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Relocating an office space can be a stressful experience, much more so than moving house. Why? Because on top of the typical hassles of moving home, you must keep the operations running and handle the entire relocation procedure with minimal disruption to your day-to-day business flow. Moreover, many more stakeholders are involved, and there is the potential loss of some customers and employees who can’t move to the new location.
But more often than not, moving to a new space is a sign of growth and is a milestone in the evolution of many thriving businesses. So, whether you are a newly-formed startup looking to establish your first commercial space, a small business on the verge of expansion, or a big corporation in need of a better, more prestigious headquarters, the following tips will help you keep your business running seamlessly throughout the entire process.
Giving Notice
Business relocation is not and should not be viewed as a one-day job. The process begins the moment you sign the lease for your new place.
Upon doing that, the first thing on your list must be giving notice to your current landlord. Depending on your contract, you may need to do some negotiation with your landlord. If you are breaking the lease, for example, you may be asked to compensate for the loss of rent or reletting and advertising expenses.
In addition to your landlord, communicate the matter with your staff and every stakeholder that is going to be affected by the move as soon as possible, if not months prior to making the final decision. Changes like this will affect the employees just as much. Some may not be able to uproot their homes and families to adjust. Others may have concerns about the added cost and length of their commute. It is in the best interest of everyone involved if you allocate enough time to thoroughly discuss these concerns and, if possible, come up with solutions.
Define the Project
The larger your organization is, the more complex the process will get. The key to a painless office relocation is approaching it as you would with any other business project. Open up a spreadsheet and break down the project into small tasks assigned to specific individuals and teams. Estimate the time, cost, and requirements each task needs for completion. Do you have an IT department? What infrastructure does it need in place to function on day one? What is the setup time for the new circuits and cabling? Who should supervise the setup?
If you are responsible for moving a small business, you may feel the urge to skip this part as all this work may seem redundant. But the time spent planning will save you a lot of headaches and confusion later.
Create a Pre and Post-Move Inventory
Document a list of all items that need to be packed and moved, along with their quantity, origin, and destination. You can take an extra precaution and take and attach a photograph of each item to the file. For large and heavy objects like furniture, it would be best to measure up the new office space and settle on its design and layout beforehand. This way, you will know if you have any unwanted pieces that you need to get rid of before the move or whether or not you are going to need furniture shipping for refitting. Planning these things ahead saves you more money than you may realize. Even better, you can sell or donate equipment that won’t be needed anymore to recoup some of the expenses either in cash or as a write-off.
Schedule the Date and Prepare
Having a definite schedule in which every task for the moving day is clearly defined is crucial. If you are moving on a working day, every unproductive second signifies a waste of valuable resources. Even if you plan to move on a day when you are not operating, you should emphasize punctuality in order to be able to finish the job within the designated timeframe and prevent it from spilling over to working days.
Packing much be precise and efficient. If you are not using professional packing services, have the employees pack their non-essential items at least a week in advance. Everything must be labeled correctly as per instructions of the moving company you employ.
Take extra care about the transit of confidential paperwork or equipment containing sensitive data. For digital information, be sure to make a backup and transport a copy off-site before moving or use any services that provide cloud protection. For paper records and files, use portable safes or lock boxes and make sure that your moving company has policies in place to protect them.
And finally, after everything is unpacked in the new location, update your office details and information on everything from the signage, letterheads, and business cards to the website, social media, and Google.
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