For almost every business, an office is its central hub. It is usually where the company is run from, the ‘paperwork’ – albeit not necessarily using ‘paper!’ is stored and organised, a registered address, and where many of the administrative staff are based.
For businesses, an office is the best way to ensure that they are organised, have a single point of contact, and can be key to creating a brand identity and representing the company’s values.
The commercial office has evolved along with the commercial market, from housing leather-bound account ledgers and quills to screens for virtual calls and games areas. It reflects the business in terms of its needs, market, and company culture. And this is why offices reflect the world of the commercial market in which they are integral.
The role of the office has changed significantly over the years. It wasn’t long ago, for example, when many people spent a lot of time in an office – often more than they spent at home. Of course, over the past few years, we have seen a diminishment of this time, as more people work from home for different percentages of their work hours.
In this article, we are going to take a look at the history of the office and how it’s evolved over time.
In the Beginning…
Any business that needs any sort of administration will need an office to some extent. Somewhere that records can be made and kept, paperwork administered, and communication carried out from and to. Of course, during historic times when ‘businesses’ were more family affairs or just a single person, there was often no separate specific area that was the ‘office’. However, over time, as businesses looked to grow, businesses grew to a wider reach from the immediate area, commercial units began springing up close to where the businesses were based.
It is generally agreed that the first purpose-built office in the UK was The Admiralty, known today as ‘The Ripley Building’, which was completed in 1726. It is one of a series of five buildings within London’s governmental buildings. Built initially to house the Admiralty, the building has been used to house a variety of different governmental departments over the years.
Another noticeable moment in the growth of the office is in 1729, when the East India Company took East India House on Leadenhall in the City of London to manage their trade empire within Asia remotely, from London. This is where they administered their activities, made decisions about the company, and kept and carried out all of their bureaucratic requirements.
At this time, the majority of business came from commerce, and offices were often incorporated in the retail unit itself, unless the business began to grow hugely.
1800s
Despite the growth of the commercial office, many businesses still operated from home, including banks, accountants, and solicitors in the 1800s, often being based in the owner’s grand house in London or other cities. Over this century, however, as the industrial revolution unfolded and capitalism began to take hold, there was a greater separation of work and home, and more office jobs.
One big innovation that made a massive difference to offices in the 1800s was the invention of the light bulb. It meant that offices could operate effectively outside the hours of daylight, thus lengthening the office-working day.
In addition to the obvious benefits of having staff in the same place, paperwork in the same place, and a base for the business, company owners also used it as a way to control their employees, checking the hours that they worked, how long breaks are, etc. This is a theme that has continued to be an issue until today for many employees (although, today, not all, by any means).
20th Century
The office, what it looks like, its role, and how it operates has changed significantly over the 20th century – of course, at different speeds!
Britain’s first telephone exchange was opened in 1879, with the first coin-operated phone box being set up in 1906. It was during the 20th Century that telephones became commonplace in offices (landlines, of course), and this helped to cement the office as an important centre for communication within businesses.
With the introduction and innovation of computers in the second half of the 20th Century, paperwork started to reduce.
Another big change for commercial units in the UK in the later 20th Century was the move away from manufacturing and towards services. This meant that fewer industrial units like warehouses and workshops were needed, and there was a massive rise in demand for commercial office spaces.
The 1980s, with its boom in capitalism and privatisation, and the invention of the mobile phone, meant that office work was making up an increasingly large percentage of the market.
And then came the internet, which changed everything.
The Internet
The internet (and the technology that has followed from this) has revolutionised almost every aspect of our lives, including the businesses we have and the way we work.
From IT consultants to content creators, work has changed, and so have offices and the role that they play in the world.
The internet and cloud, especially, have meant that people can work together on many aspects of their jobs, regardless of where they are in the world. It has changed a wealth of different aspects of work, for example,
- People who work in the field – from surveyors to builders, to delivery drivers can fill out paperwork, send details to head offices remotely, without necessarily needing a space in an office.
- Some people have found ways to work from other locations without the need to be in an office all day, every day.
- Many people are seeing the benefits of spending some time working from home.
- Offices are incorporating technology to facilitate remote working, such as conference rooms with screens, hot desks, etc.
The COVID-10 pandemic, of course, also had an impact when it comes to working from home, but now we are beginning to see a rise in people going back to the office on a full-time or hybrid basis, with the extra benefits that technology brings!
Along with the additional flexibility in where people are working, we are increasingly seeing offices that are more flexible, more concentrated on staff well-being, making it a ‘nicer’ place to work in – a reflection on the need to ‘compete’ with homes or other places from where people can now often work.
Here at Boxpod, we have a wide range of office space to rent, alongside other commercial units, so if you are a business looking for your new base, have a look at what we have here to offer!
If you are a commercial unit landlord, we can also help you find your next tenants. Check our website to see how!