Waikato Business News August/September 2018

WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS August/September 2018
27
Five questions to ask yourself before
signing your next office lease
So, you’re about to sign yourself and an office load of people into
a new space you’ve just found… “Yep, looks great, hand me that
pen”. Hold up. There are a few pertinent questions to ask yourself
before you close the door on negotiations – and on an office that
you may still be in for years to come.
1. Is there enough room to
grow into?
Odds are you’re moving
because you need more space.
Odds are also that your new
landlord will expect you to
sign a minimum three-year
lease.
So you need to ensure you
have enough room for today
and in 1095 days – all without
paying for space you don’t
need in the meantime.
So, before you look at
leases, you should study your
business plan.Then allow
for around 10 square metres
(including all your office furniture)
for every employee you
have, and every employee you
plan to have in the next three
years.
2. Is it the right kind of
space?
When scanning commercial
listings, you’ll find yourself
discounting spaces you deem
too small or too large.
But don’t be too quick to do
this without at least looking at
accompanying pics – and, preferably,
the floorplan.
Layout is paramount. If sev-
eral of the square feet you need
form an odd alcove unsuitable
for anything but a few plants,
you can’t count them in your
seating arrangement. Conversely,
a smaller, rectangular
space may fit more desks in a
more Feng Shui kind of way.
3. Is it the right space for
your top employees?
An office move often starts in
your head, months before you
let anyone else know about
your plans.
But maybe you should
invite your key employees into
your thoughts, so as to get their
own thinking on the matter.
Why? Because a move will
only be beneficial if you don’t
lose these people on the way to
your new office.
It’s literally worth consulting
those who are essential to
your business – not only on
the kind of environment that
they’d like to work in, but
where they would like it to be
located.
At the end of the workday,
your new office should primarily
be both a space and in a
place that works for the people
who are working in it.
4. Is it right for your clients?
In an age where you can get
everything done between email,
Google Docs and Dropbox,
it’s quite possible to find out
six months down the email
thread that your client Sam is
not the man you thought he
was – he is, in fact, a woman
christened Samantha.
If you run your business like
that, there’s no need to keep
your clients in mind when setting
up a new office – especially
if you can’t even picture them.
For everyone else, there are
a few things to consider.
One: is your new place easily
accessible and do you have
parking when they get there? If
not, is there a parking building
nearby where you can negotiate
to get cheap rates? (Which you
should pay, BTW).
Then, once the clients get
inside, is there space to create
somewhere comfortable for
them to wait?
And further space to make a
simultaneously impressive and
comfortable meeting space –
whether that be a board room or
covered deck?
5. Does this office reflect
your brand?
You probably put a lot of
thought into your business
name, signwriting, website and
Facebook page – because these
things tell people what you’re
all about.
But do you know what else
gives away your company culture?
Carpet “preserved” from
the 80s and fluorescent lights.
And “we don’t care” is not a
good message to send.
Don’t fall into the trap of
creating a great reception and
boardroom and ignoring the
rest of the office either.
Clients will notice your poor
sardined, fluorescent-lit workers
and will still glean that “we
don’t care” message.
At a bare minimum, make
sure your new office is a nice
environment for everyone it
will house – whether it’s every
day or once a month.
Then take your key brand
values and reflect them in your
interior design – if you’re all
about fun, don’t paint everything
in shades of black and
boredom.
www.bayleys.co.nz/
workplace/office/insights
Commercial
Property
Management
At Bayleys, we believe relationships are what
businesses are built on and how they succeed.
We understand that to maximise the
return on your property you need:
Professional property management
A business partner that understands
your views and goals
Speak to your Bayleys team today.
Jan Cooney
Snr. Commercial Property Manager
P 579 0609 027 408 9339
jan.cooney@bayleys.co.nz
Brodie Thomas
Commercial Property Manager
P 579 0608 027 746 9218
brodie.thomas@bayleys.co.nz
Ashleigh Gee
Facilities Manager
P 579 0603 022 424 7308
ashleigh.gee@bayleys.co.nz
SUCCESS REALTY LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008