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Do I need a small office near Harrogate?
Helen Cryer • Sep 22, 2021
So you want a small office near Harrogate but you're not sure it's going to be worth the cost?
To take an office or not to take an office?
If you're a small startup working from home your first small office can be a really big decision. This blog discusses whether a small office is worth having.
An office is, after all, an additional expense, and I can hear you already asking is it really
worth it?
How much does it cost?
Let's get down to brass tacks. The first question that always comes up is about the price. Can you afford a small office?
Well if you eat out regularly or go on regular nights out
then yes, there's a good chance you can afford a small office. Monthly and yearly prices can look intimidating but when you consider where your money goes, a small office becomes much more affordable.
According to the Mail online
the average Brit spends (are you ready for this?) a whopping £2,210 a year in coffee shops. Yes. That's right. £2,210 a year. That's a good chunk towards finding yourself in a lovely small office instead.
According to another article the average Brit spends £70 on a night out
and goes out roughly 5 times a month. That's your small office paid for.
Although the figures can seem a lot at first glance consider what you get for your money when investing in a small office near Harrogate.
Do I really need a small office?
So we know that if you're an average person there's a good chance you can afford that small office. However that doesn't necessarily mean you should have one. Do you actually need
one? The simple answer is - it depends.
It depends on you and what you want and where you see your business going in the next few years.
If you are employing or thinking of employing staff then the answer is straightforwards and simple.
If you employ staff
The answer is yes! A small office is definitely worth having.
Why?
1. Professionalism - when people work for you they want to come to an office environment, not your house. When clients search for you on Google there's a good chance a professional address will impress them much more than a residential one!
2. Privacy - when you're employing someone you want to keep personal documents and your home life private - this is challenging in a home environment but easy with a small office.
3. Working from home doesn't always work - for some people it does, but if there's one thing that's been highlighted at this business park recently, it's this: for a lot of people working from home has not lived up to expectations. If you need clear, easy, face to face communication an office is the best place to be - it can be motivating just to get out and see other people and new faces in a different space. If you want to see how your staff are doing than an office is the best environment to make this possible.
Why not work from home?
It's so convenient to work from home right?
Well, actually.... that's not the story we hear - over and over again.
Working from home in theory is a perfect solution. Set up a home office, work for the day and save time on your commute and then close the door and return to home life, right?
Well, not quite.
The dreaded phonecall comes asking you whether you could "just nip Aunt Mable to the doctors for her flu jab" because....well you're at home. Conveniently at home. Too conveniently at home. After all you can just catch up on work later right?
Or the neighbour's dog has an overwhelming need to bark, just when you're making that important call.
Better yet you're about to cinch a deal when the cat makes that distinctive sound - you know the one. The strange yowling cough that triggers a spontaneous, mindless, lurch out of your chair, at a speed that astonishes even yourself, to throw it out of the house before something nasty happens - right in the middle of your home office rug. Delightful. Definitely worth posting on social media about how you are 'living the dream' right now after that treasured moment.
So the cat is banished from the house, and while you're up you may as well get lunch and do some housework. The next load of washing needs to be hung out, and you've already spent half an hour on social media convincing your friends that no, you can't do lunch today because you're behind on everything else that needs doing and working from home doesn't
mean you have a day off.
So you've cracked those problems, set down your boundaries, growled so often at the spouse and kids that the home office has become a sacred space, never to be entered during working hours.
But you just can't get your mind to focus on the work at hand. You're missing the transition of a commute which gives you the time to get into the right headspace and get into work mode.....
Then someone comments on how nice it must be to work from home and you nod and wonder what you're doing wrong.
The reality is that a lot of people struggle when working from home - and it's okay to want to work in an office environment among other adults. In fact there's a good chance it's perfectly normal. With surveys indicating that up to 80% of people see a negative impact on their mental health when working from home (see here) it's important to recognise if you are one of the people who would benefit from having an office to go to. If you are it's easy to do something about it.
How about shared workspace?
We are asked this a lot. Do we do shared workspace?
No, we don't. Why not?
A shared workspace may seem like a great answer but the reality is it is nowhere near as good as a private small office.
Have you ever worked in a library? Or on your kitchen table at home? Shared workspace is kind of like that.
You can't leave your stuff out. You can't control who else is using the space at the same time as you (obnoxiously loud person on the phone anyone?) and you don't get the benefit of an official office address to use on your PR material.
You're not even guaranteed a desk at the time you want it.
Why have a private small office?
1. You have a space where you can work and leave your work until the next day.
2. You don't have to worry about privacy or being overheard. Our small offices have 6 inch thick soundproofed walls - not flimsy stud ones.
3. It gives you somewhere to meet clients that maintains your privacy and looks professional - and luxurious
4. Visitors aren't using your loo - they're using ours - and our loos are very nice too!
5. You get a change of scene. Work is work and home is home.
6. You can close the door on work at the end of the day (or pretend to!) and relax at home with a glass of wine on an evening without wondering whether you should just put in an extra hour or two to catch up on the stuff that didn't get done today....
7. Oh and you get to see other people, and have conversations, about work. You get to be a professional and to be seen as such.
And that, as they say, is priceless!
Oakwood Park Business Centre is an exceptional location for businesses looking for a modern, high-quality office space to let or rent in the Harrogate area. The business centre is situated in a beautiful, landscaped setting just off the A61, making it easily accessible by road and public transport.
Oakwood Park Business Centre is a modern and flexible office space located in the beautiful countryside just outside of Harrogate. With office suites available that can accommodate between 4-10 people, this business centre is ideal for small to medium-sized businesses looking for a professional and comfortable workspace.
Oakwood Park Business Centre, Fountains Rd, Harrogate HG3 3BF
TeL: 01423 779216
Email: alan@oakwoodpark.co.uk