The task of relocating your small business can seem overwhelming at the start. Every business…
There are many reasons why you may think about moving your business from one office to another. Moving premises has many advantages. It can improve employee morale, make your business more cost-effective, be a more convenient location, improve brand perception and can even represent an upgrade in technology. Your employees spend most of their day at work, so moving from one office to another has a great impact on their lives.
There are many things to consider once you’ve decided to move offices. Moving your business can be a thousand times more stressful than moving homes, so take a look at our tips on moving offices below to make a smooth transition.
What to Consider Before Relocating from One Office to Another
Moving from one office to another starts with planning. Once you have selected your new venue, you can start thinking about the logistics.
Floor Plan of Your New Office
Request a copy of the floor plan of your new office and start working out the different areas — is it more or less space? How will you arrange desks and departments? (Tip: Take into consideration things like natural lighting and window orientation because it may help reduce energy costs.) You even draw up a quick survey to ask your employees what they like and what they don’t like about the current layout and what they might suggest improving things.
The Numbering System
You may want to use a numbering system as you begin laying out your new office. Start with work areas. Instead of writing down each person’s name, assign all of your employees a number. Put labels on each desk, computer CPU, screen, and other tools used day to day. Layout the desks and offices based on the numbers you assigned each person. Each department should have a specific number range (100 to 150 for sales, 200 to 250 for marketing, etc.). Do this for all areas, including communal areas and bathrooms as it will help your packing, moving, and unpacking efforts.
Setting Up Desks and Personal Offices
Work out where each desk will go and who will sit at that desk. Take a close look at which departments work together (like sales and marketing) and place them close to each other. Also, think about the employees who will have their own office and arrange them according to their functions within your business.
Define Communal Spaces
Kitchens, break rooms, and other communal areas are very important to your employees. Make the communal spaces appealing and attractive. Set them up with nice decorations and cool gadgets if possible. This is a great chance to show your employees appreciation and boost their morale.
Plan Data and Power Needs Properly
Power and network requirements should be handled before the move, for the most part. Get your IT guys involved. Have them set up all possible power, the internet, and phone lines to minimize work disruption. You can even bring in one desktop computer and a phone to test out data and power needs before you start moving from one office to another.
Go Over Floor Plan with Your Moving Crew
First off, remember to book your moving in advance, with months of anticipation if possible. Once you get a copy of your new floor plan, call in your moving crew (or a representative) to make sure you have the right amount of trucks and manpower to move from one office to another. This will save you time, money, and unpleasant surprises down the line.
Give Your Staff the New Address!
It sounds silly, but forgetting to give the new address to some employees is a common occurrence. Send out an email, memos, and post notifications on bulletin boards to make sure everyone knows the moving date and new address. If your business is on a smaller scale, you may even want to inform everyone personally and hand them a written copy of the new address.
Packing Up Your Office
One of the biggest issue with moving from one office to another is packing. Packing is not fun, so your employees will not be happy to pack up the office before the move. Hiring a packing crew is certainly the best idea. At On The Go Moving, our team of qualified movers has vast packing experience as well. They will make sure desks, computers, and other items are packed safely and efficiently.
Empty All Filing Cabinets and Desks
Your employees can still help and contribute to the move by preparing everything for packing. Have them empty all filing cabinets and desks so they are easier to transport. It’s also a great chance to get rid of useless archives, but make sure you keep important records and anything that can be used in the future.
Make Your Team Take their Personal Belongings Home
Personal belongings can be easily misplaced when moving from one office to another, so have your team take them home the day before the move. Encourage them to take their books, pictures, and decoration, and explain to them they can bring them back once the new office is set up.
What to Do During Your Office Move
M-Day has finally arrived! Your office is all packed up, belongings have been taken home, and your new office is laid out. However, you still need to actually move, so the work is not done just yet!
Have a Company Representative at Each Location
You need to have at least one managing representative at each location to make sure everything goes smoothly. Verify everything that goes into the moving truck is meant to go. On the other end, the second representative will be helping your movers place the desks and furnishing correctly. If your office is huge, you may want to get several more team members involved. Selecting a lead from each department to manage their department set up is a great way to go.
Work Each Area One-By-One
Make sure your movers are working from the inside out, and work each area one-by-one. Dedicating all your movers to a single area at a time will make the process a lot quicker, and will leave less room for mistakes.
Leave Additional Data and Power Setup for After the Move
The final power and data needs can be finished off and tested once the moving is completed. Your IT team should be ready to take over right after the movers are gone, so make sure you inform them beforehand.
Set Up Personalized Desk Labels
A good way of welcoming your employees to your new office is to place personalized labels on each desk. Name and title will do, and you can always throw in the company logo to make it more appealing.
Final Checks
Run a final check to test out all lights, outlets, faucets, toilets, doors, surveillance cameras, and other elements of your office. If you have a team member with a keen eye for detail you can bring them in as a consultant as well.
Moving from one office to another is hard work, but it can be simplified if you follow the above steps. As long as you book your move in advance, plan out everything accordingly, and put in the work the day of the move, you should be ready to roll the day after your move.
