7 Tips for Handling Business When Your Office is Under Construction

Renovation is always a challenging period. In all cases, it means shifting your life from top to bottom and making changes that can impact the normal routine functioning.

But when it comes to the renovation of office space, the hassle is particularly severe. You don’t only have to work during the up-gradation, but have to take care of important files and machines and keep them away from harm’s way.

The aspects you consider when renovating a commercial or office building are quite different from that of renovating a residential area.

You have to ensure your productivity and the business operations are not impacted to the point of negatively affecting your business. So, it is essential to find a way to continue working with the frequent disruptions in the company operations.

The preparatory and precautionary measures also change depending on the type of your organization. For instance, if it is a hospital, the preparation is quite different from a grocery store because, in the former situation, there is the life of the patients, which is a factor to consider.

So, what can you do to handle your business and continue its operation when the office is under construction? Here are some tips.

1. Hire A Shipping Container

If you cannot relocate to another office location, the easiest and practical solution is to hire shipping containers and change them into the workplace for a few days.

This way, you can stay close to your own office building and keep an eye on the construction too. You can search for various renting services according to your location.

For instance, if you live in Brisbane, search container storage Brisbane, and you get all the highly-rated renting services on the first page. They are an excellent option for a short time change of business location.

The transfer of stuff is also easy if the container is installed near your office under renovation. These containers are found in various sizes.

2. Carry Out Thorough Meetings Before Starting Construction

The construction project of an office building may need more planning than a residential project. In your attempt to upgrade your office, make it more beautiful or spacious, you cannot jeopardize your business.

Therefore, before you plan for the construction in the office, inform your employees, discuss all the details with them.

As they are one of the major stakeholders in this activity, they should be included in all phases, including planning and execution.

3. Plan Extensively With Your Construction Team

Apart from the employees, you have to call a meeting with the project manager, architects, and the contractor as well.

The manager need not only be responsible for the normal pace of the renovation, but it also has to make sure its client’s work is not disrupted beyond repair.

In these meetings, you must decide the layout, timelines, and major milestones of the project. If you are renovating multiple office areas, decide which part goes under renovation first and what follows it.

4. Mark Construction Zones

Marking the construction zones is not all about defining the areas under construction.

You have to define all the areas that are part of this project, including where they will keep the construction material, the entry and exit points, the parking, waste dumps, and the construction equipment and machinery installation.

You will see that a construction project is never limited to its supposed renovation boundary. You need extra space to manage the other details related to the renovation happening at the office.

5. Take Regulations And Permits Into Consideration

You might have planned everything for the upcoming renovation and extension project, but it is better to go back and review the regulations and permit again.

So, before you start the renovation project, take out all the regulations and construction permits for that area.

You might also want to consider the standards of construction and renovation around your office area. Work with the contractors, the architects, and the local authorities to make sure you fulfill all the requirements.

6. Develop A Working Schedule

If you have a limited workspace and you can’t change the location either, the maximum you can do is to develop a working schedule. You need to discuss with the contractor and devise a plan that best suits both of you.

You might negotiate with them to work early mornings or during the night after the working hours, so the work routine doesn’t get disturbed much. You can also arrange more work around the weekends.

At the same time, you have to weigh the cost of letting the workers work outside the normal working hours or change your work location and speed up the construction.

Is the cost of the disrupted operations more than the additional cost of construction? If the answer is yes, then it is better to pay extra for the renovation of the space.

However, also discuss with your employees to be ready to work with the construction workers doing their own things. It might not be easy initially, but things can get pretty normal with time as they get used to the routine of labor moving around them and doing their job.

7. Consider The Well-Being Of Your Employees

The purpose of the renovation is that the office space looks more inviting and workable for your employees.  The process of renovation and working with the hurdles is already stressful for your employee.

Therefore, make sure the results don’t aggravate the situation further. Apart from that, when employees are working in the same space where renovation and construction are underway, there can be a lot of health issues associated with it.

So make sure you have the necessary precautions, such as masks.

The purpose of the renovation is often to make the workplace spacious and better suited for office functions. However, keeping the business operations running while the renovation is underway can be quite challenging.

You have to ensure that the employees get the least disruptions in their routine work due to changes in the physical environment

. It is better a separate office space away from renovation to limit the interruption while working. On the contrary, you can develop construction and work zones within the same area as well.