Office renovation involves significant changes in how you work and operate daily.

While it helps take your office to the next level, it also means you will have to deal with some bothers for a few weeks. To begin with, there are some pre-renovation tasks you need to get done before the actual work begins.

This helps ease the strain once the dust settles (both literally and physically) after renovations. Remember that this period will be taxing on everyone, so be as thoughtful as possible and get everything sorted before you let contractors into your premises. This is applicable more so if you are building an inclusive workspace and have neurodiverse employees in your workforce.

What to prepare before the renovation?

Here is a quick checklist of things you should take care of before renovations begin:

• Communicate with your team: Let people know about the renovation work and its impact on their day-to-day work.
• Plan for physical workspace: Make arrangements for items and people affected by the renovation work.
• Ensure compliance with regulators: The right office interior design and renovation company will help you find out what can be changed and which aspects of the commercial venue need to remain untouched. Some of the compliance essentials to focus on when planning the renovation include:
  • Structural integrity of the premises (could walls be hacked, modified, could you open up new doors and entryways)
  • Compliance of the electrical, plumbing and HVAC systems with the latest safety guidelines and recommendations
  • Environmental sustainability requirements
  • Other employee safety and health requirements (pertaining to the atmosphere in the office – the availability of light, space, etc.)
• Prepare for digital transformation: Analyse the current state of your office and the way people work in that environment.
• Budget for renovations: Calculate the total budget and plan for funding, if necessary.
• Finalize a renovation contractor: Pick a contractor, agree on their terms and conditions and finalize a timeline for the work.
• Identify a temporary workspace: If you temporarily relocate some of your team members, decide where they will be working from.
• Plan for an office closure: If your office is closed for renovations, plan how you will handle the work that needs to be done. With the number of productivity tools these days, we say this will be least of the problems.

Conclusion

Carrying out an office renovation should be a comprehensive process, even if you’re looking for small changes. Being strategic about the management of the renovation will prevent omissions that will cost you additional money down the line.

We would recommend considering and starting with the basics as you plan for your renovations. As hybrid offices are becoming popular, retrofitting of your offices to suit this current trend, is an obvious way forward.

However, each company has a unique culture. So, before starting any renovation plan, make sure to seek input from your employees.