There are many ways for a business to offset costs and office relocation is among the most impactful. It’s also among the most challenging from a planning standpoint.
An office relocation defines the process of moving a company’s physical location from one location to another. This often involves moving to a new building, a new floor in an existing or new building, or a new city altogether. Office relocation can become quite complex, the process requires a well thought out preliminary planning prior to execution. There are a number of key considerations when planning an office relocation, these considerations include an estimation of the time frame required, the working budget, communication channels, IT and data management, interior design solutions, equipment and furniture required, which forms the foundation of the office relocation plan.
The benefits of moving your office — especially moving it abroad in some cases — can easily be worth the effort. If the right safeguards are implemented and the move is planned carefully, there’s no reason it can’t go smoothly. Use this office relocation checklist to make your move as painless as possible.
What are the key steps in an office relocation?
The following paragraphs identifies the key considerations when planning a well thought out office relocation.
Pre-Relocation Planning
Prior to embarking on an office move, it is important to discuss the initial considerations as moving an entire office is never an inexpensive process. These discussions should form the basis for the overarching office relocation project plan, this process can be made more manageable by having an office moving checklist. It will take its toll both directly on your finances, and indirectly on all the billable hours that will be lost.
The main things to consider when moving offices are the costs and location. It’s best to leave the lion’s share of office move logistics to a moving company that can provide an acceptable quote. The price of the move is a function of its size, so the moving company’s estimates will largely depend on it. The decision then comes down to picking a company that’s best equipped to deal with your move.
Some companies specialise in certain kinds of office setups. If you’re in IT, it’s advisable to pick a company that is experienced in moving that kind of office.
Setting a semi-flexible budget is a good idea. To avoid any surprise expenses, make sure you pick a company that can provide a turnkey price and a plan. That will help a lot to accurately estimate total moving costs and prepare for the move more easily.
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Office Relocation: Selection of the New Location
Location is key to an effective office strategy. When picking and ultimately selecting a location, you have to take the key needs of your business into account. When looking at office spaces, it is crucial to consider security, network access, access restrictions, etc. It is practical to also bear in mind that not every office will have all the amenities that your business needs. Things like proximity to certain trade hubs might also be a concern for you.
Flexible offices with business centres within the central business districts in the city constitute a great approach to selecting a suitable location for the new office, one that works for the nature of your business. More importantly, it also provides great support on office interior layout and custom design.
You should also think about all your momentary needs, of course. It is also good to consider the long-term needs to avoid another move within a short period.
If you’re moving your office abroad, there is an extra level of detail that has to be resolved. Again, the best thing to do is engage a moving company that specialises in moving offices of your type.
Communication: Creating a Relocation Team
Creating a relocation team for office relocation can be a daunting task. There are a number of guidelines that can help in creating a successful relocation team.
- Identify the key stakeholders
Identify the key stakeholders who will be involved in the relocation process. This could include department heads, IT personnel, and facilities management.
- Define roles and responsibilities
Clearly define the roles and responsibilities of each team member. This will help ensure that everyone knows what they are responsible for and what is expected of them.
- Establish communication channels
Establish clear communication channels between team members. This could include regular meetings, email updates, or a shared project management tool.
- Provide training
Provide training to team members on the relocation process, including any new technology or processes that will be implemented.
- Ensure adequate resources
Ensure that the team has adequate resources to complete the project. This could include additional staff, equipment, or funding.
- Monitor progress
Monitor the progress of the relocation team and make adjustments as needed. Regularly check in with team members to ensure that everything is on track.
Discuss the Move Internally
The people most impacted should be the first to learn about the move. It’s best to notify all your team members and employees of the moving date and new office address with an office move notice as soon as you make the final decision to move.
Next, it is crucial to communicate clearly and effectively by hosting meetings to not only identify the key stakeholders who will be involved in the relocation process, but to offer opportunities for them to voice their opinions throughout the process. This could include department heads, IT personnel, and facilities management. It is equally important to define the roles and responsibilities of each internal stakeholder to facilitate project development. By clearly defining the roles and responsibilities of each team member. This will help ensure that everyone knows what they are responsible for and what is expected of them.
Managing an office move is not a trivial task. You’ll need all the help you can get, and that might include putting together an office relocation task force. The sooner you can involve your employees, the more time they will have to get used to the idea. Office relocation is tough, and some employees won’t be able to relocate with it. You’ll need to take that into account, as well. Therefore, it’s crucial to inform the affected employees as early as possible. Before the move takes place, make sure all employees know what their responsibilities will be in the new place. It will take some time for the employees to adapt to the new working environment. Often the biggest benefit of moving offices is a morale boost for employees. A new space often paves the way for new avenues of collaboration and communication.
In short, ensure that expectations are clear for all employees as far as their responsibilities during and after the move, and do so as soon as you can.
Tell Your Partners and Clients
If it’s mismanaged, an office move could mean the loss of some key business connections. In general, your current landlord and property manager would be notified with official notice given. Commercially, it is practical to inform clients, along with an explanation of how it will impact your relationship. In an ideal scenario, most or all of your client relationships will continue to work the same way they used to.
When you’re ready, make the office move announcement to local partners, affiliates, and suppliers about the upcoming move, especially those who will be affected by your change of address and contact information. For the most part, it shouldn’t be a problem to keep working with the same organizations but it’s a good idea to give them time to prepare for your move.
As soon as the location is decided on, send out your new address to all relevant parties. In the last few weeks prior to the move, you can start updating all your company’s listings. After the move, make sure your address is fully updated. That includes websites and social media accounts, of course, as well as services like Google and Yelp.
Packing and Labeling
When relocating an office, it is important to - Assign a project manager, as well as a member of each team to oversee their department’s packing responsibilities. Ensure that all items and inventory (if applicable) are packed and labeled properly to avoid any confusion or loss of items. For instance, by assigning a color code to different departments, areas, or individual rooms, this can help keep track of items and make the unpacking process easier.
In addition, Label everything including from furniture to hand-hold office equipment, etc. Ensure that labels on furniture are visible as this will ensure that no items will be lost enroute to the new office. Thirdly, take a final inventory of all items so nothing is amiss after the move. Last but not least, office equipment, including printers, copiers, network equipment and servers, etc. should be moved by logistics professionals. Be sure to label each office machine with its designated location in the new office to facilitate the move-in process.
Transportation and Logistics for your Office Relocation
When planning for transportation and logistics for an office relocation, it might be more practical moving all your office equipment from one space to another by creating a clear and concise an inventory to avoid human error. Once a full listing has been completed, there are further strategies to pack the listed items. For instance, computers and hard drives should be labeled to ensure that each employee receives their assigned devices with all original documents intact. A trained professional can be recruited to set up the network in your new office and to ensure that each device is connected correctly. It is also essential to have a logistics plan to ensure that your office relocation is well planned in advance.
A logistics plan should incorporate the physical move, the IT relocation, and preparing the new office for occupation to keep your office move on track, this practice will further guide coordination that is paramount to an organised and smooth office relocation.
Setting Up the New Office
The effective approach to setting up a new office calls for a meticulous streamlining in order to minimise unforeseen problems and to avoid unnecessary delays or problematic cost overuses. As a starter, priorities should be given to office set up and installation of work computers, tech equipment and telephone systems as this genre often consistent an important part to the daily operations and activities within the office. This process may require some research to be conducted and reviewed if external resources are required for effective installation. Next, it is essential to update the company website and internal contact lists with the relevant updates and new information. It might be fruitful to dissect and identify the sections on the website page where revision or update is required to avoid human error and omission, which will hinder the business professional image. Finally, administrative tasks such as performing a premises check to report any damage, the transfer of insurance and proper documentation and termination of old leases should be conducted. Other administration task include the collection of old premises access items and the distribution of new ones.
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Key Things to Consider when Relocating
There are a number of issues that warrant consideration and advance planning when relocating. Technology and Infrastructure are precisely the areas that should not be overlooked as their effectiveness will contribute to the success of a business. In general, the IT requirements and infrastructure setup is a strenuous process. Office IT equipment, including printers, copiers, network equipment and servers, should be moved and set up by trained professionals. In cases where the internal team lacks the skillset to support such endeavor, it is worthwhile to recruit external help to avoid further trouble or connection issues down the road. In addition, printers and copiers often require servicing prior to the physical move. For instance, the ink cartridges may be removed to facilitate transportation. Ensure that each office machine is well-labelled with its designated location in the new space. The relocation process can be further streamlined by adopting an office relocation timeline, a document that details the date and time of all moving parts to ensure all procedures occur accordingly and no step is omitted. Finally, the protection of classified company data is essential in this day and age. It also makes commercial sense to back up important data for purposes of strengthened security.
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Conclusion
There’s no reason for office relocation to be excessively disruptive to the normal flow of your business. There are many ways for a business to offset costs and office relocation is among the most impactful. The benefits of moving your office — especially moving it abroad in some cases — can easily be worth the effort. If the right safeguards are implemented and the move is strategically and carefully planned, there’s no reason it can’t go smoothly.
Office relocation is definitely going to be a big effort and an exercise in teamwork, planning, and organisation. However, a number of tips have been identified to facilitate your transition to the new office relocation.
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