Maximising Space Efficiency: How Enterprise House Can Tailor to Your Needs

An office does not necessarily need to be larger to work better. In many cases, reviewing how desks, storage and shared areas are used can help a business create a more organised and practical working environment.

Space planning is not about fitting as many people as possible into a room. It involves giving employees enough space to complete their work comfortably while avoiding areas that are rarely used or filled with unnecessary furniture.

Whether you are choosing a new office or improving an existing one, begin by looking at what your team does during a normal working day.

Review How The Office Is Currently Used

Before moving furniture or looking for a larger office, spend some time observing how the existing space is used.

You may find that certain desks are empty for much of the week, while meeting areas are regularly unavailable. Storage cupboards may contain equipment that is no longer needed, or employees may be taking confidential calls in unsuitable shared areas.

Questions worth considering include:

• How many employees are normally present at the same time?
• Which desks and rooms are used most frequently?
• Where do telephone and video calls take place?
• How often are clients or suppliers welcomed into the office?
• Which tasks require privacy or quiet concentration?
• Does the business store more equipment or paperwork than it needs?
• Are walkways and shared facilities easy to access?

This review can help identify whether the problem is a genuine lack of space or simply an arrangement that no longer reflects how the team works.

Match Desk Numbers To Everyday Attendance

Providing a permanent desk for every employee may be appropriate when the whole team attends regularly. It may be less practical for a hybrid business where several people work remotely on different days.

Look at typical attendance rather than focusing only on the total number of employees. A team of eight might normally have four or five people in the office, but it may still need enough capacity for occasional meetings involving everyone.

Shared or bookable desks can make better use of space where attendance varies. However, the system needs to be straightforward. Employees should know when they can attend, how a desk is reserved and what equipment will be available.

People who need specialist equipment, adapted workstations or secure storage may still require an assigned desk. A shared arrangement should not make it harder for them to work safely and comfortably.

Create Areas For Different Types Of Work

Not every office task requires the same environment. Some activities depend on conversation, while others need privacy and extended concentration.

Where the space allows, consider creating clear areas for:

• Individual desk work
• Telephone and video calls
• Informal discussions
• Private or confidential meetings
• Breaks away from computer screens
• Printing, post and office supplies

These do not always need to be separate rooms. The aim is to prevent one type of activity from constantly disrupting another.

For example, placing a printer away from desks can reduce interruptions caused by people collecting documents. Moving informal discussions to a shared seating area may help nearby colleagues concentrate. Confidential matters, however, should always be moved to an appropriately private setting.

Keep Walkways And Working Areas Clear

Desks, storage and additional chairs can gradually spread into walkways as a business grows. Apart from making the office look cluttered, this can make it more difficult for employees and visitors to move around comfortably.

Review whether people can reach their desks, shared facilities and exits without navigating around boxes, cables or unused furniture. Accessibility should be considered for employees and visitors with different mobility requirements.

Avoid using corridors or spaces near doors as temporary storage. Items left there often become permanent because nobody has been given responsibility for moving them.

Regularly removing obsolete equipment and archived paperwork can prevent storage problems from affecting active working areas.

Improve Storage Before Adding More Furniture

Adding another cupboard is not always the best response to a lack of storage. First examine what the business is keeping and why.

Old promotional materials, duplicated stationery, unused cables and outdated equipment can occupy valuable space. Paper records should be reviewed in line with the organisation’s legal, contractual and operational requirements rather than being retained indefinitely without a clear reason.

Practical storage habits include:

• Assigning labelled locations for frequently used items
• Keeping everyday supplies close to the people who use them
• Separating archived material from active documents
• Securely disposing of confidential information when appropriate
• Recording which equipment is being stored and who owns it
• Removing damaged or obsolete items promptly

Digital storage may reduce the need for some paperwork, but important documents should not be scanned and destroyed without considering whether an original must be retained.

Use Meeting Rooms According To Demand

A permanent meeting room can occupy a significant part of a small office. Before including one within your own space, consider how often it would genuinely be used.

If the team holds private meetings every day, a dedicated room may be necessary. If larger meetings take place only occasionally, hiring a room when required may make better use of the available budget and floor space.

Enterprise House provides a separate conference suite in Malton for meetings, training sessions and presentations. Availability, capacity, equipment and current charges should be confirmed before booking.

Informal conversations may also take place in shared seating areas where these are available. Sensitive discussions should not be held in communal spaces where other occupiers may overhear them.

Choose Furniture That Fits The Work

Large desks and storage units can make an office feel cramped without necessarily improving how it functions. Furniture should be selected according to the equipment used and the tasks employees carry out.

A person using two screens and handling paper documents may need more desk space than someone who works mainly from a laptop. Employees should also have appropriate chairs and enough room to adjust their working position.

Before buying additional furniture, measure the available area and check that doors, windows, radiators and walkways will remain accessible. It is also worth considering whether existing furniture can be repositioned or reused.

The serviced offices at Enterprise House are provided furnished, which can reduce the preparation required before moving in. Businesses should confirm what furniture is included within the particular office they are considering.

Manage Cables And Shared Equipment

Power cables, chargers and network equipment can quickly make a shared working area untidy. They may also create practical problems when desks are moved or devices are added without a plan.

Keep cables organised and avoid running them across walkways. Employees should know where shared chargers, adapters and other equipment are stored so that desks do not become filled with duplicated items.

Printers and other shared equipment should be positioned where they can be accessed without repeatedly interrupting employees. Consider noise, ventilation and the handling of printed documents when selecting the location.

Consider Co-Working For A Small Team

A small team may not need a large private office, particularly when employees work remotely for part of the week.

Co-working can provide colleagues with desks in a professional shared environment while giving them access to practical communal facilities. The co-working space at Enterprise House is described as suitable for groups requiring between one and four desks.

This arrangement may work well for teams that want to sit together without maintaining a larger office. It may be less suitable for businesses that handle frequent confidential calls, require extensive storage or use specialist equipment.

Access hours, included facilities, privacy and the applicable terms should be discussed before choosing a co-working arrangement.

Avoid Filling Space Simply Because It Is Available

An empty corner does not always need another desk, cabinet or decorative feature. Leaving some open space can make movement easier and give the office room to accommodate short-term changes.

Unused areas may also indicate that the office is larger than the business currently requires. If substantial parts of the workplace remain empty for most of the week, review whether a smaller private office or more flexible workspace would be appropriate when the current agreement ends.

The goal should be to support the team’s work rather than make every part of the floor plan appear occupied.

Plan For Visitors Without Disrupting The Team

If clients, suppliers or prospective employees regularly visit, consider what happens when they arrive.

They should be able to identify where to go without walking through confidential working areas or interrupting employees to ask for directions. There should also be an appropriate place for them to wait or hold a conversation.

Businesses should think about:

• Signage and arrival instructions
• Visitor parking arrangements
• Where guests should wait
• Access to toilets and meeting facilities
• The visibility of screens and confidential documents
• Who is responsible for welcoming visitors

A clear visitor process can help a small office feel organised without requiring a formal reception desk.

Review The Layout As The Business Changes

Office planning should not be treated as a one-off project. Recruitment, hybrid working and new equipment can gradually make a previously suitable layout less effective.

Ask employees what is working and where they experience regular difficulties. Their feedback may identify noise problems, a shortage of private call space or storage that is positioned in an inconvenient location.

Reviewing the office periodically can help the business make smaller improvements before a complete move becomes necessary.

Find Space That Fits The Way You Work

Making better use of office space begins with understanding what your team actually needs. Review everyday attendance, create appropriate areas for different activities and avoid using valuable working space for furniture or equipment that serves no clear purpose.

Where the current office no longer fits the business, Enterprise House offers hot desks, co-working areas, serviced offices and leased offices in Malton. To discuss the available options or arrange a viewing, contact the Enterprise House team.