The Covid-19 pandemic caused a myriad of temporary changes to the workplace and its workforce. But while many things have returned to normal in its aftermath, the shift toward remote and hybrid work has continued. Employers have often pushed back against workers who increasingly want to work remotely, especially given the employers' investment in the traditional arrangement.
If your company faces this dilemma, rethinking your office building could help. And one of the biggest helps could come in the form of a pre-engineered metal building. Why? Here are four ways these structures help employees' and employers' interests come together.
1. They're Cost-Effective
One of the biggest motivations for many employers to get workers back in the office full-time is the real estate investment. Brick-and-mortar buildings cost a lot to build and maintain, so no one wants to see them largely empty. This often results in a forced return-to-office mandate which can damage morale and raise turnover.
However, rather than forcing employees to bend to the real estate, change the real estate to fit your new normal. Pre-engineered metal buildings cost much less to create than traditional office spaces. They're faster to construct and waste few materials. You get the same end result of a useful workspace, but your investment fits the new workplace environment in which it operates.
2. They're Scalable
Once you invest in a particular office building, it's usually difficult and expensive to alter. Major renovations are the only way to add on or rearrange its interior layout when your needs change. And forget about reducing its size. However, the modular design style of a pre-engineered metal office building means it scales up or down with much less work and money.
So, if your current employees like to work from home, you can maintain a smaller office space. Decide to have more in the office later on? Scale it up only as needed.
3. They're Flexible
In general, you design a traditional office building with one layout that includes dedicated rooms for everything from management offices to the mailroom and bathrooms. This leaves little room for flexibility should your needs change. Flexibility, though, is an important goal for employers who want to keep meeting the needs of a changing workforce.
Pre-engineered metal buildings are a large, blank canvas inside. Using both partition walls and more temporary dividing methods, you can change up the interior as often as you want — with very little new investment. It could be 25% office and 75% warehouse now, for instance, but become 75% office and 25% brewery venture in future years. The sky is the limit.
4. They're Customizable
Finally, don't worry that a pre-engineered metal office structure will be rigid and pre-determined. Much like the design process of traditional office buildings, you can customize this building to your site and business requirements. In fact, doing so may be easier and less expensive because so much of the engineering, materials preparation, and problem-solving is done before a single I-beam is delivered to the site.
Today's employees — especially younger generations entering the workforce — expect their work environment to be tailored to their needs, not the other way around.
You can work with employees to make your building functional for them, including different styles of work areas, unique relaxation and break areas, a gym, or even a more useful warehouse setup. Employees are a part of the customization process.
Where Can You Learn More?
Could a pre-engineered metal building help you make employees happy while also keeping your business nimble and profitable? Find out by meeting with
Cochran Construction Company. We'll help you design the right office space for your organization, no matter how many or how few employees are working from it. Call today to learn more.
