If your business continues to grow and expand, eventually you may need to decide to move to a new office location that allows you the room to hire more employees, take on additional customers, or have more inventory.
As exciting as the prospect of an expanding business might be, office relocations can also be stressful. Employees might be stressed about trying to pack up their desks and change their routine, you might not be able to immediately find a new location that meets your needs, you might have to allocate a larger portion of your budget to the move than you originally intended, and more.
Office moves will vary depending upon the size of your office and where you live, but familiarize yourself with the following tips and consider if any of them will help make your move go as smoothly as possible.
Start planning a year in advance
An office move is not one of those things you can wait until the last minute to plan. Once you start planning out a move, you’ll realize there is more to do than you initially realized! Map out what you need to do each month and stick to a timeline.
Planning for the move a year in advance gives you time to locate new office space, research potential moving companies, think about the layout of the new office, prep your employees for the move, arrange for IT moves, and more.
Appoint a move manager
There is no reason that you need to plan the move entirely by yourself. Put your employees in charge of certain aspects of the move, such as packing up their desks. However, you’ll want some sort of organizational structure. Delegation is great, but someone needs to make sure everyone is doing what they’re supposed to be doing.
Consider having an administrative assistant or someone with knowledge of commercial relocations be in charge of organizing various logistics and making sure all steps in the process are being handled correctly.
Purge unnecessary items
Take this time to purge unnecessary items in your office. Chances are, you have furniture that isn’t needed anymore or old files that are severely outdated. Now is the time to get rid of all that unnecessary clutter and start anew in a new office space.
As you go through the items and furniture in your existing office, you might decide that it is time for some furniture and office supplies updates. Now could be the perfect time to get rid of that printer you’re always complaining about!
Label, label, label
When it comes time to start packing up your existing office to get it ready for the moving company, don’t haphazardly throw items into boxes and expect to remember what is in them. Label and organize each box carefully.
Labeled boxes can help you find those necessary items quickly. Some people even make note of what is in each box on a spreadsheet and label each box with a corresponding number. It all depends on how organized you want to be and how quickly you want to unpack.
Keep employees in mind
It can be easy to get caught up in all the logistical aspects of the move but keep the needs of your employees in mind too. This can be a very stressful and emotional time for them.
For example, some employees may have to move houses or apartments to shorten their commute time. If you know of an employee that is having to move due to the office relocation, offer to help them find resources. Internet searches such as “domestic removals London” can locate moving companies.
Schedule meetings appropriately
Finally, keep in mind that this move will also impact workflow in the weeks before and after the move. You’re going to need time to pack and unpack items. You might not have the space to meet with clients or you might not have another time to write a report.
Think about deadlines you have coming up and if any of them will conflict with the move. Rescheduling meetings and due dates in advance can help lessen stress during an already stressful time. Keep the move clearly labeled on all calendars.
Final thoughts
The more you can prepare your existing office space and your employees, the more smoothly and stress-free the move will be! Moving is a lot of work, but keep in mind the reasons why you’re relocating! For many offices, relocating is a chance for their business to expand and grow in new ways.
