Is It Time To Rent Private Office Space?

Working from home isn’t for everyone.

It’s not outrageous to suggest that 2020 is the year that has changed how we conduct both work and business. Even once the current pandemic passes, the old way of doing business will remain just that — the old way.

Many companies and people are finding that full-sized office facilities are not economically prudent right now. With reduced staff onsite, a lot of space and other resources are going to waste. Bringing more people into the office will only result in increased risk for serious illness.

As companies feel the pressure to downsize, they also feel the pressure to avoid any disruption of business. This means finding a solution to maintaining a professional presence while not breaking the bank or increasing the risk of illness to employees or customers. This also means finding the best way to manage employee productivity during these challenging times.

Because of the need to practice social distancing to slow the spread of COVID-19, many employees found themselves suddenly working from home. While many found ways to adapt and even thrive, many other employees found that their focus and productivity suffered. Working at home often consisted of too many distractions.

Additional issues with working from home include the lack of on-hand tech support, storage space for business paperwork, and lack of privacy. It’s hard to hold a professional Zoom meeting with an important client if Spongebob Squarepants is blaring in the background.

Coworking spaces vs. private office spaces

Before the pandemic, coworking spaces were all the rage. Or perhaps not. It seemed like we were getting conflicting reports. Personally, I liked the idea. They were as social as working at a coffee shop but had a good hotel business center’s practicality. But the cost of membership seemed a little high for a place where you had little control over things like noise or interruptions.

I do very much like the idea of small personal office space rentals. There, one can control the noise element better. The door can close. Distractions are cut down. But at the same time, there are social opportunities (within current safety precautions) to meet with other workers in common areas of the building. And I like not having to worry about the minutiae of managing even a solo office space.

I suppose it comes down to preference and availability. During the pandemic, coworking spaces are considered risky, and you won’t see many practical ones around for a while. Private office spaces might cost a little more, but the benefits are more significant in terms of how people work today.

Benefits of private office space rental

Some attempts to reshape or reimagine office culture have worked better than others. Is private office rental an option whose time has come? Here are five factors to consider:

Scalability

Whether it’s just you, or a team of a dozen to a hundred, you can select whatever amount of space you need. No more, no less. As your needs change, so too can the amount of space you rent.

Office essentials

Private offices for rent can come furnished or unfurnished. A furnished office means not having to worry about moving in desks or filing cabinets. They’re already there. Many office space renters — especially those trying to be competitive — may offer additional incentives in the form of WiFi service, meeting rooms, and onsite business centers with copy machines, printers, and charging stations.

Logistics

Whose turn is it to clean the office bathroom and kitchen? Why are we out of coffee filters? Who takes care of the trash? Is there anyone where who can sign for this package?

If you’re managing your own office space, whether it’s for a hundred people, a dozen, or just yourself, these are all things you have to deal with.

Many places that rent out private office spaces will take care of these things for you. Check the agreement, to be sure, but most will take care of general maintenance and cleaning, receive and send mail, and other mundane tasks. The better ones will even keep fully stocked kitchens or vending machine areas onsite, have readily available tech support for the business center and WiFi, and offer VoIP phone service.

Privacy

Whether in person or via videoconferencing, privacy can be important when dealing with clients or coworkers. This can be especially important if you’re in a field with regulatory compliance requirements such as healthcare or finance.

Private rental offices have doors that can be closed. If you or your employees have been stuck working at home a lot lately, this feature will be warmly welcomed.

Productivity

Finally, while shuffling down to your temporary home office each morning in your robe and slippers might sound like a luxury, it can be a real productivity killer. If you want to maintain your focus and boost your productivity, you can best do that by getting out of the house and into an office setting — all while wearing actual shoes.

Where to find office rentals

Unsurprisingly, a lot depends on location, availability, and demand. Urban areas are going to have more options than rural areas. Suburban areas could go either way, depending on whether there are under-filled industrial parks or business complexes nearby.

Start with classified ads, either online or in the newspaper. I’ve found Craigslist to be a pretty reliable source for affordable small business rental opportunities. Local business associations may have some leads you could follow, and you can always tap into the local word-of-mouth network and see who your friends and colleagues recommend.

You could also go online and see what companies like WeWork or DropDesk have to offer in your area.

Who pays for it?

Fair question.

If you’re a freelancer or solo entrepreneur looking to get out of the house or garage, you’re likely going to have to foot the bill for whatever private rental space you can afford. Some rental spaces are cheaper than others. You may have to give up some perks, but it’s worth shopping around. And don’t forget to keep records of every expenditure for your taxes.

If you’re a business, you’ll have to sit down and compare what you’re paying now for unused space and what you could be paying for space more scaled for your current needs. Figure out all your costs of doing business against what savings you may gain from a scalable private rental. And, of course, any tax benefits along the way.

If you’re working from home, you’ll have to compare what you’d be paying versus what you could be earning with increased productivity. This one may be harder to justify, so if you are part of a company with a good number of employees working from home, you may want to see if your company would be interested in subsidizing your private office rental. Sell them on the benefits. You may be surprised, and you may find them renting several spaces for you and your coworkers so you can all work safely and efficiently.

For both businesses and solo entrepreneurs

Businesses experiencing changes in the size of their operation or number of employees can find solutions in private office space rentals in that they can maintain a professional business address, scale their rentals to their needs, and have many of the usual perks of an office environment already in place.

Solo entrepreneurs and freelancers can take advantage of reasonably priced private office space to give their small business a more professional air, have a place to meet with clients, and enjoy the same office environment benefits of larger enterprises.

Having clean and functioning office space is about more than just appearances. It’s about productivity, morale, and professionalism.

This could be the solution many of those struggling with work-from-home or business downsizing have been looking for.

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