4 Useful Guidelines For Moving Office Without Affecting Productivity
Moving offices is usually in itself a good sign and it most likely means that your business is thriving and that you need additional space to accommodate more employees or equipment. It can also mean that your revenue has increased and you now wish to move your business to a more attractive location. Regardless of the reason, the moving has to be orchestrated carefully since you need to be mindful of the employees, inventory and the working conditions at the new place so that the productivity is not hindered.
Moving offices is usually in itself a good sign and it most likely means that your business is thriving and that you need additional space to accommodate more employees or equipment. It can also mean that your revenue has increased and you now wish to move your business to a more attractive location.
Regardless of the reason, the moving has to be orchestrated carefully since you need to be mindful of the employees, inventory and the working conditions at the new place so that the productivity is not hindered. However, with enough time and effort put into the planning, the plan’s execution will be plain sailing. So, here are 4 guidelines to make the move go as smoothly as possible.
Prep your employees for the move
Employee retention is an important topic for any business, regardless of its size because studies show that employees seldom stay at one company for longer than 4 years. There are many elements which can cause an employee to depart, some which can be influenced by you and some which can’t. However, one of the certain ways to drive them away is to keep them in the dark about your plans.
You need to inform your employees on time that offices will be moved so they can organize some aspects of their private lives to this change. They might need to take a bus instead of walking as they did so far or they might want to move closer to work. Besides that, providing some background information as to the reasons behind the move would also be good so they can see the move as a reflection of the business prospering and not some nuisance. If the business is growing, there would be less reason to abandon it.
List all inventory in a spreadsheet
Detailed information on the inventory that needs to be moved is essential for the later stages of the move, as well as to have some perspective of how all that would fit into the new office space. First things first, you need to ask the employees to collect any personal items they might have in their desk drawers and to make sure they made a back up of all their work to avoid having to do some tasks again.
Once you are left with only business-owned tangible assets, it is time to make a list marking the amount next to each item to be able to cross-reference with the situation at the new office, once everything has been put to its place. This is also the perfect opportunity to get rid of faulty or broken equipment and acquire new if your budget allows you. Your employees will be grateful for it because new equipment and tools would facilitate their daily tasks.
Take care of the transportation
Now that you are familiar with the exact amount of inventory that needs to be moved to a different location, it is time to find the means to transfer them. When moving houses, people sometimes rent a truck and transport all the items, however, in the case of moving the entire office filled with expensive equipment, sensitive gadgets, and confidential records, going at it alone is not the best idea. You might want to consider availing of the services of a man and van company.
Instead of wasting precious time, losing your nerves and risking making an error which might cost you a few days in productivity, hiring professional shipping container transport services is a much wiser idea. Their services usually include experienced drivers, reliable transportation vehicles as well as the possibility for the containers to be transported via railway and both locally and interstate. By outsourcing this task, you will have the time to go check out the new space again.
Prepare for all eventualities
No matter how much you plan, there is always something which might surprise you. You might have some unexpected expenses, some employees might quit because of the relocation or the wiring and the internet at the new office might not be ready, despite the promises. All of these things affect productivity to a large extent because you need to be able to start at the new offices with the smallest amount of delay and with all the workforce active.
For instance, if you see that space will not be ready on time, you must react swiftly and ask the employees to work from their home for a day or two so as not to jeopardize projects. Since your employees need to communicate with their team members and the leader constantly so that the work they are performing can fit into the greater puzzle, it is essential to ask them to stay online on all of the communication apps that you might be using.
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