Practical Tips on How to Survive Your Office Renovation

Success is a problem that only the fortunate are burdened with, and that’s how you find yourself on the eve of your office renovation. Sure, it’s great to be able to expand your influences and resources by upgrading your office, but this opportunity comes with its own set of growing pains.

There will be disruptions; there will be noise; there will be times when you may actually regret your decision to undergo a renovation in the first place. You will be tested.

To help guide you through the Scylla and Charybdis of non-stop noise and constant interruptions, here are some practical tips on how to best survive your office renovation.

READ: Renovate VS. Relocate – Which Is Right For Your Business?

Spread the Word

Renovations are very disruptive for an office; no workplace routine and system is exempt from the banging of hammers and the whine of power saws. But, as disruptive as they are to group meetings or the location of your water cooler, renovations can also have the effect of isolating your workers as they get knocked off their familiar rhythms.

To combat this, be sure to maintain strong channels of communication with your employees; open up new ones if required, such as using online platforms or by posting signs. Be sure to keep your workers informed of any new developments, and to reaffirm the company’s objectives for undergoing the renovations in the first place. 

Keep their focus on the end goal, and not on the temporary circumstances, painful as they may be. Through strong communication, management can keep employees motivated during this trying time. 

Take the Long Road 

Even before they begin, everyone wants the renovations to be over. People have an aversion to the unfamiliar, especially if it hinders their ability to perform their jobs. And yet, as counterintuitive as it may seem, following this type of advice may aggravate your office renovations, effectively causing them to take longer to finish.

Renovating an office is a complicated undertaking, and once you start, you can’t stop. That means you need to plan well by properly scheduling your renovation to happen over several stages; it allows for the required renovation work to be done while office workers do their jobs in another area. What it doesn’t mean is trying to reach a closer deadline for the sake of convenience.

Be as accommodating as you can towards the needs of workers—be they office or renovation—so that they can do their jobs. Unfortunately, it’s true: this type of arrangement won’t always work as intended; it will likely please few, and annoy many. But since you only have one chance to do this renovation, you need to make sure you do it right.

READ: Five Totally Justified Excuses To Refit Your Office

Try Not to Kick Up a Dust

If you’ve never experienced an office renovation before, be prepared for things to get very dirty. You will experience a lot of dust and grime in places you’ve never expected. Sawing wood and cutting dry walls will eventually make for a new office, but, in the meantime, they will make a mess.

Try to mitigate this problem by increasing resources for janitorial and cleaning staff. Try using air filters to clean the air and, barring that, use compressed air to blow dust off keyboards and desk tops. See if you can’t arrange for the renovators to use heavy plastic sheeting or compression-fit temporary walls to help contain the dust. Always be on top of this problem before it gets out of hand.

Unstuff Your Staff

Your office serves as the heart of your business, and is the place where all the magic happens. To accommodate a more streamlined renovation, consider perform another magic trick—one of a disappearing variety involving your employees.

It may adversely impact your office productivity, but having members of your office temporarily work from home may be a winning strategy for your renovation. It may not be suitable for all of your employees, but allowing for this kind of flexibility can keep employees motivated and the renovation process rolling.

READ: The Most Common Office Design Mistakes, How To Avoid Them

Hire a Business Interiors Group You Can Trust

It goes without saying that to have a proper renovation, you need to hire the right talent. Hire experts with proven experience in interior space planning and design, and you’ll experience fewer problems and delays.

Are you looking to renovate your office? Sensyst proudly develops expert-level office interior designs for all types of businesses. Contact us today to learn how we can improve your office.