Running a business out of an office can be quite problematic. There are huge amounts of technology to keep working, a workforce to keep happy and everything in between. In this day and age being successful isn’t easy, there are thousands of businesses starting up each year and the majority of them fail. To stay afloat you need to give yourself the best possible chance of success, and to do this you must explore all avenues and do you best to keep it ticking over. This article highlights points of interest which can help give you the right thought processes that can lead to a successful office environment that promotes a healthy and profitable business.

Get The Right Premises

You need to ensure you spend the right amount of time looking for the right premises. Find the right office with a little bit of extra space to grow, this way if you employ more people they’ll have comfortable space to work from and you won’t need to up sticks and look for a new place to operate form. You should also make sure the rent asked for is tenable and fair, and check whether it is close to public transport links for your employees and whether there are sufficient parking spaces for those who drive.

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Ensure Your Systems Stay Running

Getting the correct hardware can be tough, but maintaining it can be even harder. You’ll have dozens of computers each running software at different levels. You need to try your best to get the best internet connection, otherwise productivity will slump and your workforce will grow frustrated. Get the best deal you can and ensure it is limitless, as a business customer there may be some room for haggling too. If you have blind spots consider getting a WIFI booster to boost the signal to areas that don’t get the best signal. It may also be worth seeking external help with it support, having someone help manage your systems means less chances of issues arising and someone on the end of the phone who are invested in your system’s staying operational. They can also help answer any questions you may have. You’ll want to carry out basic maintenance too such as defragmentation, make sure it is done at least once a week on all of your computers to ensure they are running as fast as they can. As a business owner you’re responsible to updating your software and computer OS too, if you don’t you’re vulnerable and your systems won’t work as well.

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Keep Your Workforce Happy

Working in an office can become dreary quickly. Sat in the same chair hours on end staring at a screen isn’t the most exciting of jobs. First, make sure the break room is nice. Keeping a quality break room is important, it gives your employees somewhere different to spend their time other than their desk. The design of the break room should be totally different from that of the office. It will give the employee a sense of a true break. Make sure it has sufficient amenities like an oven, microwave, fridge, and a TV. Comfy chairs are a plus too. If you see someone taking their break at their desk then you should stop it, as their productivity will actually drop in the long run. Try to keep the day to day job fun, things like dress down fridays and quirky office design can stop the rut. Also, away days help, getting out of the office on team building exercises will almost feel like a day off and help regenerate tired people and give them a boost.

Mitigate The Risks

When you’re getting the equipment you’ll likely have started out with a server which all of your computers are connected up to. Servers can be good, but they’re expensive. They also take up space which could be better used for storage. Servers can be easily damaged by water, fire and are more susceptible to viruses. Instead, consider cloud computing. It allows you to access all of your important files and mitigate the risk of losing key client data. It saves you space and is way harder to hack than traditional servers. The cloud offers the ability to access your business and client data from anywhere in the world so long as there is an internet connection. It is useful to you and your colleagues if you travel often and you can access far more data than if you were carrying an external storage device.