Update your office on a budget

Even the best-designed office can get stale over time. That’s why it is important to update employees’ workspaces every so often. One of the largest cited reasons for avoiding this is cost and time commitment. However, completing an office update doesn’t need to be a massive undertaking. In fact, you might be surprised by how much return you can get on a relatively small investment. To increase employee engagement and productivity while also giving your workspace a facelift, take a look at these tips for updating your office on a budget:

Some Corners Are Meant To Be Cut

Most companies know the importance of image in a office space. It conveys a sense of professionalism, commitment to excellence and maturity to employees, potential clients and investors. You may be able to achieve this look for far less than you think. For example, Small Biz Daily has offered the example of choosing vinyl seating instead of using true leather. Your office can appear sophisticated to the average observer, but you’ll be paying a fraction of the price. Similarly, if you’re worried that your current tile flooring isn’t sending the right message, you don’t need to purchase an entirely new hardwood floor. Instead, you can opt for a nice-looking laminate. You’ll get the same effect at a far lower price.

Are hardwood floors that much better than laminate?

Basics like lighting are of the utmost importance in any redesign.

Get Back To The Basics

While this might seem like a cliche statement, getting back to basics can actually be the difference between a successful office redesign and a superfluous one. This is of particular importance for those who are working with a constrained budget. It’s absolutely imperative that you spend money on the things that you truly need before you begin to consider buying luxury items or unnecessary purchases. Sometimes, though, these lines of distinction can be relatively hard to draw. In order to do so, think about the things that affect your employees most on a day-to-day basis, and try to optimize those. In keeping with this, Forbes has offered the examples of investing in good lighting and good coffee. Before you begin your redesign, regardless of your budget, take the time to sit down and make a list of the aspects of your workspace that affect employees the most and that are most overdue for a redesign. This should provide you with some solid starting direction.

Turn To A Professional

Do you remember that time that you tried to take apart your computer and fix it on your own? It’s human nature to think of ourselves in a slightly flattering light. With that said, it’s often best to leave some things to the professionals. Whether or not you’re aware of it, the mistakes that you make while going about an office makeover on your own can end up being more costly than simply consulting with a professional in the first place. If you haven’t already begun constructing or reworking your existing space, consider speaking with a space planning professional. These individuals have experience with everything from selecting the right contemporary office furniture to planning out conference rooms, open spaces and break areas. Best of all, a large part of their job is ensuring that you receive the best value for your money while still coming in under budget.