7 Critical Tips for a Smooth Office Relocation

 

Moving to a new office is an exciting move for any company, and it doesn’t need to be a stressful process for those coordinating it.

For small business owners, relocation is the second most stressful job after hiring new employees. As a result, most companies delay moving and choose to stay in crowded and expensive facilities.

Here are seven critical office relocation tips to help increase the chances of a fast and efficient move.

1. Plan your office relocation early

Commercial relocations need detailed planning and preparation. When planning the move, decide on the moving date, the time-frame for the relocation process after which you can come up with a schedule. Additionally, have a specific budget assigned to the relocation process. It will come in handy when identifying costs for hiring movers and help avoid making uninformed decisions.

2. Communicate with your employees

Communicating with your employees is one of the important office relocation tips you need to consider. Be sure to keep your staff up-to-date with moving plans and time schedules. Notify them of important changes and procedures at the new business premise including:

• The new address or any revised phone and fax numbers

• New building rules

• Packing arrangement at the new location among others

You can encourage them to create a moving checklist to ensure that all essential areas are covered, and nothing gets missed. While change can be unsettling for employees, communicating with them can boost their morale.

3. Assign a project manager

Every office move requires a team effort to increase chances of success. Appointing a project manager to facilitate all the aspects of the relocation process will also be important.

The team leader should have multi-tasking abilities, exceptional organisational skills, effective communication skills and experience working with budgets. A great set of office management tools can also help make the relocation more seamless.

4. Protect your data

You never know what could happen to your files and hardware during the relocation process. You could end up losing important documents to damaged servers or hard drives. Therefore, it is important to back up your data and protect it from loss and breach when moving.

For instance, you can use a digital visitor management system to safeguard your visitor and staff data. The best part is that you can move with it seamlessly as it is cloud-based. This way you demonstrate compliance with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) since you won’t lose data about who visited your business in the past.

5. Deep clean your office

Don’t move with items you don’t need. Remove old files, shred unnecessary papers, dispose of old furniture and sell or donate equipment that won’t be needed anymore. However, be sure to consult with your accountants since donated items can be used as a write-off.

6. Hire a professional moving company

Hiring a moving company is essential to facilitate a smooth office relocation. Moving companies have the knowledge, expertise, and resources needed to make the moving process seamless. They will provide packing and unpacking services to ensure your business items are transferred safely. A moving company can also identify your business requirements and help draft a suitable moving plan.

Be sure to choose a company that is well-established, certified, and insured.

7. Update your address everywhere

Let your suppliers and customers know when you are relocating, your new company address and when normal business will resume. Be sure to update your business cards, website, letterhead and social media sites. Additionally, contact Google to have your address, and online listing changed a month leading to your relocation.

Moving isn’t quite as hectic as it sounds. If you follow these office relocation tips – from planning the process, communicating with clients, vendors and employees to backing up your data – you will be able to transition smoothly into your new workplace.