Office Relocation Tips: Making The Process Easier For Your Employees
Moving an office takes a lot of time, work, and resources and can be overwhelming in the beginning. So we put this list of office relocation tips together to make the process easier for you.
It can truly be a challenge if you don’t delegate appropriately and have a well laid out plan. We’ve been part of plenty of office moves and along the way have seen what works, and what can slow teams down come moving day.
Below are some of our best tips for delegating your office relocation.
Plan Ahead and Plan Early.
Plan, plan, plan! If you’ve ever moved from one apartment to another, you know it’s probably pretty casual, and you’re gonna get a few friends to help carry your stuff, pay them in beer and pizza, and call it a day. Moving an office is a bit more complicated, and there are a lot more moving pieces. “Winging it” is not going to fly, and it’s probably going to create some unwanted stress for everyone involved.
Start with a budget. Budgeting the office move is probably the most tedious part of the process as it requires approvals, moving the numbers around, and doing it in the most cost-effective way for the business. Blowing all the budget on the move itself can take away from replenishing things that you’ve purged before the move. It’s important to know how much you have to spend, how much you’re allowed to spend, and how much budget will be left for a celebration!
The plan should start a few months ahead of the actual move, at the very least. And start by writing down everything you think needs to be done, no matter how small. Even the last minute stuff like everyone packing up their own desks to move can be a scramble to get done if it’s not planned out ahead of time. Set a schedule for goals to meet when it comes to sorting through the existing office, selecting the office layout, getting leases and rental agreements signed, and a moving timeline.
Assign Everyone a Task
Everyone in your office should have a role in the move. Whether it’s throwing out junk, curating packing boxes, or being the point of contact for the moving company – everyone will have an assigned role. This will keep things efficient and moving. Time can be wasted when people are doubling up on work, or standing around asking what they can do to help. Have a sign-up sheet and get people to choose what they most prefer if you need to. Listing who is doing what, and making it visible to the entire team will help everyone know who to go to for any issues or planning.
Assign a “Moving Manager”
Whether the office manager is in charge of delegating most of the planning items, an official moving manager should be named in the office. They handle anything related to the move-in day. They may be the point of contact for the moving company or the building managers. Either way, having someone designated to be close to the actual moving tasks is going to help everything run smoothly and efficiently the day of and the days leading up to it.
Hold a “Purge Day”
Purge your desks! Make a fun day of purging everything out of your personal desks and workspaces. Throw away old papers, office materials, personal items. Anything that doesn’t need to be moved with you should go. Make a fun day blocked out that includes music, pizza, and big garbage bins to put junk in. Talk to your current building manager and see if they can accommodate any large recycling bins so you can purge effectively and not overload their bins as well.
Label Everything
If you don’t label anything, then half of the moving day and unpacking day is going to be spent opening boxes, figuring out what’s inside and having to delegate its place. Just like when you move into a new house or apartment, if you label the outside of the boxes with exactly what’s inside, you can place them right where they need to be right away. This makes the entire unpacking process a breeze. Printer paper goes by the printer, office supplies go by the counter. Easy!
Layout Planning
Use the new office layout blueprints, if you have them, to plan out where everything will go. Drawing out the plan for moving day can be helpful and can help direct the movers or employees to put things where they need to go right from the moving truck that day. You can also pre-plan your office layout with everything from desks to printers to fake plants. It’s going to make that day so much easier when everyone knows exactly what goes where, and it’s a purpose.
Set Address Changes
Make sure any and all address changes are put in early, with the pre-date of move-in day. The last thing you want to happen is old mail, important mail, of confidential mail to arrive at your old office location because the address changes were not put into effect early enough. USPS should be able to assist with that process if need be.
Note any Building Rules
Check with your new office building in regards to loading and unloading, hour restrictions for moving, and any rules in regards to who can or cannot have access to areas before and during your move-in day. Make sure they are aware of the move specifics and ensure elevator access and loading dock access for a group of your employees delegated to handle those moving day details.
Moving Day!
Enjoy your new office space and start planning your epic “Office-Warming” Party!
At Minnesota Office Furniture, we strive to help companies not just furnish their office, but create a collaborative, and welcoming work environment that can grow along with their business. If you are in a growing business, a company in the middle of a relocation, or simply looking for an office refresh, contact us for a consultation. We’d love to help!
