Moving Offices Is A Big Endeavor — Here's How To Handle It
Finding out that you need to move offices can be both exciting and overwhelming. You may be looking forward to having a larger, better-located, or more modern space, but getting there can be quite a process. Between transporting the contents of your office and adapting to new surroundings, there's so much to do. The tips below will help you handle this understandably challenging but necessary situation.
1. Hire movers to do as much as they can.
If you can find a full-service office moving company in your area, hire them. If you can only find someone who will load, transport, and unload everything, that's the next best option. While it can be tough to hand over the reins and let someone else control your move, doing so is often the best option. There are surely tasks that only you can do, such as helping employees settle in and informing clients of your new location. By letting someone else pack and carry the boxes, you free up your time to handle these other tasks.
2. Tell your employees well in advance.
Employees do not always take the news of an office move well, but don't delay telling them for this reason. Let them know about the move as soon as you're confident it will be happening. This will give them time to get ahead on work, pack up their own things, and make transportation plans for your new location. Some employees are bound to come to you with questions and concerns about these changes, and you don't want to be handling that at the same time you're trying to manage movers and unpack.
3. Make a moving timeline.
Sit down and make a timeline for the move. Include the dates that the movers will be arriving to pack, the day they'll be unpacking, the date you need all workers to have their things in boxes, the first day of business in the new office, and so forth. Everyone will be calmer if they know what to expect and when. Having this schedule also helps everyone work together towards certain goals and milestones.
4. Keep IT involved.
Keep your IT department very involved with the move, and put them in touch with the movers directly. This way, they can be on-site to connect computer systems when the movers unpack them, and they can also oversee the packing of these electronics.
With the tips above, your office move will go more smoothly. Hiring an office moving company helps, too, of course!