They say that moving house is one of the most stressful experiences you can face in life. But what about when you remove all the personal attachments and decide instead to move your entire office from one location to a new one?
As a specialist removal company offering our services across both private and commercial residences and buildings, we’ve seen it all – from pre-booked moves with an endless array of checklists to last-minute bookings and more. In this blog, we’re sharing our insight into office moves in particular, touching on how to navigate the complexity of an office move, how to ensure the safety of both company equipment and your colleagues, and how to optimize your resources and use of time to minimize disruption to the business.
The challenges of moving your office
Nobody likes packing, with the very idea of packing your entire business up into boxes ready to be moved, something which many colleagues and employees will dread. However, it’s not just the physical challenges that make moving office such an obstacle.
For many offices, the desks, chairs, and office accessories are just the tip of the iceberg – with IT infrastructure one of the most difficult things to navigate when it comes to upping and moving to a new office.
Another challenge that many clients come across is first finding the right place in which to set up their new business premises, and then making it their own – utilizing time and resources to add their own creative spin to the blank canvas of empty office space, so that it inspires employees and excites prospective clients.
And then we come to the need for care and attention when it comes to moving expensive equipment and confidential documents – all of which require a team of professionals who are experienced in the safe handling of complex equipment and private documentation and filing systems.
Top tips for navigating an office move
Of course, the first and most important piece of advice is also the simplest: as soon as you start planning your office move, get in touch with the best local moving company to secure their services, support, and access to the vehicles and logistical equipment that you need to physically move your entire business from one location to another.
From there, the easiest way to ensure a smooth transition is to approach the move in stages – creating a timeline around which things can start to be packed up and moved over gradually, to minimize
Here are some of the most important touchpoints to consider when creating your office move checklist, to help make sure that you don’t miss anything:
· Before you start placing furniture in the new office, ensure that the blank canvas of the space is reflective of your brand or business, and the kind of environment you want to create. This is an opportunity to reinvent your work setting and create a productive and inspiring place for your business to call home – so use it!
· As with any move, take care of the big furnishings first – ideally using a floorplan that has already been virtually created and approved to minimise changes and adjustments.
· If you’re able to retain the old office for a period of time and thus have the luxury of time where you still own or rent both places, move gradually and set some employees up in the new office so that they can continue working while the rest move over.
· Organise an office move party to celebrate with colleagues and clients. Not only is this a great excuse for networking, but it’s an easy and inclusive way to announce your move.
the disruption to your workplace operations. For example, once the new office location is online and connected to the internet then move some skeleton staff members over so that they can remain connected and ensure your business continues to answer calls and emails, while the rest of the office moves.
The importance of planning, not just logistically but for the benefit of the business
When we talk about the importance of planning around an office move, we of course mean that you need to create checklists to ensure that nothing is left behind. However, planning for an office move should go beyond that.
As part of your preparation, it is integral that the move is communicated to both in-house employees and external contacts with plenty of notice. From supplier samples and communications to client invoices and more, many of the logistics of running your business rely on a stable location and address – and when this is changing, people need to know as early as possible.
And that’s not all. As well as sharing your new address with internal and external contacts and connections, the chances are that your office move will render most employees offline for at least a day if not more, as you all pitch in to help move equipment and wait to get set up on the new system and connected to the new WiFi. While you might choose to enable some employees to work from home during this process, minimizing interruption to your business, any colleagues who you foresee as being taken offline for a period of time should let their connections know via an out of office.
TOP TIP: You could even post an update on your business social media page and provide some behind-the-scenes content to help nurture your company’s online personality and brand.
As this blog outlines, moving office locations does come with challenges – but these need not be impossible, and the idea of moving doesn’t have to become something you dread. Reach out to the team here at A Swift Move for expert advice and professional service from start to finish – we are experienced in navigating challenging spaces, protecting important and confidential data and information, and facilitating a quick and seamless move.
