How Self-Storage Can Improve Work Efficiency & Business Bottom Line

Many office layouts are designed to utilize every inch and every corner of the room to fit in an extra desk or storage cabinet. This neglects the real needs of the people who work there and the significance it has on work efficiency.

Imagine having to walk all the way across the other side of the office or even down a flight of stairs to look for reference materials numerous times each day. Now imagine the entire design team has to do that 5 days a week. How much time and energy, that could have been spent on more productive tasks, have been gone and wasted doing this each year?

Work efficiency refers to the effort, time or raw materials required to do the work. The more it takes to get the work done, the less efficient it is. Businesses are now shifting their focus to transform the office layout in a way that will boost work efficiency. That often involves creating a well-designed work environment that facilitates the communication system within the office by taking into account how the structure will enable information flow, face-to-face interaction and collaborations.

Choose an office layout that works for your team. Teams that need to be working closely with each other all the time may benefit from a cluster workstation layout where members can reach out to others easily.

Take note of the technical requirements of the job. Address the needs of each team, make sure everyone has what they need near their workstation. Think about the locations of printers, proximity to power outlets, storage cabinets and other essentials for one to perform their jobs when planning an office layout that maximizes work efficiency.

Don’t have the space to make drastic layout changes? Think again.

Before contemplating moving into a bigger office space, consider how you can leverage self-storage services.

Moving non-essentials and extra office supplies to a storage unit will give you the extra space needed for work environment improvements. By leaving only essential items and documents at the office, employees are able to locate what they need more efficiently without having to go through piles of dated documents and clutter. Fewer storage cabinets and shelves also improves the work environment visually, which can yield positive effects in improving labour productivity. Office Design for Labour Productivity: How To Do It With Self-Storage showed that by making simple changes to your office layout and utilizing self-storage, you too can create a more productive work environment.

In fact, renting a self-storage unit can do much more than you think in improving a business bottom line. Here’s how:

1. You can still rent a hot desk. Start-ups, small businesses and freelancers operating between homes and hot desks at coworking spaces are able to have a consistent space to store business byproducts at a self-storage unit. Owners of online businesses who don’t have the storage space of a brick-and-mortar store can also keep stock at these facilities. The flexibility of the unit sizes and 24/7 access allow owners to work flexibly and cost-effectively anywhere, be it at a hot desk or shared office space.

1. Give you the storage space you need at a fraction of the price. Office spaces don’t come cheap. What you pay per square foot versus the cost of a self-storage unit may present substantial savings. Pens, staplers, paperclips, reference books, extra furniture, ink cartridges, mailing suppliesーthey all take up valuable space. It can be a headache for companies that choose to buy in bulk in order to save money but don’t have to save to store the entire bulk in-house. With less office space used as storage space, businesses can accommodate increased headcounts, put every inch of the office space to use for profit-generating activity, and grow their business without moving to a bigger office.

1. Archive sensitive documents. All businesses must keep important paper records like payroll and transaction records or employee personnel files for a certain amount of years for tax and legal purposes. Some professions, such as those in the legal and medical field, require one to follow strict recording keeping protocols. Keep these documents safe from a careless (or nosy) employee and avoid privacy breaches and data leaks that could compromise the business by utilizing a self-storage facility. Choose a facility with 24/7 CCTV surveillance, fire protection system and climate control units.

Looking for a well-designed and affordable office space in Hong Kong?

Garage Society offers flexible workspaces that are designed to maximise efficiency and productivity in major business hubs across Hong Kong and Asia. We are committed to fostering creativity, collaboration and business growth. Contact us today to see how we can help!

Reference

https://aladdinselfstorage.com/blog/grow-your-business-in-surprising-ways-with-self-storage

https://www.rentcafe.com/blog/self-storage/7-ways-self-storage-helps-businesses-grow/