The current economic state means that everyone, including businesses, are trying to cut costs as painlessly as possible. Companies that may have been thinking about a move to a larger premises are instead trying to make the best possible use of the space they already have available. Small businesses that want to expand their staff, but do not want to move premises, are also looking to maximize space. Document storage and staff personal space are just a few of the things that need to be addressed when you are trying to create more space.

Tip One: Home and Office Working

If your staff numbers are growing, but due to the cost implications your available space remains the same, consider different ways of working. Rather than reducing the personal space of your office staff too much, why not have a couple of days a week when staff members can work at home. You could run this “scheme” in such a way that everyone gets a turn thus increasing the amount of space available for staff working in the office.

Tip Two: Use Work Stations

If you have a bit of money to spare for investing in some assets, why not replace normal office desks with work stations. Work stations require less space than a conventional desk and chair. Those staff members who do not need regular access to large sets of files, but can work with just a telephone and computer, could just as easily operate from a work station.

Changing work patterns are becoming the norm rather than the exception and can help cut business costs. Most people are quite happy to work from home a couple of days a week or month depending on your staffing levels and how much space is required.

Tip Three: Documents

Twenty years ago when computers started to appear in offices all over the country the idea of the paperless office began to circulate. In spite of the fact that most work is carried out online, there is still a need for businesses to keep hard copies of many of their documents. An increasing number of businesses now store many of their older documents off site with the help of companies that offer document storage services.

Over time, files and filing cabinets take up an increasing amount of space. Businesses are required to keep certain documents for several years so the ability to store the documents off site is convenient and paying for document storage will make far less of a dent in your budget than moving to new premises.

Tip Four: Better Use of Available Space

No matter what other steps you take, every business has a certain amount of space available to them and needs to assess how they use that space. If, for example, you have an extra room that is used for the occasional meeting, why not make use of it at other times. You could have some office shelving and filling cabinets in the spare room as this will give you more space in the main office areas.

If you have salesmen or other staff members that work off site but need to be in the office occasionally, let them use the meeting room. Take note about what is being done with the space and how you could make better use of it.

Simply moving office furniture around is a good place to start. Most offices will find that the actual layout is probably not the most optimal in terms of space and will then go on to find that there are many other steps that can be taken in order to make the best possible use of every inch available.

So before packing up and moving on to the next place, consider the few changes you could make that could make all the difference.

Guest Post By:

Article written by A. Elliott; a writer with an interest in interior design and home improvement, she occasionally writes for Whitefield’s Document Storage.

We LOVE these tips for making the most out of the space you have!  What do you think?  Do you have any tips that you’d like to add?  We’d love to hear them!