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Inside The Office Leadership

Make Your Office Cost Efficient

An ultimate goal of running an office or a business in general is to make a profit. That part is common knowledge. How to make a sizable profit is where it gets more challenging. Is your office cost efficient? It is important to reduce overhead costs while simultaneously maintaining the quality of the work and services produced.

Make Your Office Cost Efficient - Lioness MagazineAn ultimate goal of running an office or a business in general is to make a profit. That part is common knowledge. How to make a sizable profit is where it gets more challenging.

An essential factor to consider when aiming to enhance these profits, is the day-to-day functioning of your office or offices. It is important to reduce overhead costs while simultaneously maintaining the quality of the work and services produced. This can maximize monthly profit while avoiding the risk of jeopardizing the overall reputation and quality of the business. Ultimately, it is all the extra measures you take that will make the significant difference:

  • Switch the computers off at night. Often, it is underestimated how much extra heat a computer generates when it is constantly switched on, and most importantly how much energy the machine consumes. Shutting it down completely when no one is using it is a green and cost efficient way of running things. Likewise, turning unnecessary lights off can considerably lower your electricity bills over time. The U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has evaluated that 80% of the printers used in offices, 70% of copiers, and 20 to 30% of computer monitors and task lights are left on overnight and many are left on 24 hours a day, 365 days per year.
  • Choose laptops. Using laptops instead of desktop computers is a more energy efficient choice as well as being much cheaper to purchase. Also, laptops use up to 90% less energy than a standard PC.
  • Switch to the cloud. Avoiding the cost of expensive hardware and using online cloud based software alternatives to store your important information can be considerably cheaper and more space efficient too. This software is often cheaper to maintain and is more practical too. A main pro of cloud software the unlimited disk scaling. This means your storage can grow with your business if needs be.
  • Limit maintenance services. Ask yourself, do you need a daily cleaning service in the office? Review your ongoing maintenance costs and cut back where possible. Depending on the size of your business, maintenance such as a frequent cleaning service can be a luxury. You could get employees to empty their own trash, and have cleaners come in weekly instead of daily, depending on your budget. Other maintenance costs can be more difficult to cut back, such as electricians. Health and safety should be at the forefront of your business’ ethos and policy, both at the expense of your reputation and the law. Sometimes, it can be an investment for your business, and a cost saver in the long run to invest in your own tools, such as your own pat testers. In this case, you can pat test electrics just as safely and efficiently as an electrician can, while simultaneously saving your business a lot of money.
  • Hire interns. Employing interns rather than full-time employees can bring a lot to the company in terms of vitality and creativity, and cost-wise, you won’t have to worry about large salaries. Essentially, you’ll be able to get work done at a fraction of the cost, while young graduates can gain experience for their resume.
  • Buy in bulk. Purchasing essentials such as office supplies from bulk warehouses save money on both product and shipping costs.
  • Monitor your Thermostat. By reducing the temperature in the office by 1 degree in the winter and increasing it by just 1 degree in the summer months can save on heating and air conditioning costs significantly. It has been reported that reducing the temperature by 1 degree can save a domestic residence almost $20 a month. For every 1 °C increase is an additional 8% cost increase.

ChloeChloe Hashemi is a writer for StartupNation. She is also a recent English Literature graduate from the University of East Anglia in the UK. She now works in Marketing, at Fountain Partnership. She hopes to pursue a career in journalism in the future.

Article courtesy of StartupNation.

 

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