When you initiate office moves, they start out as an exciting venture since you have already dreamt of your entire team working in a shiny, new, organized office. Ideally, the panic sets in when you start planning about the actual move. As long as office moves are concerned, there are several figurative and literal moving parts involved. You not only have to move your stuff to the new office but you’re also concerned about the happiness of your employees, adjustment periods, transitional workflows, and much more.
In case you’re preparing yourself for relocating your office, your main goal should be minimum disruption of work during the move. Only hiring the best removalists Melbourne won’t make your task smooth. You also need a full-proof plan. Fret not as we’re here to give you a checklist of the tips to plan an office move.
#1: Assign a person who’ll be in charge of everything
The foremost thing to do before planning a move is to designate a person who will be in charge of the entire process. Moving needs long-term commitment and big picture planning about the goals of the company. Though office move is exciting yet it is also a huge distraction at the same time. The leaders have to lead in order to maintain the high productivity levels of the employees. Hence, there should be an appointed person who will brief them about the progress of the task and keep things moving as per the plan. This person can be called the ‘moving manager’.
#2: Determine the needs and wants of your employees
One of the biggest blunders made by managers during an office move is to exclude the employees from the loop. As per change manager, Angie Lee, leaders and managers can fight against the negative feelings and the fears surrounding a move and involve employees from the beginning of the session. The employees should be asked about office requirements, their preferred work style, mobility, workplace needs, workplace support, technology, and storage. They may even have special requests like privacy level, noise level, or proximity to other departments.
#3: Devise a plan of attack
The move manager should devise a master plan or a plan of attack that can be shared with the rest of the leaders of the company and the employees. The plan should make it transparent for others to understand when different tasks should be completed and who is responsible for completing them. The moving manager may utilize a project management tool that the staff uses so that it gets easier for all to stay informed and collaborate on time.
#4: Plan the logistics
As you’ve finalized the new office space, you should immediately lock in the date of moving. Call your removal company and make a reservation on that specific date. Arrange all other things that you might need to successfully complete the move. As soon as the date of the move is confirmed by the company, notify your property manager to inform him about when you plan to terminate the current lease.
#5: Be well-prepared on the day of the move
Once the D-Day arrives, make sure you’re well-prepared. Here are few steps to make sure everything goes off smoothly on the day of the move:
- Set aside a budget for refreshments for the internal team and moving team
- Keep an emergency number handy
- Make sure all tech gadgets like phones, desktops, and laptops are moved first
- If required, keep the air conditioning on while moving
- Set a date for telephone lines and systems to become serviceable
Congratulations if you have followed the above-listed points and made it through an office move without too much stress. Now that you’ve completed the move and shifted to your new office, it’s time to celebrate.
