When was the last time you really looked at your office? Chances are it’s been awhile, and the number of coffee stains have probably doubled. If you stop and look around, you’ll likely find more than enough evidence that it’s time to upgrade your space. But where do you start? Remodeling an office is not a small project. Done right, a new space can improve employee morale, increase efficiency and, of course, impact attraction and retention of employees. To get some insight on how to remodel an office while avoiding some of the pitfalls and headaches, we turned to Prime Inc. The freight company hauls goods across the country, and its Springfield headquarters is basically a mini city. There are on-site medical clinics, a hair salon, gyms, a daycare facility, sleeping quarters and even an in-house grocery store. The long list of on-site amenities has grown to meet the needs of the company’s blossoming workforce, which also led Prime to take a look at its worn out offices. The company wrapped up its remodel in 2016 before adding an entirely new office building one year later in 2017. We rounded up 10 tips from Prime’s team members and those who helped with the redesign to learn what worked, what didn’t, and what to avoid when remodeling an office.
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1. Start your redesign with questions.
Brenda Van Eps is owner of Studio V Design and a registered Interior Designer with more than 20 years experience. She’s worked on Prime’s interior design projects for the last 10 years. Whether it’s a garage, machine shop or a managerial suite, Van Eps says all design projects start with what’s called the programming phase. “This is where you sit down with the client, before doing any design work, and discuss what their needs are for the space” she says. But you need to think beyond simple aesthetics, and consider how the office actually functions. How many people need to fit in the space? What kind of storage do you need? Are your employees part-time or full-time? Do they travel often? What does their daily work involve?
2. It’s not just the carpet that’s dirty.
If you’ve ever moved a bed or a couch that’s been sitting in the same place for several years, you know there’s likely a few surprises waiting for you underneath. Years of cobwebs, dust and debris can easily hide in plain sight behind furniture. This is true with almost all work environments, and Prime experienced this first hand when they began renovating the office. But once the old space was refurbished, it didn’t just look cleaner. Even the air seemed to improve. “You don’t realize what you’ve been breathing,” says Aaron Ellis, Prime’s human resources director. “The air quality in the new and remodeled spaces was definitely better.”
3. Be honest about dirt.
Your office puts up with a lot of wear and tear. Coffee stains are just the beginning. And, depending on what your job entails, your employees are probably tracking in a lot more than you realize. So before you shell out serious dough on your office remodel, it’s important to stop and take stock of how dirty your job really is. At Prime, Van Eps installed new dark carpeting to conceal any dirt or oil that might hitch a ride into the office on employee shoes. She also added floor-to-ceiling tile in the new bathrooms to ensure easy cleanup.
4. Your employees hate their office chairs.
Your employees might not air their grievances with you, but if they have to sit for hours at a time in an uncomfortable chair, we promise someone is hearing about it. That’s why Prime decided to invest in its employees’ often overlooked but oh-so important office chairs. Every new chair is a Herman Miller Embody chair, which conforms to your body to distribute weight, reduce pressure and allow for postural equilibrium. The seat length also adjusts, so you can give your legs the room and support they need—an especially helpful adjustment for Prime crew members who share workspaces and might take over for someone much taller or shorter than them.
