How Do I Move My Office to a New Location?

Relocating an office can be a challenging endeavor for all involved, yet can also present an opportunity to boost morale, motivate employees, and save money through revamping your workspace.

Get organized before beginning to plan the details of your move by gathering all necessary supplies (boxes, tape and labels), plus making a list of keys, parking passes and access cards that must be present during the move.

Planning

Planning is essential to any successful office move and can prevent numerous issues from cropping up during its implementation, such as employee discontentment, missed invoices and damaged customer relationships.

Establishing a plan with precise deadlines will keep your office move on track and efficiently managed. Consider when things like cubicles need to be cleared out or utilities disconnected and start making your plan.

As part of your planning process, ask employees for feedback on features they wish would appear in their new workspace. This will enable you to select a space that meets both their functional needs and cultural ones.

While this time is spent creating a floorplan and hiring contractors for your office move, such as hiring movers or having someone on-site oversee the installation of IT equipment, be sure to inform any vendors currently servicing your current location that you will be moving and inform them as well.

Packing

Office relocation can be an exciting yet stressful endeavor for everyone involved, from newcomer companies relocating into coworking space or established firms relocating into corporate headquarters. Many logistics must be managed effectively in order to meet deadlines on schedule.

Start planning and packing early so that your office move goes as smoothly as possible, giving yourself enough time to communicate your plan to your team and put all the appropriate processes in place before the actual date arrives.

Moving is also an opportunity to get rid of unwanted or extra items by shredding records or holding an office warehouse sale with furniture, files and decorations you no longer use or need for holiday decor. Also if there are any specialized pieces you’ll require in your new space – now would be a good time to order and purchase them to help prevent delays on moving day!

Moving Day

If your team will assist in the move, assign roles and responsibilities. Set hard deadlines for them all, including when to disconnect phones, clear desks and install internet.

Make a final walkthrough of your new office space to ensure furniture and technology will fit. Also take measurements of doorways and hallways – this can save money by helping avoid having to purchase larger conference tables or other bulky items.

As part of your move preparations, order keys and access cards for your new office as early as possible. Also update any business listings, subscriptions or accounts associated with your company with your new address.

Purchase all necessary office equipment ahead of time – trash cans, coffee mugs, napkins and cleaning chemicals are essential – saving both time and money when moving day comes along! By investing in this equipment beforehand you’ll avoid needing to repurchase these items on either end.

Post-Moving

As soon as your move is over, take time to do a complete inspection of the newly vacated space and check for any property damage or disconnection issues related to electricity, Internet connection, computers, phones and servers.

Once your date for moving has been decided upon, inform all suppliers so they can adjust their schedules appropriately. Also notify your current landlord if any cleaning services or items need to be returned or cleaned up after. Be sure to provide movers with accurate measurements of your new space so they can immediately place large pieces where they belong instead of trying to fit them later on.

After your team has settled into their new space, host a celebration party to show them that all their hard work has been appreciated. It doesn’t need to be extravagant; simply something simple like cake will help people become comfortable in their surroundings and look forward to future roles within your company.