Businesses often move locations for a variety of reasons, the most common being that the company has either grown or downsized and they need a new office to accommodate their current staff size. Other reasons businesses choose to move locations may be a too-small parking lot, a hike in rent, or extended construction going on nearby that makes it difficult for their customers to get to their office.
Regardless of why a business chooses to move, it’s important to put together a plan to help make the move go as smoothly as possible and work is minimally disrupted. Here are some steps you can take to ensure the move is simple and straightforward.
Planning the New Layout
Your new space is unlikely to be set up exactly the way your current space is. That means you’ll need to rearrange and ideally, take the opportunity to organize. Create a map of the new location before you move and take some time to think about how things will best fit into the new space. If you have a general idea of where everything should go ahead of time, you can label equipment and boxes so they are brought to the right area on moving day.
Providing Information to the Team
Once you have a general idea of your new location’s layout, it’s time to provide information to your team. Let them weigh in on where things should be moved and what should be reorganized, especially in their own areas. Let them know when moving day is and give them any other pertinent information about the move. Give your employees the opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback for how the moving process can be made smoother.
Outlining Expectations for the Team
Be clear in what you expect from your employees before and during the move. Is everyone responsible for packing up their own desk? Are there certain people responsible for overseeing entire departments? Be sure that everyone knows what their role is and that every role available is filled by someone. The last thing you want to do on moving day is scramble because people aren’t sure what they should be doing.
Setting up Service Providers
Before the move, you’ll want to find out what service providers offer services at your new location. If your current utility, cable, internet, and telephone providers also service your new location, you’ll simply have to inform them that you’re moving and services will need to be turned on at the new location. However, if they don’t, you’ll need to find out who does service your new location and begin the process of setting up new accounts with them. Be sure to do this in advance of moving day. It can slow down getting back on track after the move if telephone, internet, and other important services still have to be installed or switched.
Getting Wiring and Cabling Set Up
One of the biggest challenges of moving offices is getting your new structured cabling and wiring set up. Plugging in computers, routing network hardlines, running telephone lines, and other wiring set up needs can be tedious and time consuming. Additionally, if it’s not set up right to start with, it can cause a hassle in the future if you run into problems. Consider hiring a professional for this task—unless you’re experienced with IT equipment and how to set a multi-computer system, it could cost you more money on the long run if it’s done improperly. A professional can also take care of this task while you’re unboxing other important items and getting your office space set up.
Getting Settled in Your New Space
Regardless of how much planning you put into moving your location, you’re likely to run into a few issues here and there. Take them in stride as best you can and give yourself and your team a few days or a week to get settled into your new space. Expect to have difficulty finding things that you need until you learn their new place, and expect that it might be difficult to focus until you recover from the move. Keep moving forward and things should smooth out quickly as you and your team get into the swing of things.
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