A Guide to Different Office Space Sizes

Are you looking for a new office space for you and your team but unsure what size you will need? Our handy guide will help determine how much office space your company needs, so you and your team can help your business thrive.

What kind of office space will work for you?

There are many office spaces available for you to choose from, below we share the most common office spaces businesses opt for. So, as you read, think to yourself which office space suits your business goals?

Traditional office space

The traditional office space is where each employee has their own desk space, and when they are absent, their desk is empty. This normally means that employees will have their own PC or laptop where they can save their local files. Having their own individual desks enables employees to work in a well-organised and systematic manner, enabling them to optimise their own desk space, increasing employee productivity. They can also help with hygiene and cleanliness within the office, as employees are responsible for maintaining their own clean and tidy desk space.

Shared and flexible office space

If your company has taken on hybrid working and your employees are mainly working from home, then a shared office space might suit your business needs. This arrangement involves employees sharing an office space with people from other companies. Also known as co-working, this way of office working can be a cheaper alternative if your company’s office building isn’t inhabited every day. Flexible office spaces tend to have more amenities for employees including pods, sofas, breakfast bars, standing desks, private phone booths, breakout rooms and other communal areas, as well as private offices and meeting rooms.

Serviced office space

A serviced office is one that is managed by a third party, which takes care of all the services within the office building. These services include the cleaning and maintenance of the corridors, reception areas, kitchens, toilets and communal areas. Many serviced office providers also clean the offices themselves, so you don’t have to. Serviced offices give you the flexibility of choosing large or small offices within a building, depending on your company’s working culture. They tend to have a mixture of office layouts to choose from so you can still enjoy a private office, yet enjoy many of the amenities that shared office space provides. Many businesses also enjoy the security and maintenance that serviced offices provide.

Creative office spaces

Creative office spaces are similar to a traditional office layout but with collaboration in mind rather than privacy and quietness. They tend to be open-plan offices, with few separators and sports breakout spaces, meeting rooms, and other features to encourage collaboration and a productive work environment. Creative office space also features fewer individual desk spaces, but more of a sit-where-you-please on-the-day environment. These office spaces tend to be popular with professional creative teams, such as photographers, graphic designers and multimedia artists. However, due to these being mainly large open-plan offices, they are becoming popular with many other businesses, especially those whose employees enjoy hybrid working.

Private office space

Private offices are all about maintaining privacy when the building is and isn’t being occupied. These offices tend to be smaller, with secure blinds on the windows, buzzer access and lockable doors and storage. A few private offices will also have soundproof walls and smaller, more prestigious offices within the same square footage. Private offices are popular with businesses where confidential plans and where the viewing and storing of sensitive files are discussed and kept. Generally, these offices are occupied by private investigators, lawyers and ministers.

How much office space do I need?

Determining the amount of office space you need, depends on two main factors, the size of your team and the facilities your employees need to deliver the work for your business successfully. Let’s quickly examine these two factors and how they can impact your office space choices.

A large or small office space

How many employees your business has will determine how large your office space will need to be. A big team requires a large office space, as well as more square footage for facilities and more partitioning or incorporated private offices and meeting rooms. The more employees you have, the more desk space required as well as larger facilities, including kitchens, meeting rooms and communal areas. Other factors you need to consider when you have a large team are the storage space you will require for equipment including printers, filing cabinets and employees’ personal belongings.

However, most businesses that are just starting up will not require large private offices but can work well in a smaller office space whilst they work towards their future growth. Smaller businesses can benefit from a smaller office layout with separate conference rooms within the same building.

It is a great idea to work out how much office space you need with an office space calculator, which can help you identify exactly how much square footage you need for employee satisfaction, productivity and the all-important health and safety policies.

Your company’s culture

Your company culture will largely influence how much office space you need, for example if you run a hybrid working model then you may not need individual desks for each employee, as the office will not be full to capacity every day.

The amount of office space you require will also depend on how your company culture requires your team to works together. If you prefer your team to work together without other companies, then the office space you need will be larger to accommodate a kitchen, conference room and breakout spaces. However if you like to idea of someone else maintaining and looking after your office, then a smaller serviced office space could be perfect for you.

Find the perfect office space at Tanshire Business Park

Whether you are looking to lease a large office space or a small office layout with access to conference and meeting spaces, Tanshire Business Park has the perfect office space for you.

Check out our office availability or contact a member of our team for a tour! With spacious greenery and amazing facilities, you and your team will feel at home within our office space.