How Much Office Space Do I Really Need?
As we talked about in our last post, offices are here to stay, but the way employers and their employees operate in these spaces is evolving. So then, how much office space do you really need?
You probably need more office space than you think -- and also, less.
More Space
With Covid-19 social distancing mandates and overall public health concerns, looking ahead, companies are looking for spaces that include more square footage per employee. Traditional guidelines might categorize a high density office as one that accounts for around 80-150 SQ FT per employee (think: open seating, rows, and cubicles, often seen in tech, sales or customer support industries). An average density rate would hover at about 150-250 SQ FT per employee (a mix of cubicles and private offices), and anything over 250 SQ FT per employee has traditionally been considered spacious.
For many though, what was once considered high density may now be completely untenable. In order to uphold the CDC’s recommendation of social distancing, offices must account for no less than 115 SQ FT per employee, and that’s under the unrealistic assumption that all occupants would remain perfectly equidistant from each other at all times.
Thinking through the specific needs of not only your company but also of your individual employees is another important consideration when estimating space needs. Your accounting department may need extra square footage for filing systems, or tech workers for specialized equipment. Is your work highly collaborative? How much meeting space might the marketing department need? Thinking through these specific needs may lead you to to look for more square footage than you initially imagined.
Less Space
“Do I contradict myself? Very well then, I contradict myself.” (Thanks, Walt Whitman.) While you may need more space than you think, you may also need less.
With many employers and employees opting for a hybrid work from home and work from the office environment, the number of people in the office at any given point may be lower than in the past. Having a good grasp on general office capacity is an important starting place.
Questions worth asking are:
How many employees want the option to return to the office?
To what extent do employees want to be in the office versus remote work? Is it 50/50? As needed? One week on, one week off?
How will we accommodate if everyone does show up for work on the same days?
Your Best Bet? Talk to a CRE Expert.
Admittedly, there are a lot of variables to consider when determining how much office space you need. The best way to ensure that you’re getting the right amount of square footage is to seek out a trusted commercial real estate advisor. The right commercial real estate broker will be able to listen to and understand your unique business needs, help you plan for future growth, and advise you in finding just the right amount of square footage so you can succeed.