Using Office Containers to Maximise On-Site Productivity

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Shipping containers can be outfitted to suit a wide variety of purposes, including replacing traditional office spaces.

Using modified shipping containers as office space replacements makes securing valuable office equipment much easier without sacrificing comfort. However, a lot goes into using these containers as office space replacements.

Designed and implemented intelligently, such office space replacements can perform phenomenally for your workforce and even improve productivity across the board.

The importance of streamlining productivity in a business environment can’t be overstated. As your workforce grows in size and complexity, this streamlining becomes even more important.

""The impact of improving productivity by 23 minutes—eliminating just one disruption—can add more than $2 million to your bottom line each year."" - iofficecorp.com

However, achieving this degree of utility from office containers requires knowledge of what they are and how they fit into your business plan. Below, we outline what these containers have to offer to your team.

What are Office Containers?

Office containers are special modified containers fit primarily for use as turnkey office spaces.

Well-designed office containers boast a number of useful features combined to form a comfortable office environment fit for professional use. Here are a few typical features found in an office container:

Lighting

Lighting is always crucial to office operations and is a must in any properly designed office container.

Overhead lighting is usually used with LED lights, which tend to contribute the most natural colour indoors at the lowest level of power expenditure. This can come in handy if your mobile office space is used in a remote or off-grid location. However, you can also use incandescent and fluorescent options.

If possible, take a moment to determine which type of lighting best suits your requirements and ask your office container supplier to adjust the lighting installation as needed.

Electrical Outlets

Electricity is not likely to be optional in most offices and your office container is no exception.

Besides basic lighting requirements, your chosen office container should come fully equipped with electrical outlets that meet local regulatory standards.

A switch board and safe wiring practices should be a clear part of your container's design. Also, keep in mind the necessity for Internet and phone connectivity. Outlets for these will also need to be installed for most business purposes.

If you suspect you may require more outlets than normal or an unusual outlet configuration, then it can help to discuss installation options with your container supplier.

Air Conditioning and Heating

A shipping container optimised for human use should incorporate both insulation and air conditioning/heating as required.

Insulating the walls and ceiling of a container helps narrow the temperature extremes experienced inside without using electric air conditioning and heating devices. Though insulation can be quite effective alone, pairing it with active air conditioning and/or heating can help tremendously in more extreme weather conditions. Standard office air conditioning and heating units can be fitted to your container seamlessly to make personnel comfortable without occupying much interior space or distracting from the design.

Ventilation system for powerless airflow improvements are also an option. Such an approach can keep your office container even cooler in a hot environment.

Windows and Standard Doors

Windows are always a welcome addition to an office space, but certain circumstances may make them more of a necessity than a nice touch.

Managers and supervisors may require constant visibility of mobile team members from their office space, in which case facilitating such a need with windows makes a lot of sense.

Stairs, Shelving, and Other Accessories

Although additional options such as shelves, entrance steps, and projector fixtures are not guaranteed to be included in all office containers suppliers have on offer, there are many who can fit such elements in securely. Should you require these additions, make sure that you make them known to your office container provider.

How Office Containers Improve Productivity

Workforce productivity depends on a number of factors, ranging from the type of work that needs doing to the emotional states of individual employees. A comfortable working environment and the right tools for the job rank high among such factors for a variety of reasons. Below, we touch on a few reasons to choose an office container:

Desk Dividers Can Hurt Collaboration Efforts

Although the use of partitions in an office space can help with minimising distractions, it can also be quite bad for employees who need to work together as a group regularly.

Office containers can provide the best of both worlds with enough space for multiple people to work comfortably without the entire workforce joining them in a single room.

Workplace Navigation Can Hamper Productivity

Simply getting around the workplace or your company's campus can be confusing for many new recruits and even for experienced staff members.

This often has less to do with the size of a company's campus than the clarity with which it is organised. A campus comprised partially of office containers and organised by purpose or division could prove to be a spectacular solution to such a problem if you have the space to implement such an approach.

Meeting Room Mix-Ups Cost Time and Money

A lack of suitable meeting rooms can keep teams from meeting deadlines or communicating effectively. Companies with a single, large conference room for employees to book could be doing themselves a disservice by not offering additional spaces meant for small groups and team members to quickly discuss their objectives.

Office containers work very well for such purposes as they come in multiple sizes. Ten-foot varieties can work very well for one-on-one focus rooms, while twenty and forty-foot containers can serve as huddle rooms and full-blown conference rooms, respectively.

Extensive Co-Working Office Spaces Promote Distractions

Just as office containers can help to foster greater collaboration, they can also help individuals working alone and small teams labouring together.

Such workers are likely to see a significant uptick in their own productivity when given their own space in which they can focus.

Reducing New Office Setup Time Can be Profitable

If you are planning a shift in location, but need to get things up and running on arrival, then turnkey office containers might be your best bet.

Renting office space and adjusting it to suit your needs requires all kinds of details that need attending to. Rented space comes with rules that you must follow,  including allowable configurations, minimum lease lengths, and more. 

On top of these details, in many cases, you are wholly expected to foot the full bill for building out and developing your newly-leased location. That means you will be paying to rent and install all necessary infrastructure besides the basics of electricity and light, while at the same time being barred from completing any major alterations to the location.

If the realities of renting office space in such a manner do not fit with your business plan or bottom line, then turning to office containers as a temporary or long-term option could be the best for your business.

Businesses and Spaces that Benefit from Office Containers

Although office containers are an excellent choice for a variety of business needs, they are not suitable for all businesses. Here are a few examples of businesses and spaces that can benefit from the use of office containers:

Construction Companies

Any on-site construction company looking to set up for new jobs and get to work quickly will find a lot of value in office containers.

Thanks to their modular, mobile nature, office containers can be driven to the build site and set in place quickly, giving site managers a place to effectively monitor operations from in addition to their other responsibilities.

Small Businesses/Stores

Well-designed office containers can serve as miniature stores and shops should the need arise.

It takes very little additional setup to fully prep a completed office container for this purpose, and the results can be perfect for a small business owner's needs.

Offshore Operations

Offshore oil rigs and more require unique equipment and materials capable of withstanding the challenging demands of such an environment.

Shipping office containers come designed for use in such locations and can accommodate applicable regulatory guidelines as well.

Temporary Work Sites

Outside of the construction industry, remote work sites of all types can quickly make use of office containers to establish temporary points of contact and management bases.

Private/Public Events

For concerts, festivals, carnivals, and more, shipping office containers can prove ideal, encapsulating all necessary materials and equipment in a secure space for extended periods of time.

Besides providing space for management to remain onsite without getting caught up in crowds all day, these containers can also work well as temporary concession stands and ticket booths, among other things.

Office containers serve many purposes and can be customised to better fit your own project's requirements. Give them a try for an exceedingly flexible approach to improving productivity.

What other uses have you found for office containers? Give us a call to share your experiences 1800 433 455

Image Source: Pexels, Gray Containerized Housing Unit

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