Moving homes is stressful, but some would agree that relocating an office is even more difficult. From the office chairs, desks, and endless amount of office supplies, not to mention all of the employees that you’ll need to organize and help get settled in once you relocate.
Whether your business is headed down the block or across town, a poorly managed office relocation can quickly spiral into a huge headache for your employees and clients alike.
How can you manage your office relocation? Hiring commercial movers is your best bet. Professional office movers will take some of the burden off of you, and help keep things organized and on track. So, in addition to hiring office relocation services in your area, these stress-free moving tips will help you to keep your cool during your office move, so READ ON!
How to minimize moving stress when relocating your office
For any business, especially within large organizations, moving can be stressful. In addition to the disruption of normal business functions that will occur with the move, inevitably something won’t go as planned and issues will arise that won’t be accounted for. However, by working smartly and with good planning, these impacts can be prepared for and the move can be a smooth experience.
For both management and the office movers, having a plan in place can reduce stress and liability for everyone. Below are 10 tips that will help you have a stress-free office move.
Moving very soon? Then start planning now! Give yourself at least three months of time to put together a clear plan. Evaluate what needs to be moved and decide what should be donated or securely eliminated. While many charities do accept old office furniture, you can’t assume the charity will be able to coordinate a last-minute pick up to coincide with your move. The same goes for the secure disposal of electronic equipment.
Advanced planning will help streamline these logistics and eliminate unnecessary hiccups. For these items, ask your office mover. Most of them can provide liquidation services for you. No need to worry about that detail!
One of the most important office relocation tips is to make sure that you take the time to tour your new office location thoroughly before you begin moving items in. When you have a good idea of the physical layout of the space, you’ll be able to better organize your furniture and figure out who will sit where. When you have a solid game plan, it’ll be much easier to move your belongings in and place them exactly where they need to be, rather than organizing once you’ve unloaded everything. Again, it comes down to planning ahead and being prepared.
When making your initial arrangements, use the floor plan as a guide. While the physical space may allow for some variance, stick to the floor plan to make sure you have room for all of your furniture, and buy more furniture if needed or get storage space for any surplus.
Be sure to change your address, both physical and digital, ahead of time. List any imminent changes on your web site so that when people search your business online, they’ll be aware of any address changes that could affect their visit. You should also leave a disclaimer on your voicemail, so those who call ahead of time will be notified of your change of location, and when it’s effective.
Conduct a thorough analysis of all parts of your office and divide items between business “essentials” and “non-essentials”. Reduce downtime by moving non-essential items first to your new office space. Carefully label all boxes and bins to minimize unpacking hassles. . It’s best to label boxes on the sides so you can see what’s in them when they are stacked. Equipment that’s necessary for day-to-day operations should stay in place until moving day.
This might seem to be a minor thing, but reviewing storage (including cupboards, kitchen facilities, filing cabinets, all prior furniture and fittings) is a great idea. Files and storage can take up surprising amounts of space and making sure that the space is ready for your team can take the stress off.
This is the most important factor. Your staff, more so than anyone, knows their needs best, and they can help you configure your new space to generate maximum productivity, savings and general well-being. As part of your move, get input from your staff as to what changes they would like to see in their new space. This can be done by creating a Relocation Committee. Additionally, your office movers can be a huge help in finding ways to implementing staff needs. They can also assist you with planning and designing your new office space.
To reduce stress, choose the time of your move wisely. Generally, busy times of the year such as Christmas and New Year, and of course seasonal activity that affects industries should be noted. Deciding to move mid-summer if you rely on summer tourism for example will definitely raise stress levels not reduce them!
There may also be money-saving advantages of moving at a certain time of year, or even a certain day of the week. Talk to your local removals company to find out how timing can affect cost. Don't forget you can also consider moving after office hours or during a weekend to minimize downtime in the workplace.
Maintain your sanity by delegating jobs to other members of staff. Not only will this reduce your own workload, it will guarantee an organized move because you'll have to plan who is doing what. Plus, it will ease employee tension as they will be aware of what is happening and when it’s happening. Of course, the most productive way to delegate would be to call on the help of professional office relocation experts, which is exactly what we do here at Victory Van! You can delegate many parts of your office relocation to us: removals, planning the office layout, setting up the new furniture, storage and of course moving your office items from the old place to the new
Get Victory Van office Moving and Storage Company, one of the top commercial moving services in Washington, to give you some inside advice. We’ve been assisting with residential and commercial moves for years – since 1945 and we know all the ins and outs, and exactly what to expect. Contact us today to find out more about our moving and packing services, and to take advantage of our industry expertise.
At Victory Van, we are able to ease the stress by handling the move, because move management is our area of expertise! Whether you're moving 10 people from one floor to another or 100 people from three different sites we can help plan, coordinate, move, furnish, store, recycle and revamp. Want to know more or have questions about office moves, call (800) 572-3131 to discuss our office relocation services.
