You found the perfect new office for your company – a great location, and plenty of space to comfortably accommodate your employees as they return from remote working. Now, you’ve got some planning to do to ensure you have a smooth office move. Follow our below tips to help you organize your move with minimal disruption to your business operations.
Give yourself enough time
Starting early is crucial to an office move to lessen the impact on your business. Your employees must be notified of the move and how they must prepare. You’ll want to work around business hours to avoid disruption to everyone’s workflow.
Planning will also ensure that you get the help you need when you need it. When it comes to commercial moves, moving companies often need special equipment to handle the task. By starting early, you’ll be able to book your optimal dates before they’re taken.
Give your employees a heads up
While moving to a new office space can be energizing, it can also be a bit unsettling for employees. Packing, organizing, and settling into a new space – while they may not be doing the heavy lifting, there are still some requirements for their time and attention.
Communicate fully and openly with them and give them enough time in advance to prepare. Before the move, notify employees of important changes such as your new address and any changes to phone numbers. Ensure they’re familiar with any new building rules. Encourage department heads to take leadership of the movement of their department, passing along any new information or instructions that would help ensure the shift goes smoothly.
Choose someone to manage the project
Moving an office is a team effort. With so many moving parts, it’s crucial to have involvement throughout your organization to ensure success. That said, without centralized management, things can get messy. Appointing a project manager will help to keep things on track, on time, and budget.
Not everyone is cut out for this role, so make sure the person you nominate has the right qualities. Your project manager should be organized, with the ability to multitask without getting overwhelmed. They should have excellent communication skills and some experience with budgets.
Make sure you’re backed up
No matter how well you plan for things to go perfectly, things can and do go wrong. Include backups in your Plan A rather than relying on a separate Plan B. This is particularly important regarding private or essential company and employee data.
Before you move your IT Department, ensure your servers and records have been recently backed up. There are legal requirements for keeping financial data, so this step is vital not only from a practical perspective but from a legal one as well. Keep your data safe by backing it up properly, and hiring a commercial mover with expertise in moving your IT equipment.
Downsize where you can
This rule holds for both residential and office moves: don’t haul things you don’t need. Take the time to get rid of old files, shred and dispose of papers you no longer need and determine which furniture and office fittings should go. Make it easy for departments to discard or pass on the things they don’t need and give ample time for them to do their sorting.
Hire professional office movers
Hiring a moving company is an integral part of the process of your office move. A commercial mover will start their work alongside your project manager, planning all of the steps to ensure your move is a success. A trusted moving company will vet their employees and references, to ensure the highest level of security when transporting sensitive documents. They’ll have the expertise and equipment available to move heavy items such as furniture, large printers, and vending machines safely.
When it’s time for your office move, Kings & Queens Movers can help. Our qualified expert movers will help you plan and execute your action while avoiding downtime to your business. Let us help with preparation, packing, and moving.
