The decision has been made to relocate the office. Now it’s time to do it. As the saying goes ‘failing to prepare will prepare you to fail’.
Get yourself organised, break it to down to manageable tasks and use our helpful tips to ease the stress of an office move.
SPACE
Are you upsizing or downsizing the office space? If you are downsizing, you will need to spend time considering what is essential for your business operations and streamline the equipment.
Even if you are upsizing it doesn’t mean you have to take everything with you. Pre-move is a good time to have a clear out of the cupboards, drawers and basement. Throw, donate or sell anything that you no longer need. Store other items which you want to keep but can’t take.
FLOOR PLANS
Floor plans are essential. Not only will it help you to understand how you can furnish the new office – but allows everyone else to visualise the new space.
Employees will be able to locate their new desk, avoiding mass chaos on the first day.
COMMUNICATE
On that point – change can be disrupting and disconcerting. Communicate openly with your team about what is going to happen. Alleviating fears in advance will make for a less stressful moving day.
NOTIFY EVERYONE
Don’t forget to communicate with all your contacts too! Let them know about key dates, any interruptions to service, and new contact details as far in advance as possible.
Remember to update all letterheads with company details, as well as websites or printed materials.
HAVE A PROJECT MANAGER
Have a key contact for the office move. Someone who will have the complete overview, can coordinate logistics and ensures all communication is consistent.
You can pick someone internally – or outsource if it is a big project. Remember if it is an internal person – free up their workload to concentrate on this. It will take time.
LABEL, LABEL, LABEL
Label boxes clearly – with contents, and its intended location. This will help the right equipment to arrive at the right place on moving day
PACKING UP
The easiest solution is to get professional movers to help you. If this isn’t an option, then give yourself plenty of time to get everything packed.
Ask individuals to be responsible for their own space. Brief them clearly on what they can / can’t pack and how to label their boxes.
For the rest – make an inventory of everything that needs to be moved. Review heavy equipment – maybe you need to hire trolleys or dollies to help with moving.
Consider storage options too. It might be beneficial to temporarily move bulky items into storage. This frees up space to pack up and organise the remaining equipment. Get a free quote with Shurgard.
TECH SET-UP
You will need to minimise disruptions to your business so ensure you have a well-thought out plan for your tech transfer. This includes computers, servers, phones as well as data and internet plans.
Pack-up and move your tech equipment first and have your IT ready for install at the new location.
A top tip is to test all cables and sockets in advance so there are no unexpected complications.
An office relocation is a lot of work, no matter the size of the company. Take the time, and plan carefully.
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