Your Guide to a Successful Commercial Office Fit Out

While what happens inside the office is important, have you ever considered the importance of the office itself? After all, workers who like their office environment are 31% more likely to be content in their job and a whopping 70% of employees feel their workspace significantly affects job satisfaction.

If you get a commercial office fit-out right, you’ll boost employee engagement, improve productivity, and encourage collaboration. Get it wrong, and you risk disenfranchising employees and creating an uncomfortable working environment.

Luckily, a successful office fit out isn’t as tricky as it might sound. Let’s dive into why a well-designed commercial office fit out is so important and how to nail yours.

Why is an Office Fit Out So Important?

Consider your home. It’s a beacon of relaxation and safety, a place to get comfortable, and a place where you feel like you can be yourself. But with workers on average spending around a third of their lives at work, the office environment is becoming as important as the home.

Boosting productivity is a key business goal and your office design can play an important part in achieving this mission. A well-designed office fit out makes it easier for employees to collaborate by adding meeting spaces and a flow that allows for movement around the office.

From reducing distractions with a goal-focused space to improving staff morale with a fun-focused space, excellent office design can be the silver bullet your business needs to succeed.

When employees are more comfortable you’ll get the best out of them, which eventually manifests as increases to your bottom line. So while a successful office fit out comes with a price tag, the return on investment is second to none.

Make Your Next Office Fit-Out a Hit: X Top Tips

Now we’ve covered the why of the commercial office fit out, let’s look at the how. Here are five top tips to make your next office fit out a success.

Call in the Pros

No matter how much DIY you’ve successfully completed at home, an office fit out is a different beast. It’s much more time-consuming and there are countless elements to think about, so opting for a self-design would be a mistake.

The best way to ensure your office fit out is expertly designed is by leaving it to the experts, like the team at Opus-4. They’ll help you save valuable time and money and work with your vision of the office space to achieve your company goals.

Identify Your Company Goals

Each business looks different, so requires a unique approach to a commercial office fit out. If collaboration is crucial, you might prefer an open-plan space. If your employees' tasks are mostly undertaken individually, however, cubicles might be your go-to.

Take work patterns into account, too. If your workforce has a hybrid work pattern, a hot-desk approach might work better than a traditional office space. If all members of a particular team tend to work on the same day, a private meeting space might benefit their collaboration.

Before you work with expert office designers, identify what you want out of the space and how to ensure it works to support your company goals. The right commercial office fit out company will listen to your considerations when designing your space.

Make the Most of Your Space

While the interior design is important, don’t forget about existing aspects of the space that can be factored into the fit. If, for example, the space you’ve chosen has plenty of natural light, this might allow you to save money on artificial lighting.

Likewise, if the space is small, consider tricks to make it look and feel bigger, such as plenty of lighting and the inclusion of mirrors.

Use Colour to Influence Mood

We typically choose the colours for our spaces based on personal preference, but did you know that colours actually affect how you feel? Take this into account when you’re designing your next office space.

Blue shades promote a more calm environment, for example, while studies have found that colours like red, which we associate with danger, can negatively impact performance.

Consider Diverse Approaches to Work

Every employee is different. Some like to spend the majority of their time collaborating - others like to work alone. Some like a lively space with background music - others prefer to work in silence.

Your workspace should be as diverse as your workforce, with a design that factors in different types of needs. This could be as simple as considering quiet booths for your more introverted staff members.

The Bottom Line

While nailing your office fit out might be all-important, it doesn’t have to be difficult or exhausting. By planning in advance and working with the right expert fit out company like Opus-4, you’ll create an environment that improves productivity, boosts collaboration, and sees staff satisfaction skyrocket.