How Much Space Do You Need? The Ultimate Office Sizing Guide

Searching for helpful office sizing tips? Not sure how much space you need for your employees?

If you want to make the most of the office space you have available and give your employees enough room, you should think carefully about office sizing. Knowing how to size your workplace can aid in productivity and will help ensure that your team is succeeding.

In this office size guide, we’ll tell you what you need to know about office sizing.

Understanding Standard Space Requirements

Space requirements for an office are hard to determine since there is no set standard.

Different companies have different needs and common sizing choices will be different based on the industry and the area where the office is located.

The needs of an office will vary and each type of employee will require different amounts of space to perform their duties adequately. If an employee requires additional computer monitors or office equipment, for example, they’ll need more space than another employee will.

Despite the differences between companies and types of employees, however, there are some standards and general guidelines to follow when it comes to determining how much space will be needed. Here are a few guidelines to keep in mind.

General Employee Needs

In general, employees requiring offices such as a president, vice president, or managers in a company will require more space. 400 square feet is a good amount for a president’s office while 150-200 feet will work fine for a vice president or a manager.

The space needed for employees will vary based on the type of office layout and design you choose to use.

For employees who will use a cubicle, the amount of space needed may range from 150-250 square feet. For open areas and office spaces, 75-125 feet will usually suffice.

For a spacious workplace where many employees have their own private office, such as a law firm, 250-550 square feet per employee is common.

Sizing of Common Office Areas

Aside from determining the amount of office space needed for each employee, it’s also important to think about the size of other specific areas in the office such as the reception area, meeting rooms, the mailroom, and the break room.

Here are a few recommendations for other types of rooms and spaces in your office:

• Reception Area: 80-100 square feet minimum with 10-15 additional square feet per person
• Mailroom: 125 square feet
• Break Room: 75 square feet minimum with 25 additional square feet per person
• Small Meeting Room (2-4 people): 100 square feet
• Large Meeting Room (4-8 people): 150 square feet
• File Room: 200 square feet
• Board Room (15-20 people): 225 square feet

Important Considerations For Choosing Office Sizing

When thinking about office sizing, make sure that you evaluate all of the important factors. Here are a few additional things you’ll want to consider when determining how much space you’ll need in your office.

1. Consider Your Floor Plan Carefully

When determining office sizing, you’ll need to consider what kind of floor plan you’re using. Open floor plans and other creative layouts are becoming more popular.

If you have an open floor plan in your office, you may not need as much space as with a typical cubicle-focused layout. An open plan may only require about half of the square footage of what would be required for an office with cubicles. Having only 75-125 feet for each employee will likely work well for an open plan, but you may need to double that for a more traditional office.

If you have a lot of employees and want to make the most of your available space, be sure to consider using an open plan or another alternative option.

2. Know the Specifics of a Space

When thinking about the amount of square footage that you need, you should be sure to check an office space carefully before renting it. You’ll want to be sure that all square footage in the space is usable and that there are no problems that could affect how well it could work for you and your team. If the flooring in an office is uneven in certain areas, it may not be suitable for a desk or a cubicle, for example.

Different specifics of a particular space could make it a poor option for working. Be sure to consider the shape of a space and its details before deciding whether it will work for your business.

3. Leave Room For Business Growth

When choosing an office space to rent, it’s important that you choose one that will allow for business growth. Your current business needs may not be the same as what they’ll be in several years.

Be sure to keep this in mind and have a plan for having enough space in the future. You may want to rent a slightly larger space than what you need in the beginning and then use it to accommodate more employees when the time comes.

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4. Manage the Costs Wisely

Remember that when choosing the size of the office you’ll rent, you’ll need to think carefully about the costs.

While you may want to give your employees plenty of space to work in, it may not make financial sense to do so. You’ll want to consider your office layout carefully to give your employees room to work while also managing your budget wisely.

Remember that you’ll also typically need to sign a lease for 2-5 years when renting office space as well. Terminating a lease early can be costly, so be sure that you have the amount of space you need for your current business and future growth when deciding which office space to rent.

Choosing the Right Office Sizing With These Tips

If you want to make sure your employees are comfortable and productive, you need to think carefully about office sizing. By considering office sizing carefully, you’ll use your budget well and will enable your employees to do their best work.

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