Technology businesses are, quite literally, the future. The tech sector already employs over 1.7 million people in the UK and is growing at record rates. But tech businesses have many of the same needs as any other business, and among them is the need for office space.

However, what a tech business needs from their office often differs from other business’s requirements. We’re here to help you understand what you’re an office for your tech business should offer, as well as providing unmissable tips on how to find the right space.

A relevant location

Despite all of the changes that have occurred in the office space sector over the last decade, office location is still the number one factor to consider when you’re looking for a new workplace. It has wide-reaching implications, affecting the cost of office space, accessibility for employees, and local talent pool available to hire from. 

All of these implications are applicable to tech businesses, but they can also benefit from a location that puts them in a recognised tech cluster. These areas, like East London’s Tech City or The City of London, attract tech businesses in droves, meaning that moving your office space there puts you in direct proximity to similar, like-minded businesses.

This makes it easier to find opportunities for collaboration and knowledge-sharing with other tech businesses, while also improving access to a high-quality talent pool – both of which can contribute to your business’s success.

Flexibility and scalability

Tech businesses tend to be forward-thinking, which often means they operate at the cutting edge of working practices. As a result, they’re more likely to adopt flexible principles like hybrid working patterns, meaning flexibility in their workplace is an important factor. But flexibility can come in many different forms.

Some tech businesses might prioritise flexible contract terms, keen to avoid rigid, long-term commitments that limit their agility and reduce their ability to respond to changes in their finances. 

Others might seek flexibility in their actual workplace, which typically comes in the form of scalability. This is particularly important for tech businesses that are pursuing fast growth, meaning they can increase their office space capacity seamlessly as they scale and make new hires.

Both of these flexibility requirements point towards flexible workplaces as the best choice for tech businesses, offering all of the benefits of a traditional leased office space but with fewer limitations.

High-speed connectivity

Good connectivity, which nowadays generally means a high-speed internet connection, is important to practically every business. But tech businesses are often particularly reliant on robust and high-quality internet connectivity, given that they’re more likely than other businesses to be using heavy-duty software. 

There are two main considerations tech businesses have to make to ensure their chosen workplace has the right connectivity features. The first is to check on the quality of the internet connection itself, prioritising workplaces that offer business-grade, fibre-optic broadband.

The second is to ensure that the workplace offers both wired and wireless connection facilities, allowing for desktop computers to benefit from maximum connection speeds with a wired connection while laptops and mobile phones can connect to a high-speed WiFi network.

Convenient amenities

While the most important consideration in choosing a workplace is the office facilities themselves, amenities can add a lot of additional value. Everything from meeting room access to on-site bicycle storage can make a difference to the overall workplace offering.

For tech businesses, the main priorities when it comes to amenities are generally rooted around features and facilities that allow for maximised productivity. That might include things like 24 hour access, coffee-making facilities, and virtual office services. 

When looking for a new office space, think about what kind of amenities your business and employees could benefit from and use those to filter your search. If you know that some of your team are avid cycling commuters, for instance, secure on-site bicycle storage might be the difference-maker in your decision-making process. 

A variety of workspaces

Activity-based working is a style of working that revolves around the availability of different areas within a workplace designed to facilitate different styles of work.  A workplace geared towards accommodating activity-based working might include specific zones for quiet work, collaborative tasks, and group meetings, for example.

The idea is that people will be at their most productive if they’re able to choose the perfect setting for the specific task they’re working on. And this is particularly relevant to tech businesses, where tasks can be extremely varied and performance standards are high.

Finding a workplace that can facilitate activity-based working means looking for options that offer flexible-access meeting rooms, private phone booths, and casual breakout spaces. These will ensure there’s always an appropriate space for the tasks your employees are working on.

Finding the right office space for your tech business

With an understanding of what your office needs to offer to be the perfect fit for your tech business, you can move on to looking for a specific workplace. 

Start by creating a proper workplace strategy overview, which covers the following steps:

1. Determining your objectives: Think about what you’re trying to achieve with your move to a new workplace. Are you aiming to cut costs, increase productivity, improve your employees’ happiness, or something else entirely?
2. Involving your employees: Your workplace strategy will affect your employees more than anyone else, so involve them in the process. Ask what they like in a workplace, and what they can live without, to refine your search parameters.
3. Analysing your current approach: Consider your current workplace arrangement and make a list of the pros and cons. This will help you understand where your existing strategy is falling short, helping in the next step.
4. Building your new approach: Finally, put together a document that summarises all of your thoughts and findings, and compile everything together to create a concise summary outlining what your new workplace needs to offer.

With your workplace strategy formalised, you can finally start looking at options. Pick a location, whether that’s London, another city, or a suburban setting, and browse through options.

At this point, you should already know whether you want a serviced office, hot desking arrangement, or something else, so you’ll be able to focus primarily on the finer details of the workplaces you’re looking at.  

Get started with your search today by browsing the Boutique Collection – our range of over 30 workplaces across London and beyond. All of our workplaces, including our beautiful Lime Street office space, contain high-quality serviced offices, packed full of amenities that are the perfect fit for any tech business. 

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