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How much office space does my business need?

October 28, 2024
5 min read
By
Kate Moss-Robins
Content Writer

A well-designed office creates a productive and comfortable environment for your employees. You don’t want it to be too crowded, but at the same time, you don’t want people to be spread out so far that they can’t easily collaborate.

The perfect size of office space for your business depends on your current and expected number of employees and the type of work you’ll be doing.

Here’s our guide to help you find out how much office space your business needs.

1. Assess your headcount

The first step is evaluating the number of employees who will be in the office at any given time. This will give you the basis for quickly calculating your space requirements.

At a minimum, according to the UK Health, Safety and Welfare Regulations (1992), “the volume of the room when empty, divided by the number of people normally working in it, should be at least 11 cubic metres. All or part of a room over 3.0 m high should be counted as 3.0 m high.” In realistic terms, office space is usually sold in square footage of floor space rather than volume.

A common benchmark for open-plan offices is to allocate 50 to 100 square feet per employee. This allows for a spacious, functional work area where employees can work comfortably. If you prefer private offices for your staff, plan to allocate up to 200 square feet per employee to maintain privacy and avoid overcrowding.


See also: How to choose a small office space in London

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For example, if you currently have 10 employees who will be working from the office most days, you’ll need between 500 and 1,000 square feet of space for an open-plan setup, or around 2,000 square feet if you want to provide private offices.

If your staff work on more of a hybrid schedule, you may be able to spread out the days each employee comes in to effectively reduce your headcount and space requirements.

2. Plan for future growth

If you think about your business’s future now, you’ll be more prepared to accommodate future growth. How much do you expect your headcount to grow in the next year or so? You don’t want to lock yourself into a lease only to find that you’ve outgrown your space within the first year.

A good rule of thumb is to allow some extra square footage for new hires. Depending on how quickly you plan to scale, this could mean reserving space for an additional 10% to 30% of your current headcount. If you’re unsure about how fast your company will grow, it may be best to look for flexible office space solutions that allow you to expand as needed.

For instance, many coworking spaces and serviced offices offer flexible leases that enable you to adjust the size of your office as your team grows. This can help you avoid the cost and hassle of moving to a new space every time you expand. Additionally, opting for an office with access to coworking spaces or breakout areas can provide extra room when your team temporarily exceeds its normal capacity.

3. Consider your meeting space needs

Beyond desk space, consider the number and type of meetings that will happen in your office. Will you need one large boardroom for presentations, or multiple smaller meeting rooms for team discussions? You should also consider if you need any quiet rooms for private conversations. Having these spaces available will impact how efficiently your team can collaborate and communicate.

Typically, meeting rooms are about 120 to 150 square feet for smaller groups and up to 300 square feet for larger ones.

If you’re still in the early days of running your business and you’re not yet sure how many meetings will take place on any given day, consider looking for an office that includes access to shared or bookable meeting rooms. This can save you space and money, while still giving you the flexibility to meet visitors, or hold larger team meetings whenever needed.

4. Factor in communal spaces

You’ll also need communal areas where employees can interact and take breaks. These include lounge areas, coffee stations, or dedicated break rooms, which play a vital role in promoting employee well-being and collaboration.

In serviced office spaces, access to communal areas is often included in the rental agreement, so you won’t have to set them up and pay to install coffee machines or sofas yourself.

5. Understand the different types of office space for hire

You can either opt for leased offices or serviced offices.

With leased, you often get a blank space which you pay for per square footage, giving you more control over how you arrange your office. Alternatively, serviced offices usually come fully furnished and ready for you to move in, and they often charge per the number of desks you need.

Whichever you choose, make sure you understand what’s included in the price. Some office providers include utilities, maintenance, and cleaning in their rental fees, while others may charge for these services separately.

The key benefit of a serviced office is the ability to scale your office space up or down depending on your company’s needs. This means you can start small and expand as your business grows, without the stress of finding and moving to a new location every time your headcount increases. You can learn more about this in our guide on the key differences between serviced offices vs leased offices.

Your step-by-step checklist to calculate the total office space you need

Let’s break down the steps.

  1. Determine how many employees will be in the office on a given day.
  2. Plan for future growth by reserving extra space for new hires or opting for a flexible office solution.
  3. Decide how many open-plan workstations or private offices you need and calculate the square footage needed accordingly (50-100 sq. ft. per person for open-plan or 200 sq. ft. for private offices).
  4. Factor in meeting rooms to ensure enough room for collaboration and communal areas for breaks and wellbeing.
  5. Decide the type of office space you need: leased offices or serviced offices.

Once you’ve gone through these steps, you’ll have a clear idea of how much office space your business needs to thrive.

See how 71-75 can provide your perfect office space

Our serviced offices offer all the space and amenities you need without the long-term commitment of a traditional office lease.

Our fees are all-inclusive, including super-fast 10BG WiFi, heating, water, electricity and building insurance. We also have instantly bookable meeting rooms, as and when you want them.

Book a tour to discover how 71-75 can provide a convenient, flexible solution for your office space needs.

Kate Moss-Robins
Content Writer
Kate Moss-Robins is a writer with a background in marketing in industries ranging from property development to children’s toys. Her focuses have included property investing and HNWI personal finance. She has a particular interest in workplace culture and new technologies.
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