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When searching for office space in Fourways and surrounds, it is very important to conduct a thorough space analysis to determine your exact office size requirements. This process, also known as space planning, which enables you find a space that meets your needs and boosts productivity. Accurate space planning ensures you calculate the ideal square meters for your office, considering factors like number of staff, work style and layout decisions. This prevents you from ending up with too little or too much space which saves you from unnecessary costs. Effective space planning involves creating a functional layout that maximizes your future office’s potential. Assists workstations, meeting rooms, and common areas strategically which promotes collaboration and efficiency. This leads to significant cost savings on rent, utilities and office renovation costs. A well-planned office space also enhances employee experience and productivity. By incorporating elements like natural light, breakout rooms, and ergonomic workstations, you creating a comfortable and inspiring work environment. This, in turn, boosts employee satisfaction and retention. Discussions around hybrid office options should also be taken into account . Before embarking on an office search you need to take into account your unique space needs in order to make informed decisions when viewing properties. Factors to consider are cost savings and optimizing your office layout for maximum productivity and staff satisfaction. Bringing back staff to the office post covid has become very important , and a fun working environment entices staff to return back to the office environment. In Fourways and surrounds, where office space is in high demand, a comprehensive space analysis gives you a competitive edge. Don’t gamble with your office space search – rather invest in space planning and ensure your next office is the perfect fit for your business. Let Turnkey Commercial ensure that you make an informed deciision before it’s too late.

Office Space Stories to put a smile on your dial. The Invisible Co-worker. In a co-working space, a freelancer named Ben started talking about an eccentric colleague named Hank who always arrived early and left late. Hank was an enigma; no one had actually met him, but his coffee mug was always warm, his desk filled with intricate doodles, and his lunch always in the fridge. One day, the curious tenants decided to meet Hank. They stayed the whole night only to find out that Hank was an elaborate hoax set up by the night-shift janitor who was making use of the workspace during his break time. The Office Jungle A tech startup excitedly moved into a new office they found at a too-good-to-be-true price. Soon, they realized why the rent was so low: the previous tenants, a botany research group, had left behind their experimental fast-growing plants. By the end of their first week, their office was more of a jungle, with vines growing over the monitors and strange fruits hanging from the ceiling. They ended up hiring a part-time gardener to maintain the office, and their office “jungle” became the most Instagrammable tech startup location in the city. The Secret Room A small company rented a quaint office in an old townhouse. One day, an employee leaned against a bookshelf, only to fall backwards into a secret room! The landlord, a sweet elderly lady, forgot to mention that the building had a history as a speakeasy during Prohibition. The hidden room was quickly converted into a quirky meeting room, making it the favorite spot for team brainstorming sessions. The Furry Surprise A marketing firm was looking for an office space and found the perfect spot. On their first day, they discovered the landlord’s cat, Sir Fluffington, a fat, friendly tabby. They were told the cat came with the office space. Thinking this was a joke, they shrugged it off. However, they quickly realized that Sir Fluffington was serious about his job as the office manager. He would often photobomb video meetings, sit on the keyboard during the most important tasks, and empty his food bowl every hour, demanding a refill. Despite the mischief, Sir Fluffington became the company’s unofficial mascot and the star of their social media accounts.

Well almost! South Africa’s Competition Commission (CC) has published a comprehensive report outlining provisional findings and recommendations of its Online Intermediation Platforms Market Inquiry. It’s open for discussion with the final report to be published in November 2022. In short, I feel they’ve done an excellent job to investigate and address all the concerns that was raised by me and others. While the CC investigated different industries, I’ve summarised the key findings and recommendations related to real estate for you: 1. Inbound fees Inbound fees that are charged by Property24 and Private Property to estate agencies to accept feeds from external listing feed platforms to be removed; A current fee of R500/month per office is charged. This has been a thorn in our and other service providers’ sides switching clients or onboarding new agencies as some are reluctant to pay the extra fees. I welcome the recommendation and believe it will give agents more freedom to choose a listing platform of choice without being penalized. 2. Access to listings Leading listing syndication providers must operate with 3rd party platforms to supply listings on request by business users for no fee. As a property portal, you’ve lost 50% of the battle if you don’t have access to all the listings. This explains platforms holding on to their listing data at all cost. I welcome the recommendation from the CC to remove these ringfenced data islands and promote a level playing field. Portal owners, rejoice! 3. Portal contracts Portal contracts with estate agents should permit termination of one month’s notice. This is a no-brainer. We’ve had this motto from the start as I believe you need to create enough value in your products to not hold your client’s ransom if they choose to leave. I’d like to see this extended to any real estate platform as we’ve experienced countless issues with estate agents wanting to move but are bound by complicated long-term contracts. 4. No exclusivity between industry organisations and online platforms The Competition Commission recommends the divestiture of the large real estate companies in the Estate Agents Property Portal Company from Private Property. REBOSA (or any other organisations) should also refrain from coordinating commercial conduct by its members, such as the investment or partnering with specific intermediation platforms including portals which is likely to constitute prohibited conduct under section 4 of the Act. Ouch. This is something I’ve objected in 2017 through the same Competition Commission with the takeover bid of Private Property by Caxton Media, Bond Originators and large real estate companies. In short I felt that it was not inclusive enough, would empower another listed company with a majority share, and kill innovation in the space. I’ve failed at the time. Full circle and the damage has been done. In the process, we’ve lost time to empower promising portals and eager entrepreneurs with the chance to challenge the status quo. Luckily the CC has now identified this as a major stumbling block and we have time to untangle this conglomerate (pending final recommendations) and move forward. I think REBOSA & EAPPC misjudged the downstream impact of this move with its exclusive partnership and shareholding with Private Property. However good intensions there may have been, they could have lowered the risk of relying on only one company to ‘save the industry’ and create a more competitive and inclusive portal landscape. This has also been highlighted by the Commission: This arrangement currently undermines platform competition through depriving new platforms of support from the largest agencies outside the two incumbent platforms, and stifles innovation by doggedly picking one champion to challenge Property24. In many occasions, money was thrown in our faces as key success factor for a portal to succeed, and REBOSA downplayed the chance of anyone else making an impact (through various press releases noted by the CC). In contrast, I believe key success factors in the portal space revolves around having a well designed platform, access to all the listing data, and the right team that can drive innovation at a relentless pace. Money will always be the cherry on top if you want to make things work, but hey, that’s my view. The position for the #2 portal in South Africa is wide open, and if the Competition Commission succeeds in breaking down the walls, it will ultimately be a win for agents and consumers. Author : Adriaan Grové To contact Turnkey commercial for office and warehouse space CLICK HERE

Are You About To Reopen Your Office? 10 Renovations You Need To Consider With offices finally starting to open across the country, you may be considering some office renovations Pretoria. The truth is that COVID-19 had a huge impact on our lives. But now, with the threat still near, it is time to open the doors again. This means that any space planning in Pretoria will need to take into consideration the new coronavirus. After all, you want to ensure that your office is both safe and healthy for your employees. Even if you’re not considering making a big office renovation, you still need to keep in mind that you’ll need to add a few things now. Hand sanitizer dispensers spread all over the office are required not to mention that you’ll still need to find a way to arrange your employees’ desks to maintain social distancing. In case you’re looking for a more detailed space planning in Sandton, then you may need a company to help you implement all the office renovations in Sandton that you want. No matter how big or small the renovation you have in mind is, hiring a professional and reliable company is always the best approach. After all, you won’t need to worry about the renovation itself and have everything ready to open the doors of your company. No matter if you decided to open your doors now or if you’ll still have some of your employees working remotely, there is still time to do some office renovations in Rosebank. But what office renovations in Rosebank should you consider doing? #1: The Reception Area: One of the most neglected areas in an office is the reception area. It’s time to change this. With a good space planning in Rosebank, you may want to turn this area into a multipurpose space for all employees. They may have their temperatures taken, they may sanitize their hands, and you may even have some masks and sanitizing wipes available as well. You may also use this area to make your employees remember the “rules” in a post-COVID-19 moment. #2: Separate Break Areas And Spread Out Pantries: Before COVID-19, it was normal to have the central kitchen and eating area as just one big room. However, this is something that you should consider changing. Simply put, you should consider separating break areas and spread out pantries to prevent the spread of the virus. One idea that you may implement is to create smaller pantry areas around the office. This way, employees will still be able to eat together but in smaller groups. You may also consider adding smaller kitchenettes with sinks. This makes hand-washing more available to employees. In case you have lounge-type spaces, you don’t need to close them if you don’t want to. Yet, you will need to spread the seating for social distancing. #3: Visitors And Deliveries Should Have Separate Rooms: Space planning in Pretoria is crucial at this moment to prevent the virus from spreading. So, you should consider creating different spaces – one for visitors and a different one for deliveries. #4: Add Dividers Between Desks Or Separate Benching Systems: Since we are living in a pandemic, it is important that you do everything you can to maintain social distancing. So, you want to ensure that your employees are kept six feet apart from each other. In case you are looking for a smoother office renovation, you may simply add dividers between desks that can’t be spaced out. #5: Add Signage And Floor Graphics: One of the most important things to consider now that you’re reopening your office is to ensure that you have proper signage and floor graphics. This will help everyone to maintain social distancing and remaining safe. When you are space planning in Sandton, you should add some stickers to the floor to show the way to your employees. Adding arrows can also help. #6: Build New Rows Of Phone Booths: Office renovations in Pretoria don’t need to be hard and don’t need to take much time. Sometimes, just simple changes can help maintain your employees safe. This is the case of building rows of phone booths. In case you have some employees to take calls, you want to ensure that they maintain social distancing but, at the same time, they need to be able to collaborate as well. So, creating new enclosed spaces may be something to consider. You should also include hand sanitizer and wipes near these booths. #7: Add Keycard-Operated Automatic Doors: We don’t have to tell you that you should avoid touching surfaces. So, one of the office renovations in Sandton that you may consider doing involves adding keycard-operated automatic doors. Ultimately, this type of door will prevent everyone at the workplace from touching door handles. Simply put, automatic doors are activated by keycards or ID badges to eliminate all risky surfaces. #8: Add Monitors And Cameras In Conference Rooms: Reopening your office doesn’t imply that you will have all your employees back to work in the workplace. In some circumstances, you may prefer to have some employees working on-site and others working remotely. In this case, you want to ensure that everyone is in sync. So, you need to install monitors and cameras in your conference room. This way, you’ll be facilitating digital collaboration. #9: Upgrade HVAC Systems: The truth is that most business owners don’t even remember to check their HVAC systems frequently. However, this is a must-do. As you probably already know, coronavirus particles travel through the air. This means that HVAC systems should be a major focus of reopening efforts. When you’re thinking about doing a renovation to your office, you should consider upgrading HVAC systems. The goal is to ensure that they can better filter air and limit widespread circulation to reduce disease spread. #10: Install New Furniture Or Rearrange Th Old One: Some office renovations Rosebank may include installing new furniture or rearranging old furniture. Besides rearranging desks to maintain