5 Tips To Ensure A Smooth Office Fit Out

Office fit outs can be disruptive to your organisation, with many aspects to be considered and managed. To help minimise the stress involved and ensure a smooth transition to your new office, we’ve put together 5 of our top tips to help it go as smoothly and as stress-free as possible.

Let’s take a look:

#1 Plan Plan Plan

Planning is an absolutely essential element to any fit out. Setting deadlines with your fit out partner can help give you an idea as to what needs to be done on both sides. This will help you plan other tasks that need to be completed (for example, if you’re moving premises, you will need to book to have phone lines, broadband, etc installed). There’s a lot to having your office fitted out, however, with good preparation, it should go smoothly.

#2 Check The Law

Before having your office fitted out or relocated, you will need to check the small print. If you currently rent office space, you’ll need to check who needs notifying (i.e. landlords), or if you are looking to sell, you’ll need to ensure all necessary paperwork is all filled out and sent to the right people.

Check with a lawyer beforehand and make sure any legal measures that need to be taken, are at this stage.

#3 Know Your Finances

Having your office fitted-out can be expensive. Make sure you go over all costs and budgets with your fit out company, then run the numbers by your accountant to ensure all finances are in place. While fit outs are only a very occasional expense, it is one that can greatly improve your company’s overall image and work environment.

#4 Get Organised!

Once your plan has been written, and all the legal issues and finances have been dealt with, it’s time to get to work! This is an excellent time to declutter your office and help make it more efficient by assessing storage uses and needs – Does your accounting department really need 4 filing cabinets, or can this be consolidated down to 2? What about that pile of paperwork someone has been meaning to sort through for the past few months that keeps growing? Use this time to get sorted, ready for a new start in your new workplace.

#5 Let Everyone Know

Now that your office fit out is in full-swing, it’s time to let people know. While your chosen fit out company should ensure minimal downtime, some situations are unavoidable (e.g. delay in broadband/phone system installation). So, be sure to plan ahead for these situations and let the relevant people know that some responses may be delayed.

One thing to consider for these situations is remote working. If your staff are happy to work from a different location (i.e. temporarily rented office space or home) then this may be the best way to deal with this situation. Planning ahead for these situations will help ensure minimal disruption to your business and it’s clients & partners.