Blog Post

There are many things to think about at Christmas, so an office refit may not be top of your to do list. However, the festive period can often be the best time of year to consider a redesign of your office or workplace.

Thames Contracts offer office refurbishments in Watford, Hitchin and other parts of London and Hertfordshire. Here we look at some of the key advantages of scheduling this type of work now, and how our reputation for completing high-quality projects on time and on budget can help you.

To Reflect Changing Working Patterns

As a result of the pandemic, more and more people are working from home, but still coming into the office on certain days. So, as a business owner, you may need to look at the amount of workstations and seating you have, as it may be possible you can reduce this.

However, the need for social distancing requiring space between desks often means you can’t opt for a smaller office. In turn, if regularly you entertain clients or visitors, you may need to have protocols in place for that, such as specific routes around your workplace.

Also, a refit or refurb will be one way of ensuring your office complies with the latest Health and Safety legislation (not necessarily Covid-related), as well as Building Regulations. The same can be said for adapting your office space for new technologies, such as creating rooms for remote conference calls and upgraded PCs and laptops.

At Thames, we can supply a range of innovative solutions with all of these factors in mind, including glass partitions and office dividers that can create flexible workspaces.

To Minimise Disruption

Often, there’s a limit to what you can achieve over Christmas and into the early part of the New Year because other parts of your supply chain, or your customers may be on holiday. This means there’s no point in having a full staff in over the festive period (if they need to come in at all, due to the increased numbers of people who are working from home).

So now may be the ideal time to get the builders and tradespeople in, because all of the work won’t be as disruptive as it would be at other, busier times of the year. At the same time, if your office is completely closed over the festive period, then it might otherwise be a target for thieves and vandals, but having tradesmen on-site during the holiday period will act as an effective deterrent.

Remember a refurbishment involves improving the existing space. At Thames we can also provide complete office refits in North London and Hertfordshire. This is often a better solution as we can effectively start with an empty shell and completely transform your office into the perfect place for your business.

To Improve Business Branding

Names, logos, and slogans can all be incorporated into an office redesign. These are for the benefit of clients as well as your own staff, and can help reinforce a positive message for everyone. Examples of how this can be done include having the company name on walls, glass partitions and doors, and not just at the entrance.

To Improve Staff Morale

Staff can really enjoy the pre-Christmas festivities if they know they will have a new office to come back to in the New Year, when they might otherwise find it difficult to motivate themselves to come in.

Studies have shown that improving the physical office environment – particularly if it’s old, tired and showing signs of age – can improve office productivity by as much as 20%. Morale will be particularly improved if you add in plenty of breakout areas and facilities such as games rooms.

You can also get staff on board by letting them make suggestions as to colour schemes and other items they might like to see included in the new design.

Office Refurbishments in Watford from Thames Contracts

We specialise in high-end office fitouts and refurbishments in Watford, and many other parts of North London and Hertfordshire. We also operate outside the capital and have successfully completed fitouts and office refurbishments in places such as St Albans and Hitchin. Our work is not just limited to the office sector, we have completed projects in the leisure, marine and retail sectors too.

Thames use a network of tried and trusted local tradespeople for our work; we have a reputation for completing all the projects, which we project-manage from start to finish, on time and on budget.

If you would like to know more or want to begin planning your fitout or refurbishment, get in touch by completing our online contact form, or give us a call directly on 020 8368 0045.