It is a common practice for businesses to move. It is either for scaling up, downsizing, franchising a new branch in another country, or searching for new investors. The office relocation process is more or less the same as the home relocation one. It is never a cinch to move heavy furniture items, stack electronics, and pack numerous bits and bobs.
And that too in a brief amount of time. Since, of course, you can’t cease the daily business operations a week before just for the sake of moving. Thus, making the whole process a great deal of work. And due to this, most companies stall the moving process and decide to stay in a place fully cramped.
When it comes to moving into a new workspace, preparing and organizing are the key factors.The sooner you start with the planning phase, the more you can avoid the hiccups during the transition and make the process seamless.
Therefore, to avoid any mishaps, such as the glass sculpture of the senior executive ending up in the break room, take help from this article. Here’s the ultimate handy guide that can help you to transition into a new office workspace smoothly and keeps you virtually headache free:
- Rent aStorage Unit
First things first – begin the planning well in advance. Outline a plan and figure out which items will go in which area. For example, if your business mainly depends on computer networks, servers, and other business systems, ensure to set them up before moving. And if you think there are a few office items that can wait for some time, then no need to rush. You can search for a storage unit around your area or from the internet to store the things you don’t need urgently.
For instance, suppose your new workspace is in Little Elm, a city in Texas. In that case, you can search by typing self storage Little Elm TX to select the most reputable and reliable units to save your office possessions.That way, you can alleviate the stress and lessen the chaos during the moving process.
2. Research and Hire a Moving Company
Undoubtedly, moving offices is a formidable task that even the best-laid plans can get disrupted at the eleventh hour. Therefore, seek professional help and hire a moving company to make your move as hassle-free as possible. Search for the companies in your vicinity with positive reviews, best services, and have an insurance certificate.
The professional movers have the expertise to pack and unpack the goods and transport them safely. Besides, these firms can also design a moving layout according to the business needs.
3. Ask Employees to Pack Their Desks
Moving companies can lend a helping hand to you during the relocation process.However, employees should take the responsibility to clear their desk clutter. Since desks are employees’ personal space, there might be some items they need to pack until they get fully settled into the new workspace.
Therefore, let your employees know about the date of the move so that they can have ample time to sort out and make the necessary preps. That way, professional movers won’t invade their personal space, and this will also eliminate any chance of things getting misplaced.
4. Take Notes of Building Rules
Moving into a new space equates to a new building organization. Unfortunately, while driving your stuff from one place to another, employees might disregard these regulations unknowingly. There is a high possibility that your company might not have permission to use the service elevator.
Therefore, unless you are the owner of this building, you might need to adhere to the rules and regulations of the new building management.Contact someone from the management organization, ask them about the ins and outs of the building, and convey them to the workforce and logistics team.
5. Don’t Forget to Label the Boxes
Here comes the most crucial aspect of moving – packing and labeling the boxes. Even a slight mischance can spell unfavorable outcomes while settling. So first of all, choose plastic sheets, packing containers, and tapes of high quality to stow the electronic items securely. Next, label each box. Although the movers you hired can complete this task, it never hurt to do it yourself.
One pro tip is to go for the color-coding method while packing. Assign a color for each business department. That way, you can make things manageable and organized on the day of the move.
6. Update the Address
It’s normal for the entire company to get engrossed in the moving process. Still, don’t forget to update your business address. Inform the business partners, suppliers, customers, banks, and post offices about your new office location.
Apart from this, update the information on social media accounts and websites. Moreover, modify the address, business cards, letterheads, and other publication documents. And since you don’t want your office relocation to affect the business’s online presence, therefore, checkin with Google and other search engines.
7. Keep in Mind the IT
During the relocation, it is probable that the crucial data and files on hardwire might get lost or damaged. Therefore, give your IT department a heads up two to three months before the move. Then, these professionals can take timely actions and protect against the data breaches that may occur in the future.
Furthermore, IT professionals need to visit the new place to configure the settings of the systems and make necessary arrangements. Therefore, the more smoothly the technical sector relocates, the more likely the moving process goes without a hitch.
Final Words
Don’t let the office moving process intimidate you. Sure, it’s a bit of a stressful event, but there’s a good reason for this move. All you need is to arrange things ahead of the moving mayhem so that nothing gets to fly under the radar. Also, it will help to shorten the to-do list. When you come through the office relocation process safely, it’s time to take a break and celebrate. Arrange a small party as a gesture of “thank you” and appreciate the efforts that helped make this process successful. A mid-day brunch during the first week after the move is a perfect celebration idea to let your employees know you value them.
