Office space downsizing – when you should look for a smaller office space

Office space downsizing has been in the news ever since it became apparent that workplace changes made throughout the pandemic were likely to – in part – become a more permanent fixtures. These changes included hybrid working, hot desking, and more flexible working. A recent survey published in Bloomberg found that the majority of office workers are now in for three days a week or fewer – and that as much as 20% of office space in the south east could become redundant. However, an Accenture report showed that workers still want an office to come to, but with over 80% of them preferring a hybrid model where they get the best of both worlds.

A lot of big UK companies have chosen office space downsizing rather than giving up offices altogether, with household names including Deloitte, The Law Society, Dropbox, Pinterest, and Uber, so smaller businesses are not alone in making this adjustment, but when should you consider looking for a smaller office space to rent?

If shared desks or a hot desking approach would be effective

If you’re finding that of your hybrid workers, you only see one or other of a pair of individuals at a time, the chances are that with some smart storage and organisation they could be sharing a desk. If this is the case in a number of cases and you find yourself losing 3 or 4 desks, that’s a whole room you could do without having to rent in office space.

Or if when you see some people they’re rarely at their desk – they’ve only come in for meetings or events – then the chances are you could run a hot desking area within the office and free up a lot more space.

Advantages of office space downsizing

The advantages here are very simple to spot. Renting less space costs less money. They also equal smaller areas to heat and light which, even if you’re in a shared office facility and don’t have the bills to worry about – will still reduce your business’s carbon footprint.