What Is a Temporary Office Space? Is It a Good Option for Your Startup?

A start-up business requires a lot of careful consideration. There are the larger elements, such as financing, deciding on a leadership team, etc. With a typical brick-and-mortar setup, there is also going to be the matter of deciding on a location.

Is it going to be a big industrial office? Maybe renting a small store in a mall could work out. What about a temporary office space? Not everyone may consider it, but going this transitional route could be hugely beneficial.

Below is a spread of useful information to help you familiarize yourself with what could be the perfect solution to your fledgling business needs.

What Is a Temporary Office Space?

As the name implies, a temporary office space would be anywhere leased for either a short period or under flexible terms outside of the boundaries of a typical rental agreement.

If you consider how office leases work in the United States, Canada, and the UK, a company may commit to a five-year tenure. Going the temporary route, however, is often a good idea since a growing business can get access to the physical space needed, without having to think about the contractual obligations that standard rentals would come with.

Is Temporary Office Space Right for Your Business?

While a temporary office space for rent can sound great, it may not be suited for all companies. Under most circumstances, once you have your essential office supplies and maybe even the feng shui office layout you're looking for, all should be well.

However, remember the major difference here is how things work contractually. Therefore, there are some businesses that this kind of arrangement will be more well suited to. Here are several examples to put things into perspective:

• You plan on keeping your existing office space, but you want another smaller area for overflow staff.
• There is construction or an extensive repair job taking place at your current building.
• Your company is currently a one-man team that is just getting started.
• The home of your business is in another state or country, and you need a place to get going immediately.
• Whatever the nature of your company is happens to be seasonal, so you don't want a permanent building.
• You are not only in the startup phase, but you are also at the point where your team can no longer fit around a single table.

Notice that all these examples are conducive to arrangements that are likely to continue for relatively short periods.

Not all operations will fit well here. For example, if you have a team of 500 employees, and are looking for a new office space for a round-the-clock operation, this may not be a good idea for you.

What is the point here? Before you jump at temporary office solutions because they sound attractive, think about their relevance to your situation.

What Are the Benefits of Temporary Office Space?

Flexibility

If you feel like you want to rent a temporary office space on a rolling monthly basis, then do so! It feels great to be able to terminate the arrangement without having to worry about any early exit fees. Therefore, if you were just at the location awaiting your time to transition to a larger premises, you can do so easily.

Cost Efficiency

When you have a standard rental agreement, you must think about all the fixtures. This will often lead to situations where budgeting for bulk office furniture becomes all but mandatory. Temporary office spaces will typically have all the furniture you need. You may even find that enhancements, such as desk accessories, are included too!

It's the kind of setup that allows you to really hit the ground running, since the required facilities would already be in place.

Infrastructure

Infrastructure is undoubtedly one of the biggest puzzle pieces in operational efficiency. This will include heating, cooling, storage, supplies, etc. As you may have surmised from the previous point, a temporary workspace is much more than just a room.

Sure, it does depend on who you rent this space from, but there will usually be important infrastructure elements that you don't have to worry about yourself.

Comfort

The value of comfort can be very underrated. However, it could be the reason productivity is strongly positively or negatively impacted. If the space is purely used by males, for example, the office decor for men is a great idea.

Whatever you choose to do, your intention should be to ensure that the environment leads to an engaged and focused team.

Networking

There isn't business success without the help of networking. In fact, even if your company has expanded to become larger than you had ever thought possible, fostering the addition and maintenance of professional connections should never stop.

If the temporary office space happens to be in a coworking environment, there will likely be other professionals around that the team can network with. Not only does this introduce the possibility of new opportunities, but it can also make the workspace much more comfortable.

Sure, your employees may not directly work with these external parties, but if they are going to be around them relatively frequently, what could be the harm in familiarity?

Broadened Horizons

Another benefit of a space that is not necessarily yours is the exposure that it can grant you to new ideas. When you are thinking about a temporary workspace, this may be one of the last considerations on your mind, though it can be such a beneficial one.

This feeds into the previous point about working around others in the same area. Apart from the new connections and opportunities that networking can present down the line, there's the fact that so many backgrounds and sources of knowledge may coexist within a single space.

The result is new sources of inspiration, ways of thinking, and more that can be adapted to your own business needs.

Internal Image

Having a done-for-you setup means there is less of a need to concern yourself too extensively with office design ideas. Whether it is your internal team or the customers who may be coming to visit you, having a well-put-together space allows you to make a strong professional statement, establishing your authority.

Socialization

Again, there is a benefit that comes from being in a place that allows for interaction both within the team and with external entities. The difference here, however, is that this is more of a personal benefit than a professional one.

If you think about what the experience of working remotely looks like, it can be very isolating. Even when there is dedicated office space, people can find themselves working in silos or within a design that doesn't encourage much communication.

Regardless of what anyone may say, humans need interaction. With a solid temporary workspace, employees can get that sense of belonging and connection from communicating amongst themselves and with others around them.

Bear in mind too that these spaces will often have private rooms, making it possible to get the benefits of socialization and privacy, when either may be needed.

Access to Talent

Remember how being around others can be beneficial for three different reasons? Well, it turns out that there is now a fourth. While you shouldn't necessarily be looking to go into these places to poach human resources from others, one could say that it's one of the known possibilities within the working world.

There may just be an opening or a need for a certain skill set within your business that someone in the space happens to fill. Vetting such a candidate is likely to be a lot easier when they are likely so much more readily accessible.

Ready to Go

This sentiment has been echoed a few times so far. The transitional step of getting into a new space is never easy. With traditional rental agreements, you're usually starting from the ground up, which exacerbates that concern.

However, a temporary workspace will usually be designed in a way that allows you to jump in and get moving. It really doesn't feel like transitioning from one office to the next and waiting for what seems like an eternity for business processes to pick up their normal pace.

From networking to amenities to layout, and more, the space is already well prepared and just waiting for you to do your best with it.

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Temporary Office Space

What should you be thinking about when choosing a temporary office space? First, you must know that's a question no one can completely answer for you since your circumstances are unique. However, here are a few thoughts starters that can get you on the right path:

• Affordability
• Consistency of business operations
• Team size
• Data confidentiality needs
• Required lease length

Can Temporary Office Space Become Long-term Office Space?

To put it briefly, yes, your temporary office space can become a long-term arrangement. Businesses have found that what should have been a stopgap setup ended up transitioning into something much longer.

One of the major drivers behind this is changing company needs. Remember that not all temporary office spaces are built equally. Therefore, one may suit your requirements today, but it may not do so within a few months.

When you have an expensive lease that you're committed to, and these changes in needs happen, moving from one building to the next is a challenge and a half. However, shifting between temporary setups would be a much more viable option in such scenarios.

Throw in the low overhead, existing infrastructure, done-for-you design, and other benefits of these arrangements, and you can start to see why they are considered for the long term.

Tips to Set Up an Ergonomic Office Room for Your Temporary Office

Even in the context of a temporary workspace that is designed for you, small changes can be made to make things more comfortable. Remember ergonomics refers to the fit between the employees, the tools they use, and their environment.

It could mean something as simple as knowing how to arrange two desks in a small office to get people to sit around them most comfortably. In any case, here are a couple of simple actionable tips that you can run with:

• Artificial lighting is only meant to make up for what natural light cannot do alone
• Use desk pads to allow more seamless peripheral use and to preserve desk surfaces
• If any influence can be exerted over the furniture, opt for adjustable fixtures

Necessary Office Furniture and Accessories for an Ergonomic Setup

Standing Desk

The human body was made for movement, which is why the recommendation here is to use an adjustable standing desk. A standard table would have you seated for the entire work session, which is a recipe for lower back and other issues.

Standing for the entire day is not recommended either. A sit-stand desk allows you to alternate between seated and standing positions at desired intervals.

Ergonomic Chair

While you are not supposed to be seated the entire day, while you are sitting, you want the experience to be as comfortable and as healthy as possible. For this, you're going to need a solid ergonomic office chair.

What you're looking for are adjustable elements, including seat height, seat tilt, lumbar support, armrests, recline, etc. The idea is to have a well-supported sitting session that helps you maintain a neutral spine and other elements of excellent work posture.

Lighting Fixtures

Natural light is often not enough for a workspace. This is where artificial light comes into the picture. One of the best options is to get a light bar that you can not only turn on and off, but also one that you can adjust the intensity and color temperature of to account for changes in natural brightness.

Monitor Arms

If you want to recapture tabletop real estate, while being able to easily maneuver your monitor around to its most optimal positions, consider getting a monitor arm to suspend it in the air. It's never been easier to transition between landscape and portrait orientations.

Final Remarks

It's hard to deny the sheer impact and practicality that temporary workspaces can introduce for those in the right set of circumstances. After all, you're getting low overheads, predesigned spaces, networking potential, flexible contracts, etc. Just ensure that you are taking the time to confirm that such an arrangement is right for your business needs.