Few people realize that the office ambiance is an ecosystem on its own. When it comes to business owners, every time they hear anything related to space management, they have a mild panic attack thinking about the expenditure. In reality, space management is ensuring that your office has a natural flow to how things move and change in the space, and that environment tends to grow and change over time. A lot of people misinterpret the ‘natural flow’ only as the organic way of establishing a system between individuals; that leads to a lack of having an efficient office space. This is exactly where space management comes into the picture.
What exactly is Space Management & why is it important?
It can be understood as a method that ensures that a business owner or a coworking space is utilizing its physical office space at the best. The process involves tracking, analyzing, managing controls, and deploying its available physical space. It comes under the umbrella stream of Facility Management (FM) that integrates technology into providing space management solutions to businesses for carrying out industrial, manufacturing, shipping, retail space, outdoor testing, and more apart from just office space usage.
Its primary purpose is to facilitate a seamless, safe, and efficient work environment for employees; by integrating individuals, technologies, office supplies, and workflows. Therefore such places are called facilities instead of just institutes or offices and need a facility manager to monitor their smooth functioning.
Credits: Harvard Business Review
As we’ve seen in the times of a global pandemic for more than a year, the right space management strategy can make or break your business. As more business owners adapt themselves to the flexible work setting to suit the needs of employees, it would require them to have healthy offices now more than ever. Without the digital floor plans and space management, implementing physical distancing protocols is next to impossible. Failing to provide such a safe work environment could only lead to a mass exodus of your employees, as well as difficulty in hiring new roles. Here’s how to plan:
Foreseeing space usage trends
Having space management of your workspace can help you monitor your space usage, as well as tweak it as you scale and fit in future requirements.
Reducing costs
Planning generally lays all things transparently on paper, including costs involved, as well as repair and redesigning charges. It can help you save your time, money, and hassle every time you need any essential repairs or upgrades – setting you apart from your competitors.
Creating a productivity-focused working environment
As a business owner, you need the right individuals with the right skill set to be in your organization, as well as employee retention. Having a space management plan can help you prioritize their needs of both quiet pods, or comfortable and lively, creative spaces to collaborate with others.
Developing strategies based on real-time reports
One of the best things about space management is it comes with digital solutions that can help keep all of your data in one place. This crucial data can help you identify improvement opportunities as well as have elaborate chargeback reports for your integrated space management and planning.
Advancing your space management model
With each change/planning that you make to your space management model, you know exactly what factors are working out at best, in favor of your organization, the employees, and the yield. It makes your task easier to track any individual, asset, or even place in an agile work environment; while elevating your employee experience.
Conclusion
The advancement of technology has severely changed the mindset of work and made it ‘work from anywhere. 60% of all millennials and generation Z in the world seek such flexible work settings, and therefore, it requires strategic planning by facilities managers and business owners to enable newer, improved, and supportive workspace design. The right facility management software makes space management easier.
By investing in such workspace innovations, business owners may reap the benefits from reduced real estate expenditures, enhanced worker performance, in the long run. In case you’re looking for such flexible workspaces for your business, here are some you may find useful:
These upscale coworking spaces perfectly blend with the creativity and fast-paced life of entrepreneurs and freelancers in Bengaluru. Their super affordable plans and designs make them a great place for networking and collaborating with startups, solopreneurs, and other organizations.
One of the most unique workspaces in Kolkata, their smart coworking spaces make work fun and keep you inspired as you meet new people from your domain. Located at Sector-V, Salt Lake, their community comprises experienced entrepreneurs, freelancers, and startup owners.
They’re located in Whitefield, Bangalore, and are known for their flexible work solutions built specially to cater to the needs of different individuals and businesses. From luxurious, dedicated business lounges, to scenic, open terrace space – they make a great place to work even on weekends!