Interrupted services, distracted staff, misplaced mail, and depleted customers can all decrease productivity during a workplace move. However, relocating offices doesn’t need to impact your business activities if you employ these simple tips.
Make Plans
Planning your move carefully will make sure it runs smoothly and downtime is kept to a minimum.
Consider how long you have to move and create a timeline to ensure all necessary tasks get done. Make sure you’re realistic in your expectations. Experts suggest that it takes at least three months for a small office to prepare to move and at least six to eight months to relocate a medium to large workplace.
Draw a floorplan of your new office space so there’s no time spent quibbling about the details when you arrive. Your plan should feature the placement of major equipment, such as your photocopier and work stations, as well as an employee seating chart. Remember to consider things like the location of outlets and available storage space when creating your plan.
Hire Professional Movers
Any time that you or your employees spend relocating is time spent away from your usual business activities. It might eat into your bottom line, but it’s often more cost-efficient to hire professional movers instead.
It’s a good idea to hire movers who are experienced with workplace relocations, such as Chess Moving. Companies like this can help you devise a plan of attack, pack up your business equipment, and physically move your goods into your new premises. If you’re moving a long way from your existing premises, they can also help relocate your employees.
Since professional movers are skilled at relocations, using them also minimises the risk of damage to your equipment and new office space. This protection is crucial for maintaining productivity once you move into your new workplace.
Tell Everyone You’re Moving
Most employers only consider how to keep their workers on track, but the productivity levels of the most dedicated team can still take a hit if you don’t tell people you’re moving.
If your suppliers don’t know that you’re moving, they could send items you need to the old address. If your utility companies don’t know that you’re moving, you may not have power, Internet, and other essential services in your new premises. And if your customers don’t know that you’re moving, they’re not likely to find you when they need your products and services.
Make sure that you change your company’s address on your website and in all online directories. Get new marketing materials printed that reflect your new details. Contact utility firms and your suppliers to let them know as well.
Send newsletters to your customer base and announce the news on your social media channels. Remember to send a snail mail notice to anyone who hasn’t provided an email list. This may be the only way you can contact some customers, particularly if your business has a large number of elderly clients.
It’s smart to send multiple mailings to your customers to ensure your move sticks in their mind. To maintain goodwill, stress the ways that your move will benefit your customers. Perhaps you’re moving to a more central location or a bigger office with more staff and products. Shed a positive light on your relocation to ensure customers don’t feel inconvenienced.
These measures should ensure everyone who needs to know your new contact details does. However, just to be sure, remember to organise mail redirection. Whenever you get a redirected piece of mail, contact the sender immediately to inform them of your new details.
Move on a Weekend or After Hours
Your business simply can’t operate as normal while you’re moving your items out of your old premises and into the new office. So it makes sense to schedule the physical move for a time that your employees and clients aren’t there.
For many companies, moving on the weekend works well. However if your business is typically open on the weekends, such as most retail outlets, an after-hours move may suit you best. Most moving companies are happy to schedule a move at a time that suits you best, so make sure to take advantage of their flexibility.
Set Up Your New Office Before Moving
Your workforce will benefit from any steps you take to set up the new office before you move in. Get it thoroughly cleaned and, if necessary, paint the walls and put down new carpet before your furniture arrives. If you’ve decided to retire electronics, get new computers and printers sent directly to your new address. Ensure you’ve got electricity, working phone lines, and Internet access. Don’t forget to stock up the pantry either, as any good boss knows that tea, coffee, and biscuits are essential for workplace productivity.
Moving offices doesn’t need to impact your productivity if you follow these workplace relocation tips.