18 percent load, while the more expensive has a 7 percent load. Despite the higher price, the second option may actually be the more economic decision as the lesser load would allow more resources to fit inside the office’s walls.

Furthermore, there are the other costs associated with being a tenant in someone’s building--maintenance, energy, and the other costs that are added to the rent--that should also factor into deliberations. Is the building equipped with features to cut costs that would otherwise increase the cost of occupancy?

Management Concerns
If a building you are looking into houses more than one business, ask yourself, “What other businesses operate here?” Are any those that you would consider your competition, a factor that would almost assuredly create some tension down the line. Talk to some of the other tenants about their experience in establishing themselves in that building. Are the building utilities well seen to? The janitorial staff will need to be proficient and efficient at their jobs, elevator and climate-control systems will need to be reliably operational. Parking will need to be accessible and conveniently located for everyone.

These are all considerations to take into account as you move your business into a new location. However, one consideration that stands above all is how you plan on moving your organization’s mission-critical technology. Horne & Benik can help evaluate your new location and compare it to the infrastructure you already have running to make sure moving doesn’t cause major hangups in your productivity.

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