Moving an office is just as much trouble as moving to a new home. There’s so much to coordinate and so much to pack. You’re also working within a tight timeline. Regardless of the size of your company, office relocation can be lots of work. To minimize the downtime of your business, you have to do extensive planning in advance.
With proper planning, you can avoid having any complications in your move. Follow our tips for a smooth move to your new office space.
Plan Early
Since we already know that there will be much to prepare and pack with an office move, it is prudent that you start planning early. You should have a plan in place minimally one month before the actual day. Planning what to do leading up to delivery day, how to get ready for it and the arrangement of items upon arrival at the new office space will be greatly helpful in speeding up the whole process and keeping you and your team organized. Having everyone aware of the flow of events and tasks will minimize any confusion and prevent last-minute packing.
Appoint a Team Lead
Even though the work will be divided up equally amongst all employees, to ensure things progress as they should be, a detail-oriented person should be appointed as the team lead for the move. Having a person facilitate and oversee the whole process provides a single point of contact for all departments and other relevant external parties.
Find a Moving Company
Relocating a business requires way more things than you would need for moving house. Moving offices can get very expensive if you’re planning to do it on your own and get the necessary services individually. Hiring a moving company that provides office moving services makes the move so much easier, as they have special equipment to move the heavy items and a trained team of experienced movers. With the resources they bring to the table, you and your team can save time to focus on your daily work or other tasks required for the move.
Assign Task of Packing Workstations
Always keep your employees in the loop on what to expect from the entire moving process. As mentioned, keeping them informed about the plan and timeline allows them to plan their work schedules to set aside time to pack their workstations. Everyone should have the responsibility of packing their work areas. You may consider giving them several hours off the day before the move so that everyone will have properly cleared out their desks and can settle any remaining miscellaneous tasks required.
Rope in the I.T. Team
One of the biggest hassles that come with an office relocation is having to disconnect and then reconnect your technological equipment. This is a big task that cannot be outsourced and takes time, so it is important that you inform the I.T. team early so they can draft a plan for the transferring of equipment and data. If there is equipment that is no longer needed, you can have them recycled or donated.