In a world where we’re all fighting for space, economising and looking for ways to spread our wings without hemorrhaging funds, we need to be a little savvy when it comes to how we use our offices. Almost every, and the ‘almost’ is being kind, business has square feet in their office that isn’t being used to the best of its possibilities. Here are five tips to make sure your spare inches pull their weight.
Hug a Freelancer
In the digital age it’s become almost commonplace that companies take on freelancers, they’re often cheaper, you don’t have to adhere to employment regulations and they can be short-term solutions for developing projects. The Freelancers however no longer want to just work from home at their dining room table, clocking up all sorts of damage to their spine that even the best chiropractors struggle to fix, they’re out there searching for their own little corner of office heaven. For SME’s this can mean income for very little outgoing, so clearing out that unused board room, streamlining the over cluttered filling space and moving it into storage or rejigging the office floor plan can seriously boost that bank balance.
Take stock
If you’re in an industry that means you have stock, are you storing it in a cost effective way? In the same light as the above, is the huge space you have stacked high with products that can hang around for ages the best way for you to approach it? Could this extra space be utilised in a way to make your business more money whilst choosing a third party, secure and accessible storage solution for your goods? Start-Up businesses are often screaming out for an affordable space to launch their ventures from and by allowing another business to share your space is not only bringing you an income but, if chosen wisely, could end up with cross marketing opportunities, networking and relationship building that can make both enterprises flourish.
Stock Up
Everyone loves a bargain; there is no denying it, especially us Brits. If there’s a 3 for 2, a BOGOFF or a ‘50% MUST END NOW’ sale in our sights we’re making a beeline for it. If we’re clever, and not just suckers for a well thought out marketing script, buying in bulk can save us a pretty penny. What often prevents us from being able to do this is having the space to keep the fifty boxes of print cartridges or the thousand rolls of toilet paper. We are spoilt for choice these days when it comes of temporary storage solutions so if you see an acre’s worth of A4 paper for 50p, go forth and conquer!
Go Digital
Filing cabinets are so 2000 and late. The amount of companies that actually print, file and store documents is dwindling fast. There are countless options out there for businesses to upload their files, statements, HR documents, whatever it maybe to high speed, secure and often free storage solutions to not only free up space in their office but to safeguard their paperwork.
Programs such as Dropbox and Google Drive not only allow users to upload documents, image files or whole folders of information, but also gives companies and individuals the ability to access their saved files where ever they may be. Got a really important meeting to go to and ran around like a headless chicken all day only to realize you’ve forgotten to print off what you needed? Don’t panic and hallucinate your P45, with things like Dropbox you can print, alter and email no matter whose office you’re in.
Productivity Rocks
Remember that annoying saying your mother used to launch in your direction? “Tidy house, tidy mind”? Well, sorry to burst the illusion bubble that she only said this to get you to pick up your dirty socks but the lady had a point. It is now proven by research types with facts and figures, and written about in the Independent, that a cluttered workspace is a detriment to productivity and can actually increase anxiety and stress levels.
If your staff seem to be on a go slow, if your creativity has taken a nose dive, maybe it’s time to move those boxes from under your desk that leave an imprint on your ankles by the end of the day and remember what color your floor is?
Drew writes Big Yellow Self Storage. Find out more about lock up rooms and business self storage solutions.
How do you store your things?