Planning to relocate your offices? Mia Brown from TSP shares what to consider to ensure a smoother process, and talks to Hannah McCarthy about DEC's recent office move.
A survey by E.ON found that moving offices is the second most stressful task for managers. Consequently, 78% of companies delay moving – opting for inefficient, costly facilities over stress. So, what are the most important things to consider for a seamless organisational move?
1. Budget
The answer everyone wants: what will it cost? Budgets can easily overshoot, especially if project managers are unfamiliar with legal and property fees.
Key items to be aware of:
- Cost of dilapidations and reinstating the office you’re vacating
- Survey of new premises
- Schedule of Conditions
- License for Alterations
- Service charge increases
Discussing your move with an experienced property advisor will help shed light on hidden costs.
2. Location and accessibility
This is a crucial consideration with evolving workplace trends and hybrid working. Are employees willing to commute a bit further if only coming in three days a week? Or is the opposite true?! Talk with your team and find out.
Do you want your office to be a hub, uniting disparate staff under one roof? Map out a central area to conduct your office search. And consider proximity to travel connections, nearby amenities and access to green space.
3. Size
Do you need to downsize? Underutilised space is expensive and unsustainable. Or perhaps consider sharing space with another charity. Alternatively, do you need more space for onsite events and fundraising sales?
If you’re buying bigger premises, you could create more flexibility and opportunity for extra income by renting out unused space.
4. Sustainability
NCVO reports nine out of 10 charities are concerned about rising energy costs, while ACEVO says members had reported a 300-500% increase in costs. The truth: Old, energy inefficient properties will be hit hardest by soaring energy prices.
So, ensure your new building has a good EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) rating. From April 2023, MEES (Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard) regulations are changing – you will no longer be able to lease a building with an EPC of ‘E’ or ‘F’.
From 2027, it is proposed that all buildings must have at least an EPC ‘C’ rating – by 2030, EPC ‘B’.
Be aware of changing regulations now, save inconveniences later.
5. Interior solutions and design
What working environment is best for your organisation? What culture do you want to build going forwards?
Many organisations are opting for more open plan, informal, biophilic, collaborative spaces. Combine these with phone booths for focused work and you can accommodate a variety of working styles.
Charity Disasters Emergency Committee recently relocated from Euston to a new office in Old Street. Hannah McCarthy, Finance & Resources Officer, shares the experience:
Q. What were the most important factors when deciding on your new office?
A. A flexible space, meaning it feels comfortable and a nice environment if only five people are in – but can also expand to fit 50 people during appeals.
Location was a big factor: somewhere with good transport links but also a nice environment to work in as we want staff to want to come in.
It was a huge plus to be 10 minutes from Old Street whilst beside a peaceful canal with green space.
We also considered sustainability, including reusing furniture and fittings, so we’ve bought very limited new things.
Q. What was the most stressful thing about the move?
A. Doing it all whilst going through a particularly busy period. Plus, finding somewhere that suited our organisational needs – balancing size, cost, and a space where we could run appeals.
TSP is an award-winning investment and asset management business leveraging deep operational expertise to drive exceptional value from real assets.