When people measure the cost of using commercial property or serviced offices they often use a “Cost per Workstation.” This is the basic cost, based on rent, maintenance costs, property taxes, and other factors.
Hong Kong had the world’s most expensive office space last year, overtaking the previous year’s leader, London’s West End, data from property consultancy DTZ showed Thursday. The annual occupancy cost per workstation in Hong Kong’s Central and Admiralty districts surged 31% to $22,330 last year from $17,050 in 2009, the steepest rise in DTZ’s survey for 2010. Hong Kong ranked second in the survey in 2009.
London’s West End, which topped the list in 2009, took second place in 2010, with an occupancy cost per workstation of $20,160, up 4% from a year earlier.
Geneva, whose occupancy cost rose 12% last year to $18,840 from $16,870 in 2009, ranked third last year.
The annual survey assessed office space occupancy costs in 121 business districts in 47 countries or territories across the globe, taking into account differences in how prime commercial space is used in each location. The occupancy cost is based on rent, maintenance costs, property taxes, and other factors.
The thing is, cost per workstation is a set cost and should be closely looked at as it comes straight off the bottom line. We need to look at ways to cut this down. One suggestion has been a “Hot-Bunk” system. For example – if you have a sales team you can stagger the times when they can visit the office so as to share one workstation between 3 or 4 people. The same applies if you have any staff that can do a couple of days work a week from home thereby getting 2 or 3 people to share. Doing this will cut your cost per work station in half or even by 2 thirds regardless of whether you are in your own commercial property or serviced offices.
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