Moving offices is a challenge for any team. More so than ever during the COVID-19 pandemic, when even day-to-day business operations take on an added veneer of stress.
However, moving to a new office environment, especially one better tailored to your team’s needs, can provide a much-needed reset and boosts productivity. Statistics show that as many as 68% of employees could benefit from moving to new premises. To help you make the transition as smooth as possible, here’s a quick guide on how to plan a stress-free office relocation.
Table of Contents
Start planning early
To start with, give yourself plenty of time to prepare.
Between appraisals, deciding on your new floor plan, and vetting moving companies, time can fly by. Plus, you have to factor in unforeseen delays – especially against the background of an ongoing pandemic.
Depending on the size of your team, you might have to start planning your relocation well over 6 months in advance.
Declutter and take stock
The next step is to go through all your office contents and decide what you want to take with you.
During day-to-day business operations, clutter accumulates. An office move is the perfect opportunity to cut back on it.
Eliminate heaps of paper and broken or outdated office equipment. Then, make a thorough inventory of what you’ll be taking along to your new location.
In the process, be careful to properly dispose of sensitive data, whether in the form of paper or digital storage.
Choose the right movers
Next, take some time to pick the best moving company for the job.
Which company is right for you depends on your individual needs and the size of your business.
Are you moving locally? Nationally? Or even abroad? Does your business have 10 employees – or 100? Different movers will have different amounts of experience with all of these scenarios.
The process of can take a few weeks, but it’s worth it in the end.
Start by getting recommendations from your business network. Then, check potential candidates online – vet their websites, scrutinize their reviews, and ask for references from previous clients. Finally, get some detailed and transparent quotes to compare.
Clarify responsibilities
A final ingredient for a stress-free move is to involve your team and make clear what their responsibilities are.
Ask for input on the layout of the new office space, and provide a clear timeline for the move. Then, you can assign roles to individual team members – such as being in charge of packing materials, or overseeing the IT components of the move.
If appropriate, you can even designate one competent person to coordinate the venture, as a central point of information.
Get your move on
Office relocations are a challenge, there’s no doubt about it.
By planning well in advance, getting a head start on decluttering and making an inventory, picking the right movers, and involving your team, you can face this challenge with a minimum amount of stress.
Keep these fundamentals of stress-free relocations in mind, and before long, you’ll be able to sit back in your new office, take a deep breath, and get to work.
