7 Secrets of a Successful Office Move
Are you excited about an upcoming office move or dreading the chaos and upheaval? Either way, you will want to do everything within your power to make the moving process as smooth and stress-free as possible.
Here are 7 valuable tips for a successful office move.
1 CREATE A DETAILED MOVING PLAN
There is no such thing as being over-prepared for an office move so the more you can get organized ahead of time the better.
Origin and destination maps are an essential part of the planning. These are ‘before and after’ floor plans and should include both general office space as well as individual offices, common rooms, etc.
A moving schedule is also important. It is worth considering a phased move to minimize downtime but whether this is feasible will depend on the specific circumstances of your move.
Create a labeling scheme and make sure this is communicated to all staff and movers. It should be immediately apparent where any box or piece of equipment needs to go.
Nominate a move manager who will be the point of contact on moving day. Make sure all employees and movers have their contact details.
Finally, consider dedicating online space to your moving plan using web-based platforms such as Slack, Microsoft SharePoint or Google Docs.
2 HAVE A PLAN B
As you are drawing up your ideal move plan, take some time to prepare for the most likely disruptions (e.g. staff sickness, road closures, delays, etc.) and draw up contingencies. There is always the risk of unforeseen problems but the more you can mitigate for, the better.
For example, consider nominating a deputy move manager and setting aside an alternative moving date.
3 TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE CHANGES
If your current office plan leaves a lot to be desired, don’t waste the opportunity of shaking things up a bit during the move. Perhaps moving the sales and operations team on to the same floor will heal the ongoing tensions between the two? Or maybe separating two employees who constantly distract one another will boost productivity.
You will never get a better chance to reorganize your working space so make the most of it.
4 SELL THE MOVE
Your office move will go a lot better if all employees on board. Consider holding a series of moving meetings where you explain the reasons for the change and focus on the benefits. Provide each member of the team with a moving pack and personalized instructions if possible. When the move has been completed, acknowledge the disruption and show your appreciation for your team’s help and patience by organizing a celebratory dinner – on the company of course!
5 PRIORITIZE IT
With IT being central to practically all businesses in this day and age, you will want to ensure a smooth transition between premises.
First, get together with the head of IT or another technical specialist and organize a separate IT moving schedule. Depending on your network requirements this could involve switching ISPs, configuring network hardware, provisioning circuits and more.
For the IT equipment itself, a good tip is to obtain poly bags for computer accessories, cables and instructions and attach these to the relevant PCs, monitors and other equipment.
6 ORDER QUALITY MOVING EQUIPMENT
For a professional office move, you will need to invest in proper moving equipment. Order in sturdy moving cartons (around two to three per person as a rule), plenty of packing tape, static-free wrap and an office move dolly for those heavy items.
7 ORGANIZE A CLEANING SCHEDULE
Make sure that you leave your old offices in a fit state for new occupants by organizing a thorough clean. Do the same for your new premises so that employees are greeted by a fresh, hygienic environment.
Following the 7 tips above will help ensure your office move is streamlined and hassle-free and your team will start their new routine feeling organized and ready for action.