Starting a new business or moving from one office building to another is a task that requires planning and organization. Setting up an efficient and organized office building will allow you to help clients and customers in a timely manner.

Look at the layout of the building. Get a copy of the floor plan. If you don’t have a floor plan, sketch out a basic floor plan. Start marking areas that are obvious. For example, the receptionist should be located by the front door. The kitchen area should be the break room and so on. If you have a multi–floor office, generally the owner or managers’ offices are on the higher floors. Mark the copied floor plan with your choices. Pay close attention to the amount of space needed by each employee. Make a list of all the filing cabinets, printers and other office equipment used by each department. Go over each area and determine which department or employee would be best to place there.

If you do not already have office equipment like printers, copiers, computers, filing cabinets and the other everyday equipment your office needs, now is the time to get it. The size and shape of large desks and filing cabinets can have a big impact on the layout in an office. Layout each area of the office on the floor plan. Mark where each desk, cabinet,chair, table and any other furniture are to be placed.

Once you have decided on the basic layout of your office, start marking where desks, filing cabinets, copiers and other larger items will be placed. If you have a group of people who all print to the same printer, make a specific area for the printer. This area should be easily accessed by all that use it.

Set up all the phone lines, CAT 5 or CAT 6 cables and any other networking or communications cables so that each desk has a phone line and access to the network. You should also purchase multi-line phones and network routers for the office.

Set up a supply closet for all your regular office supplies. This would include things such as pens, highlighters, paper, folders and etc. Setting up one place for all your supplies will help during inventory and reordering.

Physically set up each office area and make adjustments as needed. Follow the layout you drew up beforehand. Once all the furniture and equipment is set up, you can decorate your office with plants, paintings and other aesthetically pleasant items.  One item to be sure and not overlook is the trash can.

Each office building is different, because each business is different.  The best way to create the optimum working conditions for your employees is asking them what would help them be the most productive, and trying your best to accommodate each request.