Whether you work in a traditional office, a home office, or on the road, your productivity and morale can be affected by the way you set up your office.
From choosing your office space to how you decorate and organize it, there are a lot of decisions to make. In addition, there are many things you may not know you need to consider, especially if you’re setting up your first small business office.
So, if you’re looking to get the most from, and inspire your employees, take some time to check out the collection of small business office ideas below.
Office Ideas: Renting and Moving Tips
Before you can set up your office, you need to first find one. If you’re working at home or on the road, this section’s not much use. (There are special sections for you below!) However, if you need to rent or lease a space for your small business, read on.
Securing Your First Office Space
Procuring an office space can be mighty overwhelming, especially if it’s your first time. These 21 tips can be used as a starting point and should help you ask the questions you didn’t know you needed to ask. Once you’ve check out that list, take a look at these additional tips for picking out your first office space.
14 Tips for Finding Office Space for Your Growing Team
Growth is great, but it may squeeze your small business out of its current office space. These 14 tips provide actionable options for relieving those growing pains.
Changing Spaces
When the time comes to move your office, it’s important that the move does not detract from everyday businesses. Here are 12 tips that will help you plan a low-impact move and six ways to relieve any move-related stress.
Office Ideas: Setup and Organization Tips
The way your office is configured can make or break employee productivity and collaboration. Plan before you begin and use the additional tips below to discover more office ideas.
What is the Optimal Startup Office Setup?
This post discusses some of the high-level points you should consider as you begin to plan an office space for your startup.
5 Ways to Optimize Your Workspace
Read these five tips for more ideas on how to get the most out of your office space.
Is Bigger Better? Office Politics and Working Real Estate Space
Office politics and position often dictate who gets a corner office or even a door at all. Here are some things to consider when divvying out the spots where each employee will work within the office.
Conference Room Design Ideas for Your Business
One of the most important considerations when planning your small business office space is determining the space where your employees will gather to work together. This handy infographic discusses many topics from the size of your conference space to temperature, color and technology.
10 Tips for Creating the Ultimate Break Room for Your Employees
Working at a startup can be grueling, especially at the beginning when long hours are more the norm than not. Use these break room ideas to create a space for your employees to decompress during and after a hard day’s work.
LED Carpeting May Light the Way to the Future
If you’re going for a futuristic, uncluttered look, you might want to consider using LED carpeting instead of distracting signs and directions.
Open Plan Office
Should your business have an open plan office setup where there are few walls and many places to meet and collaborate? There are many arguments on both sides of this discussion. On the upside, people argue that an open plan office increases employee engagement. On the downside, an open office plan leads to noise and distractions something that can usually be handled by creating rules, but not always.
14 Ways to Use Color to Organize Your Office
This post addresses the use of color at both the office level and at the employee-by-employee level. Both approaches provide useful ideas for using color when setting up and organizing your workspace.
21 Storage and Organization Ideas to Make any Office Run Smoother
Finally, here are 21 tips for organizing your office efficiently. Again, these can be used at both the office level and at the employee-by-employee level depending on what you decide is best for your small business.
Office Ideas: Decor Tips
Decorating your office can be tricky. You want a space that helps your employees reach their peak productivity while, at the same time, you want it to be welcoming to visiting clients and customers. Here are some ideas for accomplishing both goals.
How Color Makes You Work Better
Colors can have a positive and negative affect on productivity and brand perception. Here are 14 tips that will help you use color in your office to achieve the results you want.
Office Decorating Ideas
The two posts below contain 40 office decorating tips for you to consider:
20 Indoor Plants That Can Improve Your Office Environment
Indoor plants are a colorful, and often inexpensive, way to decorate you office. Plants can even increase the health of your employees, clients, and customers. Here’s a list of 20 plants to consider for your office.
Office Ideas: Motivation and Inspiration Tips
The way you set up your small business office can have a real effect on your employees. Here are some office ideas on how to maximize that effect.
20 Power Packed Tips to Create an Inspiring Workspace
If you’re looking to create an inspiring workspace, consider these 20 tips or, watch the video below for the top 10 ways to create an inspiring workplace:
Tickle Your Funny Bone: 20 Desk Toys for the Office
Encouraging both fun and laughter is a great way to keep employee morale high. Here’s a list of 20 desk toys that can help you do just that.
Office Ideas: Green Office Tips
When it comes to your office, there are many reasons to go green. Whichever reason you state, here are some posts that will help you accomplish your eco-friendly goals:
- 7 Fun (and Stylish!) Ways to Go Green in the Office
- 7 Ways to Make Your Office More Energy Efficient
- How to Save on Energy Costs in Your Office
- If Switching Energy Suppliers Is So Easy, Why Don’t More Small Businesses Do It?
- Thermostat Wars: How to Make People Happy, Increase Productivity and Save Money
- Green Cleaning The Office Makes Sense
Office Ideas: Standing Desks and Ergonomic Chairs
Before you purchase furniture for your small business office, you may want to read these posts:
- Boost Your Productivity by – Standing While Working?
- Autonomous Introduces Affordable Smart Desk for Standing or Sitting
- Like Standing Desks? Wurf Board Air Platform Makes Feet More Comfy
- Improve Productivity With This Giant Hamster Wheel Desk
- Smartdesk Brand Autonomous Introduces Customizable ErgoChair
- Work Flat on Your Back with the Altwork Station
Office Ideas: Home Office Tips
There are lots of valid reasons for either your employees or you to work at home. While there are additional considerations (like home based business insurance), in the end, it’s a viable approach for many small businesses. Here are some tips for setting up a home office that works for you.
Setting Up Your Home Office
You want to create the perfect home office setup, with everything you need to be successful every day. Before getting started, you may want to consider these tips from celebrity home office organizers, and don’t forget specialty items like ecommerce shipping supplies if called for.
Finally, if you’re pressed for space, here’s a look at one of the coolest advances in how we use space, Ori Robotic Furniture:
Home Office Printers
In a home office, a printer typically serves three purposes:
- Printing;
- Faxing; and
- Scanning.
Here are 15 printers to consider for your home office plus two more printers to check out if you don’t find anything you like on the first list.
Office Ideas: Mobile Office Tips
If your employees or you are part of the growing group of people who work on the go, then you should consider these tips on how to create a mobile office that enables each of you to be productive while also staying on the move.
Mobile Office Supplies
After reading that post, you may want to check out this list of 19 things you’ll need to take your business mobile as well as these 15 mobile phone signal boosters for business users.
Screen Real Estate and Privacy
If you like using multiple screen when you’re in the office, then you’ll love this DIY idea for creating a three screen laptop. And speaking of screens, since you’ll likely use your laptop and other mobile devices in public, consider one of these 20 privacy screen protectors for your computers and phones.
Charging On the Go
Finally, here are some ideas for keeping your devices juiced and ready when you’re out of the office:
- Nomad Wallet Offers Phone Charger for Entrepreneurs on the Go
- Omnicharge is Portable Power Beyond the USB
- Set Up Your Mobile Office — in the Middle of Nowhere — with PLUG
- Power Up with 8 Battery Packs that Keep You on the Go
Office Ideas: Alternatives to the Traditional Office
Lastly, here are some non-traditional office alternatives that might suit your business better:
Coworking Spaces
Coworking is just that — sharing an office with other businesses to lower costs and management efforts. Check out these 20 hot coworking spaces for business or watch the video above to discover the top 10 coworking spaces for small businesses:
More Office Alternatives
If you like the convenience of a third-party conference room but want something more than your choice of sterile hotel options, check out the approach Meet At The Apartment takes.
And finally, if you like tiny houses, you might just love one of these unique home office solutions.
Office Design Photo via Shutterstock
This article, “The Ultimate Collection of Office Ideas for Your Small Business” was first published on Small Business Trends