When you are running a successful business there are many things to think about. From staffing issues to creating great products for your customers it takes a lot of hard work. However, the last thing you want to be worrying about is how much your office costs are setting you back. It can be really time-consuming and waste a lot of money trying to fix issues within your office. Here are some great ways to help you cut back on those costs.

Save desk space

If you work in a building where you have to pay for each desk individually, cut back on the number of desks you have. You can do this in a number of ways. Firstly, encourage staff to work from home once or twice a week. If you create a rota so that you know who will be in and who won’t, you can plan ahead so there is never too many people to too few desks. Secondly, you could think about outsourcing work to freelancers. This way you don’t even have to think about having desks for them.

Sort out your boiler

If you need to get a boiler for your office, avoid cheap boilers if you can. The saying, “You get what you pay for,” is often very true. Usually if something is surprisingly cheap it means that it won’t be good quality. If you invest a little money in a boiler that will last a long time you will end up saving much more in the long run. Think about how many times you would have to replace that cheap boiler and all the time you would spend phoning around to get it sorted. It isn’t worth your time to cut corners. Secondly, if you get an efficient boiler it will save you even more money on the cost of your energy bills.

Negotiate with your landlord

If you are on the hunt for office space, don’t be tempted to rush into anything. Just because the first place you visited works for you doesn’t mean it is the best deal you will find. Shop around to see what other people expect for office rent. If you find somewhere you absolutely love, try to negotiate with the landlord to see if they will budge on the price. Even if you make a little saving it is still better than nothing.

Co-working space

Ditch the office altogether and opt for a co-working space if your business is particularly small. There are many shared working spaces which allow you access to office space without having to be tied into a lengthy rental agreement. They also allow their clients to come and go as they please and take care of everything like cleaning costs and electricity bills. On top of all this, in many places they will even cover the cost of things like printers and photocopiers.

Save on electricity costs

Many companies don’t encourage their staff to turn their computers off at night or switch off the lights. It is a great practice to get into the habit of switching off electrical items if you aren’t using them. Just as you would turn off lights when you leave a room in your house, you should do the same if your office. You will save surprising amounts of money on bills as well as helping to do your bit for the planet too.

Cleaning costs

If you have a cleaner, do you need them as regularly as they come? Who really needs a daily cleaner? In most of the workplaces we have been employed at, the cleaner would come round once a fortnight. Your employees can help out by taking care of their own space. Or putting dishes into the dishwasher instead of leaving them out in the sink. Simple things like these will go a long way.

Cut out paper

Many businesses no longer use paper at all whilst other companies spend a fortune on keeping paper records. If you are in the latter part of that equation, stop using paper and turn your business green instead. Think about how many times you printed something, made a small change, and then reprinted it. If you really need paper to run your business, hold off from printing until the final product is complete.

You can also use things like Google Docs and Dropbox to share documents with your staff. You don’t have to print anything off or run it by their desks. You simply upload your document and store it there where others can access it quickly and easily.