The average business has many different metrics to worry about to protect the bottom line. These vary between sectors, but one that just about every organisation share is making the most of square footage. With rents at an all-time high and competition for clients fiercer than ever, every organisation needs to be rethinking their approach to space management. Whether you’re looking to keep budgets in check, attract and retain the best talent, or simply make a downsized office work for you, space management isn’t something you can ignore.

Sadly, many businesses fail to address space management successfully. This can lead to inefficient configurations that put a dent in productivity, a decrease in employee satisfaction, and spiralling expenditures wasted on unnecessary rent and energy bills. With the right facilities management company in place, you can make space management woes a thing of the past.

At Brosnan Property Solutions, we’ve been leading the field in FM solutions for years. Need help adapting your space to changing working models? Eager to explore the benefits of space management for yourself? Our guide breaks down everything you need to know.

What is Workplace Space Management?

In essence, workplace space management is all about making the most of the space your employees work in. It can be as simple as rearranging furniture and everyday assets for efficiency, to investing in facility management services that will increase the comfort credentials of your space. Ultimately, the end goal is the same.

Has the Hybrid Office Reinvented Space Management?

In recent years, many organisations have made the switch to remote work. However, not every business has been able to say goodbye to the traditional office-based model altogether. The hybrid working model, where employees sometimes operate in a traditional workspace and sometimes work remotely, is also becoming increasingly commonplace. According to a 2023 report by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, 42% of Irish companies have adapted to the hybrid working model.

While the office hybrid offers many benefits for employees and business owners alike, it doesn’t come without its fair share of challenges. While many of the usual facility management best practices

 still apply, unpredictable working patterns can make planning for space management difficult. Some businesses have taken this as an opportunity to downsize, but this isn’t always the right choice for companies. Should employees wish to return to their desks in the future, a more compact office will present significant space management obstacles.

What Are the Benefits of Space Management in the Workplace?

Whether you’re continuing to operate as you always have or wish to downsize after adopting a hybrid working model, space management is something you need to consider. Need more convincing? Below are just a handful of advantages of utilising space management in the workspace.

1. Space Management Future-Proofs Your Business

Even though remote working has been embraced across the world, Irish employees have proved particularly enthusiastic about the change. In 2022, around 25% of Irish employees reported working from home most of the time. With Irish businesses proving so adaptable to remote and hybrid working, it looks certain that these models will become more commonplace in the future. Any business that fails to cater to this surging appetite for flexible working may struggle to secure the best talent in the years to come. Companies that embrace space management will prove to be more agile, staying ahead of the competition and ensuring they’re as attractive as possible to top-tier candidates.

2. It Makes the Most of Your Space

This is one of the fundamentals of space management best practices. When every square inch of your workspace is used to its fullest, you’ll face fewer issues when expanding your business or making room for an increased headcount. This doesn’t just allow companies to comfortably grow, it avoids them having to make knee-jerk decisions when securing new premises.

In a rush to provide adequate square footage to expand a team or incorporate a new client, businesses can end up paying a premium for a space that isn’t always an ideal fit for their needs. When you consider that in Dublin, prime rents cost an average of €700 per square metre, it makes more sense to invest in space management and maximise the office you already have.

3. Increased Employee Satisfaction

Whether your employees are at their desks every day or only head into the office a couple of times per week, you need to prioritise employee satisfaction. By utilising space management, you can make your workspace more appealing to increasingly savvy job-seekers. Even highly skilled candidates may consider a less competitive starting salary if the facilities they’ll be working in are above the standard.

Along with a focus on efficiency and comfort, good space management ensures employees have additional facilities at their disposal. These can include breakout rooms for informal meetings, quiet zones, and spaces for socialising.

4. Cut Down on Energy Costs

Everyone’s feeling the pinch of rising energy costs. However, it’s not always easy for businesses to cut corners and reduce their energy use. It’s even more difficult if the building you are based in isn’t particularly sustainable. Whether it’s second-rate insulation or energy-draining HVAC systems, a typical office building might be leeching thousands of euros in unnecessary energy expenditure, every year.

A huge benefit of space management is that you can start addressing the day-to-day energy use of your workspace, alongside your actual requirements. If certain spaces are barely used during the working day, it doesn’t make sense to keep them consistently heated or air-conditioned.

5. Improved Functionality and Productivity

You’ll know how just a few minor changes to an office arrangement can have a major impact on general productivity. With space management, you can constantly reassess how your work environment is being used and adjust as and when. It’s particularly important if your workspace is occupied by many departments, each with very different goals and ways of working.

Why You Should Be Taking Space Management Seriously

Why is facility management important for businesses? It plays a key role in delivering effective space management. Without out, you stand little chance of making the most of the space you have and the resources in it. Once properly implemented, you’ll be able to reap significant cost savings, enjoy boosted employee productivity and ensure your space is safe and compliant.

Need Help with Space Management?

Worried that you’re not making maximum use of your workspace? Outsourcing facility management and space management is worth considering. At Brosnan Property Solutions, we’ve been delivering first-rate FM services to happy customers across Ireland for more than 20 years. Whether it’s unbeatable FM services you’re after or you need help with property maintenance, we can help.

Keen to learn more about how Brosnan Property Solutions can help you with your space management needs? Schedule a callback today by using the online contact form or get in touch with the team on 0818 333770.