Sometimes, it makes sense for a business to lease satellite office space rather than having all employees report to a central location to work. This might be true when a significant percentage of workers (or the customer base they will be serving) lives in an area that is a long drive from corporate headquarters. For example, banks set up many smaller offices to serve local communities rather than forcing everyone to drive downtown. Sometimes, leasing a store front office space in a residential neighborhood is actually cheaper than paying for additional commercial real estate in the “business district”. A satellite location can ease the stress of commuting and often works well as a hub for mobile workers.

So, what types of office furnishings would you choose for a small satellite office?

• If you are using the space to house workers with flexible schedules, a set up that is geared toward hot desking might work. Benching is a good option in those cases since it places an emphasis on creating lots of individual workspaces without devoting too much space to storage. It should still have plenty of technical capability to keep up with the demands of a mobile workforce.
• If this remote location is used as a convenient place for meetings or brainstorming, you might choose some “lounge style” conferencing furniture. Or, you might pick out highly mobile tables, chair, and storage pedestals to allow collaborative spaces to be formed and dissolved as needed. This is also a good setup if you use the satellite office as a training ground for newbies.
• On the other hand, if the smaller location is being used as an “out of the way” place for people to concentrate on work that doesn’t require teaming, you might choose a much different layout. For example, you might select private office furniture and individual workstations divided by architectural walls.