If it’s time for you to move your office, the entire process can be extremely complicated. It’s likely that your office relocation will have to be done in stages so that everything gets done in the right order. You need an office move project plan to ensure that everything goes the way it’s supposed to.
One of the biggest ways to plan your move is to find the best office furniture moving companies in the area and to choose one that has good ratings from customers. Using an office move calculator can help to simplify the process.
It’s also important to have office move communication to employees so that they know what to expect from each stage of the move. There is a need to get things moved efficiently, and employees need to know what is expected from them during the move. Employees may need to pack certain items or remove their personal belongings by a certain date. When the move is completed, they will need to know when everything is going to be back up and running. Once the office has settled into its new home, there may be problems that crop up, but communication will make them easier to solve.
Moving can often be a very stressful experience. When you are talking about residential moving experiences, most psychological experts say that it is one of the most stressful things people can go through. They list it up with getting a divorce and losing a job. While moving an office may not be as stressful, that does not make it fun. It can be very disruptive to people’s lives. There are some things that commercial movers recommend be done when a business is moving. Here are some tips to make the process less painful for everyone involved:
- Plan your office move in advance. This may not always be possible as sometimes unforeseen events are the the reason a business finds itself needing to relocate. Often, however, a business can anticipate needing a bigger (or smaller) space before their commercial lease is up. If you can start working out the details of your office move at least four to six months before you will need the moving company to show up, you will put yourself and your staff in a much better position to deal with all of the details. Just as is the case with residential moves, there are always more details than you think you will need to manage when you are dealing with a commercial move. Having more time than you need will prevent everyone from feeling too rushed or stressed out.
- Get everyone in on the decision making and planning. If you are planning to move within the same area, you will not have to worry about making your staff move to a new town or city. Whenever a company makes the decision to relocate to a new city or part of the country, the complications multiply. In some instances, staff members are asked to relocate. These staff need to be given as much time as you can grant them so they can make serious decisions about what they are going to do. Even if you are moving within the same town or city, workers may have to work out new ways to get to and from work. The more you can include your workers, the better they will feel and the more they will see that you care about their well being. This advice comes, not just from commercial movers but human resources and recruiting experts.
- Keep the communications channels open. Have a plan to tell everyone when things are happening. You should work with them to develop a strategy for packing. You can get all the supplies you need from the commercial movers but you need to coordinate with everyone when the packing will begin, when the commercial movers will come and how your furniture will be dealt with. If you have clients and customers who come to your space, you also need to make sure they are aware of any days or weeks that you will be closed to complete the move.
- Go with professional people to work on your move. Your workers will probably want to manage the packing of their files and any personal items they have (photos, keepsakes, etc.) but in terms of larger items or basic supplies, you can hire professionals to do the packing. You also need to have commercial movers come in to take care of your lager items such as the furniture. Work on finding the right companies for your needs a long time in advance. Depending on the time of year, you may need to reserve your commercial movers earlier. As soon as you know when you are planning the move, you should start reaching out to moving companies to get that ball rolling.
- Contact your internet, power and phone vendors. The distance that you move will determine whether you can keeo the vendors you use for all of your services. If you can keep the ones you are using at the old location, you still need to contact them to make sure you do not have a interruption in the services that you need to get your work done. Give the companies more time than you think they need to make the switch.
Moving your office does not have to be painful. These tips can really help.