Here are the 8 Best Office Moving Tips

Dilbert cartoons are sometimes at their most cutting when describing office moving problems. In one comic strip, a character says that they don’t want to worry anyone but “you should look for new jobs right away”.

Office relocation need not be so stressful. With some careful planning and thought the move can go ahead smoothly, on budget and on time.

Read on for 8 office moving tips.

1. Get Office Moving Experts

If you hire experts at office moving you can reduce the anxiety and room for error. They have experience and techniques for the task. How many office moves will you have to do before you have developed the expertise to get it right?

When hiring a commercial mover, make certain they have insurance. Check the policy details so you know what is covered and the total amount they are covered for.

You may find a professional mover can also offer storage solutions to ease your move.

2. Plan for Success

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail”. So said Benjamin Franklin. Give yourself plenty of time to prepare for your move.

Preparations can include reviewing whether you need to relocate everything. Are there things that you should dump rather than move? Some of these things may even have a value, so sell them to help with the removal costs.

Packing can start well in advance of the move date. It always takes longer than you expect. Don’t leave it until the last minute.

Label everything to help find things after the move and to help the movers decide where each case or item should be put after the move.

The following tips require preparation and this takes time.

3. Consult with Employees

Talk to your team about office moving as early as possible. If there is some disruption, people who have had a say, are more committed to making it work.

If there are implications for employment rights, early notice and consultation may be required. Check state laws.

Have members of the team involved in planning. Generally, the more brains employed in anticipating and solving problems, the better.

To get maximum engagement from the team make sure they understand the reasons for the move and what’s in it for them. Create a clear vision of life after the move. Make sure there are the resources to do it including time and budget.

Inform people of the action plan and their part in it.

4. Anticipate the Implications of an Address Change

If there is an address change this may have implications for business cards, letterheads, websites and more. Wherever your address appears will need an update. Sometimes you can manage down stationary levels so as to reduce the cost implications.

You may need to plan changes to websites and other electronic references to your address such as automatic address blocks on e-mail. There may be a cost implication for any changes.

Organize notification of the address change. Customers, suppliers and other services will need to be informed. Make announcements and follow up with reminders about the move and change of address.

5. Appoint a Move Coordinator

Even if you are using a commercial mover having a person in your team with oversight of the move is helpful. They can be a central point of contact for both the mover and your team members.

Office moves and planning can be a very political activity. There is nothing more likely to cause friction than competition for prime office location. Your coordinator must be able to handle this pressure.

On the day of the move, have a coordinator at both sites to help the move-out and move-in. Resist having everybody present. They can get in the way of the movers.

6. Design Your New Office Space

Take some time to plan the new office space. A scale drawing will ensure everything fits and helps the mover identify where to put things in your new office.

Include chairs, storage, desks and anything of significant size. It’s important to identify the location of water fountains, kitchens, restrooms, fire escapes and entrances.

Have the arguments about where people will be located before office moving. Plan where the printers, cabling, and other equipment will be. It will be cheaper in the long run and go more smoothly on the day.

7. Get the IT Equipment Move Right

If there is one area that will go wrong when office moving it will be IT. It is the nature of IT that connections fail. Equipment that has not been moved for years once moved, fails.

Ensure backups of all data have been made in case anything is lost or damaged. Have plenty of packing material including bubble wrap for monitors and computers. Keep- cables and connections with the appliances they come from.

If data cabling is being installed in your new premises, have it tested. Better to discover a problem before everybody is in the building trying to work. Prioritise the installation of IT equipment so that people can use phones and computers as soon as possible.

8. Make People Responsible

Make people responsible for packing their own stuff including the contents of their desk. They will then be better able to find things at the other end of the move. Have them take personal possessions home before a move.

It may make sense to have a department take responsibility for taking an inventory of what is being moved. A case count for each department can be helpful and is one way of holding movers accountable.

Many removal companies will not take responsibility for plants so have somebody take responsibility for moving and care of plants.

Moving is a New Start

Once you have completed the move and people are back up and running, plan a celebration. This can be a thank you to everybody for their help and tolerance. It can also be a new beginning in the new location.

A new beginning makes the move about letting go of the familiar, old office. It’s about embracing the opportunities and excitement of the new office and the future. There may be wrinkles to smooth out but it will be worth it.

To learn more about office moving, click here.