​Millennial​ ​Values​ ​In​ ​A​ ​Modern​ ​Office​ ​Space

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The millennial generation, traditionally defined as individuals born between the years 1982 and 2004. Why are they important? Well, they entering the job market and will continue to with for years to come. Let’s perspective, a child born in 1982 would have graduated college around 2005; born in 2004? Expect to be graduating and entering the workforce around 2027. 

At Tenant Advisors, we posed the question : what does this generation value in a workplace?

We spoke with millennials that recently entered the workforce to discover what inspires and fuels their passion in competitive work environments.

Data Analyst: office size 75-100 people

 “ I work at a company that has outgrown its office space, currently we’re forced to have to maximize office space by sacrificing efficiency.

A lack of common space is detrimental, the only place you have is your desk area. If you need to take a phone call, we don’t really have anywhere in the office you could step aside to.

On the flip side – the office is in a great location. It’s very convenient to hop on the El and get to work in 30 minutes.

Our office has a great view of the city, we also have great facilities available in the building. Often times I’ll take advantage of the gym”

Inside Sales: office size 750-1,000 people

“ I think my favorite thing about my office is the layout and location. I am incredibly close to public transportation and am able to utilize the CTA to get to the office quickly, my commute is usually like 45 minutes.

My office has great amenities, they have a great common areas and a nice kitchen.

What I love about my office is the open collaborative, layout.

You can talk and interact among your coworkers, being able to get advice or ask for help from someone close by is really nice.

Something I think could be improved on is the aesthetic, I think the office could be better decorated. Don’t get me wrong, it looks really nice as is, but some fresh paint or new artwork would make a big impact in my opinion. Some more colors in the office would really brighten up the place and I would argue inspire creativity “

Financial Planner: office size 200-300 people

“ A lot of the work we do is collaborative and involves usually a whole team of people working together. Our meeting rooms are great, they are linked up with great technology so we can video chat among other offices really without having many problems.

Our clients depend on us to have a quick turn around so not having to worry about this or that going wrong, knowing we have reliable equipment allows us to better tackle the problem at hand.

Something I would improve on in my office would be to reconsider cubicles. Often times I find it acting as a barrier for productivity, often sending emails to people across the room.

I understand it’s how a lot of offices have been traditionally laid out, but this doesn’t necessarily mean this is the way it needs to be, ya know?”

There you have it, a first hand account from rising young professionals. For all your Chicagoland Office Space needs, Tenant Advisors will guide you every step of the way. Give us a call today at 847 778 0296, we look forward to hearing from you.

7 Office Space Tips

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Location, Location, Location

The perfect office space can lose its charm almost immediately if it’s in the wrong location. A myriad of factors must be considered before putting ink on a lease. Are you and your employees close to the space? Will clients be visiting your office and will it be accessible to them? These simple questions often make a large impact when finding the right office space to fit your business needs. A dream office loses a lot of its charm if the commute is over taxing.

 

Know What You’re Getting

Before signing a lease, make sure you know exactly what you’re getting! With so many factors to consider before choosing your space something can be easily overlooked. Commodities to solidify during negotiations include the parking spots received, the condition of the space upon move in, and what will you be able do to customize your space? Taking the word of your landlord is much less reliable than seeing it clearly laid out in the lease.  All parties need to be in understanding and agreement.

 

Office Size

The square footage is crucial when leasing your office. Take an honest look at the needs of your company as it is, and then try to predict the foreseeable future. Will you be holding meetings? A conference room will be needed. Looking to expand down the road? Account for this growth by increasing initial square footage so desks and cubicles can be added with ease. Consider your work environment: will you require larger collaborative workspaces or does something more reserved where employees can work privately better fit your needs?

Before signing your lease imagine breaking it. An infinite number of factors could lead a tenant to break a lease.  You may find yourself in this position. What fees or penalties will be assessed on breaking your lease? All things to consider before even signing.

 

Keeping Up With Appearances

If you anticipate clients in your office, try to imagine your office from their point of view. Their image of your company begins the moment they enter the building, how would you like them to perceive your company?

If image isn’t important and only employees will work in the space, certain amenities may not be as necessary. If clients will visit frequently, your image and the way your client perceives your company become more important. An elegant lobby area makes a strong impression. In your office, optional commodities such as signage and a reception area may cost more initially but the image portrayed to your customer can pay out in the long run.

 

Conveniences

Assuming you’ll be spending a fair amount of time at or around the office, consider the surrounding area where you’ll be spending all of this time. Simple things like a package pickup service or restaurant in the building can make time at the office more enjoyable, while hopefully allowing day to day operations to run smoother. When visiting a space initially, visit the convenience store, cafe, restaurant. Can you picture yourself getting lunch here regularly? Amenities like this, a workout facility or even a laundry service can really add to making an enjoyable workplace for you and your company.

Also consider the surrounding area, will you be in a more commercial district with lots of restaurants and amenities? Being close to public transportation, restaurants, and entertainment are all added benefits of the surrounding area, these can prove most important when choosing between two locations.

 

The Lease of Tomorrow, Today

The length of the lease may be the single most important factor when considering choosing your office space. Realistic expectations for your company are crucial when choosing the length of a lease. If you’re unsure of where the size of your company is headed, a more moderate short term lease may be more appropriate. If stable, steady growth is in the horizon then a long term, larger lease would prove more beneficial, as many concessions are proportional to term length. How many employees do you need to account for today versus how many will you need to account for tomorrow? Extraneous square footage could be a costly wasted space, but the opportunity to add more desks and employees may outweigh these costs. Not hiring an employee due to lack of room is an issue no business owner should face if they had considered their future before committing to a lease.

 

Reputations

The right broker can be the ultimate tool when working with a landlord over the course of your lease. A trusted broker is the best resource for helping you, the tenant, in finding the office space right for you. A reputable broker will be your go to advisor.  They are the best resource when it comes to landlords and any issues that could arise. With as much time and work as you’ll likely be putting in at your office, you want a broker that has your best interests in mind. With trusted brokers connected to landlords across the Chicagoland area, Tenant Advisors has become the most trusted resource by tenants in helping them find their perfect office space fit.

Schaumburg Office Space

Office Space Rental To Suit Your Needs In Schaumburg

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Schaumburg Office SpaceOverview

Located in the northeastern part of Illinois, Schaumburg offers business owners the opportunity for growth and prosperity due to the large amount of potential clients in the area.  Residential and commercial premises lie within the boundaries of Schaumburg and there is a little bit of everything within the village borders.

Business Atmosphere

Within close proximity to both O’Hare International Airport and the bustling city of Chicago, Schaumburg offers plenty of opportunities to business owners large and small.  Metra provides access for employees and clients to get to and from the business with ease.  Travelers can also use the highways and roadways, which are quite driver-friendly, to get around town.

Other Businesses within Schaumburg

Two of the big corporation names in Schaumburg include Motorola and IKEA.  The Woodfield Mall is another prominent feature within Schaumburg, as it is the second largest mall in America.  For those who want to get in touch with their historical entertainment side, the restaurant and entertainment venue Medieval Times is located within Schaumburg as well.  Other small businesses, restaurants and shops fill the village of Schaumburg, offering various options to Schaumburg residents and those who reside in surrounding areas.

About the Residents

For companies which are considering renting office space in Schaumburg, there is certain to be plenty of business to go around.  With the population hovering approximately above 75,000, opportunities for business are certainly available for those who choose to lease or buy office space in the village of Schaumburg.  The median income for families within Schaumburg comes in around $85,000, per a 2008 estimate.

Things to Do

When you lease or purchase commercial office space in Schaumburg, your employees are certain to love the area as well since there is plenty to do.  Whether it is watching the minor league baseball team play at Alexian Field or doing some shopping at the Woodfield Mall, the entertainment aspects of Schaumburg will not only draw people in to the village but keep them there as well.

Dining and Shopping Options in Schaumburg

You won’t have to worry about what to do on your lunch break when you lease office space in Schaumburg as there are plenty of dining options in the area.  Some of the popular choices include Outback Steakhouse, Pizzeria Uno, P.F. Chang’s, Rainforest Café and more.  If shopping is what you are in the mood for, head over to Woodfield Mall for a variety of stores or visit IKEA for all of your furnishing needs.

Tenant Advisors, Inc.:  Helping Tenants and Buyers Find Office Space

Tenant Advisors, Inc. is the best choice for business owners who are seeking out commercial real estate to lease or buy.  Schaumburg has plenty of options in the way of commercial office space for rent and we can guide you every step of the way so that you and your company find the best office rental space available.

We will fully identify your business needs so that the commercial office space you choose is the ideal choice.  Our licensed and professional real estate agents will show you the properties available for lease and purchase throughout Schaumburg and highlight the pros and cons of each locale.

It is important to have a tenant representative to help you find the perfect office space to rent or buy.  Our reliable staff will walk you through the process, help you to understand the lease or purchase agreements and get you settled into your new commercial office space perfectly.

Contact us today by filling out our form and we will get back to you within 24 hours.  With our FREE service, you can be well on your way to obtaining the commercial office space rental or purchase you have been searching for all along.

In Today’s Office Space, Are Cubicles Or Open Work Spaces A Good Move?

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Office space setups vary greatly from office to office. Some office buildings are a large collection of cubicles amongst the various floors while other office buildings have primarily individual offices to accommodate the business professionals. For those offices where cubicles are a common sight, it may be in the commercial office space owner’s best interest to consider whether these seating areas are right for their employees.

Here are a few things to know about cubicles in today’s office space:

Distractions Are More Apparent With Cubicles

When you have a cubicle setup within the office, you’ll find that your employees tend to get distracted more easily. The constant foot traffic, conversations and office machinery noise will interrupt your employees in their daily work and make it less likely for them to concentrate. When you have individual office space and less cubicle-like structures throughout the office, you’ll find that your employees are more productive and happier while accomplishing their daily work.

Cramped Setups Often Cause Work Disruption

An employee who is comfortable at work is one who will get more done throughout the day, and do so with peace of mind. Cubicles often equate with cramped setups and leave your employees looking for extra room, not only for their belongings but to allow them to sit easily and comfortably. Consider taking down the confined walls of the cubicle or expanding the walls so that it is more like a single office space but not completely closed in like one. You’ll find that your employees work with greater ease, and a more positive attitude as well.

Cubicles Are Not The Best Health-Wise For Your Employees

Cubicles hinder mobility and, for this reason, may be one of a variety of contributing factors related to certain health conditions. Those who work in constricted spaces every day are less mobile, less active and may be more likely to be at risk of experiencing various health conditions, such as Type 2 diabetes, heart conditions and more. This sedentary work setup will make it easier for the employee to stay seated too long and not be as mobile as others who have their own office or are located in a more open setting where they are able to move around more often.

Making the Decision to Omit Cubicles

Many business owners like the aspect of cubicles because they allow the employer to fit a good amount of employees within the office space and provide each employee with a bit of their own private space, even though it’s not a completely closed-off office area. However, if possible, it may be wise to redesign the office in a cost-efficient manner to thereby eliminate the cubicles and produce a more employee-friendly setup.

Some employers may like to make all executive decisions without consulting their employees while others may be more open to employee input on office space layouts. If you fall within the latter category, provide your employees with a few possible office space layout options and ask them which office space layout works best for them and the reasons why this is so. By having this information, you may find that cubicles should be eliminated, or maintained, and know which layout will be best suitable for your employees and provide them with a seating area which allows them to be most productive and content.

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Office Leasing: Understanding Rentable vs. Usable Square Footage

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photographer-349921_1280When you lease commercial property to be used as office space, your future landlord will mention terms such as rentable square footage and useable square footage when speaking about the rental cost. As opposed to having a single rent figure, these square footage calculations are used to determine just how much you’ll pay for your office space.

In the same discussion, common area costs will come up as well. Commercial tenants not only have to pay for the space that they use alone but also share the cost for maintaining the common areas with other tenants. The calculations may be a bit intimidating at first, however, with the right background information and a good tenant representative by your side, you’ll be able to figure out the details in no time.

What is Useable Square Footage?

When you want to calculate useable square footage, this will be the figure relating to the amount of space which you actively use. For example, your useable square footage is the square footage of your single office within an office building, if you lease an office space of this type.

What is Rentable Square Footage?

Rentable square footage is the amount of space which will include your office but also the restrooms, closets and other areas.

What is the Common Area Factor?Office Lease Renewal

The common area factor is the amount of space which is shared by all office space tenants. This will include bathrooms, cleaning closets, lobbies, copy rooms and other shared sections of the office building. There are two main types of common areas: floor common area and building common area. The floor common area is the amount of tenant common areas which are located on your floor while the building common area is the part which everyone within the building shares. These two figures are added up to equal the total common area factor.

How Do These All Add Up?

Calculating the square footage figures can be difficult for new office space tenants but tenant representatives are well-versed in these types of calculations and will gladly help you to calculate the figures with ease. The basic calculation is rentable square footage = useable square footage x (1 + add-on %). The add-on percentage can be calculated this way: rentable square footage/useable square footage – 1. The add-on percentage is sometimes substituted with a common area factor percentage and you can determine which percentage your prospective landlord uses simply by inquiring with them.

These factors show that there is much more to commercial office space rent than just a flat figure. There are distinct calculations which go into determining commercial office space rent and these figures will dictate how much you pay for an office space you use as well as common areas which you share with other tenants. Understanding these figures is much easier to do when you have a tenant representative along with you for any and all negotiations. Your tenant representative will explain these factors in layperson terms and help you out with any questions which you may have along the way.