Choosing an Office Space in Derby

Choosing an Office Space in Derby

• 6th January 2023

This article aims to help you choose the right office space to rent in Derby. With over 6 million people living within a one hour commuting distance of Derby, there is the potential for your business to benefit greatly from being based in the UK’s most central city. However, once you’ve decided on locating in Derby finding the right office space needs some thought. Here’s our top tips for finding the best location.

An accessible location is key

Picking an accessible location will make your business more effective at attracting and retaining employees. A study by the University of West England found that “every extra minute of commute time reduces job satisfaction”. The same study also found that “individuals that commute by rail have higher leisure time satisfaction”.

Locations near to Derby’s train station will allow your business access to a large pool of potential rail commuter employees. The station has approximately 200 services per day, including frequent connections to Sheffield, Nottingham, Leicester, Birmingham and London. This has led to it being the 3rd most used station in the East Midlands, it experienced 4.2 million passenger entries and exits in 2019-2020. The station is also centrally located only a 15 minute walk from the city centre.

Derby’s train station is receiving considerable investment, such as a £750,000 in 2020 to improve the station’s step free access. This followed a £200 million investment in 2018 that allows passengers to “benefit from more punctual services, shorter waiting times and faster intercity journeys”. Future investment proposals include a £2.7 billion plan that would “guarantee fast, frequent connections to the HS2 East Midlands Hub station at Toton”. The plan would even include a new railway station at East Midlands Airport, creating an 18 minute connection to Derby.

RTC Derby is only a 15-minute walk from Derby train station.

However, train travel is still a personal choice, and some employees may want to come by car. Not having enough car parking spaces can be detrimental for both employees and to your visitors, who may struggle to find a space. This sets a bad mood before they even enter the office and could ultimately affect the business.

Office spaces that have onsite car parks reduce the likelihood that employees will be late due to struggling to find parking. Where employees manage to find off-site parking, a rainy walk or blocked in car can easily damage morale. RTC’s large secure car park is just a stone’s throw from the M1, making commuting by car stress free.

Having good onsite amenities

The amenities available in your office space are often a key factor in whether your employees are satisfied. A 2022 study by Knight Frank found that 46% of employees “expect a greater amenities offering from their workplace in the next three years”. In a highly competitive job market, good office amenities can be the difference between an employee staying with you or moving to a different company.

Besides increased employee retention, having good amenities offer a wide range of other benefits. For example having an onsite café can boost morale and company culture through demonstrating that your business is willing to invest in its employees happiness. It can also reduce the number of sick days taken by employees through allowing easier access to healthier food options at work.

At RTC Derby, we have an onsite café that is open for breakfast and lunch from Monday to Friday. The café even operates a daily trolley service to tenants for sandwiches and confectionary – a welcome surprise to those who are too busy to grab a quick snack.

Room to grow

Business growth can come at unexpected times and you do not want a lack of office space to be the reason that you cannot scale up. When firms have the ability to take on more employees they may be faced with a dilemma: cram more people into the existing office or move somewhere different. Creating an office space that is overfilled with employees will reduce employee wellbeing and focus, ultimately leading to decreased productivity. Alternatively, if your business relocates it cannot only cause a loss of employees but it could damage relationships with local clients. Relocating your business is also a lengthy process, Strutt and Parker state that finding a new office space “can easily take up to 12 months”. Therefore, finding an office space that has room for you to grow can reduce the costs and risks of scaling up your business.

At RTC Derby, our office space covers a huge 430,000 square foot – that’s over 6.5 football pitches. So, when it is time for your business to expand, we are able to support you in this expansion.

Conclusion

Choosing the right office space is a decision that will have a strong impact on the success of your business. Without the right location, you are unlikely to attract and retain the talent that makes your business thrive. In a world where employees increasingly expect great amenities, it is vital to ensure that their expectations are exceeded. As businesses often grow quickly and unexpectedly, you should find a home for your business that easily can expand with you.

We believe that our Derby office space ticks all of these boxes.  For a more in depth discussion about the ability of our office space to meet your needs, please contact us.