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Expert Tips for Setting Up Your Startup Office

An office is much more than just a place you do work. It is the physical representation of your business and brand. It is the place you, and any employees you have will be spending up to one-third of their lives. It is something that can give your customers and clients an impression of who you are and the work that you do. In particular, if you’re starting a new business, it is even more important to devote time and attention to the set up of your office.

startup office

This is where you’re most likely going to be interviewing new candidates for office positions—you can be that the top candidates will have many options and the feeling of a workplace might well be a factor in their decision. All this being said, it can be hard to know how to design your startup’s office to cultivate the company culture you want the workplace to embody.

The following will explore some of the tips experts use when designing and setting up office spaces for maximum worker satisfaction, creativity, productivity, and branded vibe. Of course, every business is different, and so every office space will be a little different as well. Make sure you’re taking into account the unique needs of your workplace and staff when making office decisions.

Have A Think About Branding And Company Culture

Before you begin setting up the actual office and shopping for bean bag chairs, you need to get serious about the atmosphere and ambiance you want to cultivate with your office. This is going to be particular to you and your business. A tarot reader is going to have a completely different setup than a startup working on a hiking app. Ask yourself some of these questions to get the ideas flowing:

  • What makes your business unique?
  • What feelings do you want your staff to have while at work?
  • What feelings do you want your customers to have when they visit your location? Will they be visiting your location?
  • How many people do you need to seat comfortably?
  • What amenities do you want to offer?
  • Does your staff prefer working collectively at larger tables? Or do they want more private booths for uninterrupted focus?
  • What colours symbolize your brand?
  • What things does everyone in the office need to access (coffee maker, copy machine…etc)? Can everyone get to these things easily?
  • Would it be possible to make your office more relaxed and cleaner so that employees and clients feel more at home? (i.e., fun break out rooms, a cozy reception area, or new bathroom partitions for toilet stalls)

Consider Employee Health First And Foremost

Once you start asking the above questions, you’ll have an idea of your basic needs. Spend a little time researching ergonomics and the health impacts of different seating options to make sure that you’re doing everything you can to promote health among your employees. Consider some of the alternative options, like standing desks and exercise ball chairs.

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Learn About Coronavirus Requirements

In a post-COVID world, we need to take additional safety precautions to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to keep people safe. The experts that manage Vestra fitouts suggest beginning with the floor plan to make sure that all employees can work a safe distance apart. Depending on the space available to you, they recommend considering staggering employees’ work hours to help further minimize risks.

Take Care Of The Practical Things Next

Considerations like the internet, outlets, water, and electricity should be your next focus when setting up your office. This might be as simple as running a few checks to make sure that the water in the kitchen area is of high enough quality that your staff can drink it (if it’s not, look into water filtration). Make sure that the circuitry provides enough power for everyone at work to run all the devices they need to. Depending on your line of work, this might involve having an electrician come and make some alterations. With the prices of utilities climbing as well, this is an excellent point to consider energy-efficient options.

startup office

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