Growth. It’s something we all want for our business, but are we prepared for it?
We often run into companies that thought they planned for growth and designed their space accordingly, but as they actually grew, they had to completely demo their office space and start over. What are they doing wrong? They are thinking of spaces individually and addressing immediate needs – not planning a space for multiple functions and long term growth goals.
Here’s what preparing for growth looks like:
- The 1:1 model of 1 desk for every 1 employee is being replaced with a more fluid growth ratio, meaning you can grow without having to take on more space if you plan intelligently and creatively.
- Consider all the different ways you can configure open space in the design phase. Make plans for that space to be arranged two or three different ways allowing for future growth.
- Create all private offices the same size. Short term, you can use them as common conference rooms; long term, you can quickly and easily switch them to private offices as the company grows.
These are just a couple options – there are so many more!
In 2017, we saw that most companies don’t have a growth mindset when it comes to office space. They just think they have to take on more space as they grow and that’s not necessarily the case.
I would love to hear what you’ve done as your company has grown. Feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn here or email me here.
