The plan you create for your office relocation determines the success and efficiency of the entire process. A common mistake people make when creating their plan is leaving out the details. An effective moving plan must include more than deadlines for setting up services, packing and renting moving equipment. Instead, it has to take into consideration all possible situations, circumstances and foreseeable challenges, while also including the typical moving tasks.
Create a Plan that Addresses Issues Experienced in the Previous Location
Relocating presents the perfect opportunity to correct any issues you experienced in the previous location. Perhaps it was not enough outlets to power all of the electronics, a poor layout that took up too much space, or a lack of privacy, storage or design. Think about what your team members didn’t like about the previous office and create a plan to address it, whether it’s replacing large office furniture with smaller alternatives, painting the walls a soothing color or installing new hardware.
Hosting a meeting to get your employees’ opinions regarding this issue is also be a great way to show your staff that their satisfaction is important. It can even boost morale and get them excited about this transition.
Assess Needs and Plans for Future Growth Within the Company
An office relocation is no easy feat and chances are, you’re hoping to remain in your new establishment for several years to come. As such, it’s important to assess your company’s needs and plans for future growth and incorporate them into the new space as needed. This may be opting for a slightly larger establishment so there’s room to grow, or moving to a location that has a large warehouse available.
Consider Your Employees and Customers Needs
Your employees and customers are the heart of your business, and their happiness and satisfaction directly impact the success of your business as a whole. As such, it’s imperative that you think about their needs and desires while creating a plan for an office relocation. Perhaps most of your employees use public transportation or partake in after-work activities and have limited time to commute. Maybe the majority of your customers drive and there’s a need for more parking spaces or your employees enjoy going out for lunch instead of eating in the lounge. These are all types of things that are often forgotten when designing a basic office relocation plan but they play a huge role in the success that follows your relocation.
Assign a Realistic Timeline and Budget
Now that you have a general breakdown of the needs of your employees, customers, and business, it’s time to set a timeline and budget. Think about the importance of each need and prioritize the ones that directly impact your business, such as parking spaces, employee morale, access to the new office location and productivity. Then, take some time to research the options available to you and how much it’ll cost to make the necessary changes. Perhaps you’ll discover that buying all new office furniture is not within budget, but blending the old with the new is or maybe you’ll find that you need more time to install more outlets in the building and will have to choose a different date for the actual move.
Meticulously go through the details of each task, and assign timelines and budgets for each.
Create a Plan for Employees
An office relocation can be a stressful experience for employees. They’re switching locations and doing so may come as an inconvenience. So, it’s crucial to take the extra steps to provide reassurance and comfort to your staff members, and to keep them informed of the relocation process.
Create a plan that includes staff meetings about the move, deadlines your employees can expect and any changes that will affect their typical day. This will help keep the relocation process smooth and positive for everyone in the company.
Proper planning of an office relocation goes far beyond the basics. There are many components that are often left out of plans which can result in discrepancies and increased downtime. BMS Moving & Storage provides you with a moving specialist that will create a detailed relocation plan based on your needs to increase the success of your move as a whole.
