When executing an office move you want everything to run as smoothly. However, this task can seem impossible, especially when the move involves a large amount of equipment and personnel.
At first, there can be a sense of anticipation and an eagerness to get things done, but that can then dissipate as stress and confusion take over.
The best thing that you can do is to understand in advance the key steps that will make the office move as smooth as possible. By the end of reading this post, you will be better armed than before to deal with moving your office.
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1. Plan Well In Advance
Ideally, you want to start planning for this move at least six months in advance. You need to start taking notes in list form of everything to be done to facilitate the move. As you do that, keep this list in a central place for people to check and also for them to add to.
After its creation, ask for feedback on what has been excluded on the list. This needs to be a group effort rather than having it all rest on the shoulders of one individual.
2. Start Organizing Things
The more organized things are the easier the move will be. Start with the most important documents and files in the office so they are all good to go. What you are aiming for is the files to move to the new office and to be in perfect order.
How long this task takes does depend on the type of office, but it’s still an essential step in the process.
3. Get Everybody To Work Together
Everybody in the office must work together on this move. This includes discussing things in advance such as the workspace and where they want to be. You must also discuss anything else that contributes to the general running of the office.
This is the time to discuss equipment issues and things that were wrong in the last office that they would like to have corrected in the new one. Make a list of their complaints to then implement changes at the new location.
4. Decide On The Workflow Strategy
Even though you are moving office, you still need to be operational even in a reduced capacity. This is where the managers and supervisors must come together and develop a strategy to allow things to still function without any interruptions.
Are there any deadlines or clashing issues? How can they juggle different projects so they are not inhibited by the move? They also need to then talk to the people that they manage to get their feedback on projects and their workload to then be passed to you.
5. Get Volunteers
The move will be easier if it becomes a team effort. This will include getting volunteers on board for different key stages. However, you will want to identify what the different jobs will be in advance.
You are looking at people helping with every single aspect from the packing side to the organizing and the eventual move itself, just like you would if you were moving house. The idea here is that it will make things run more smoothly when everyone is involved in some way.
6. Get A Specialist Removal Company
You want to hire a specialist company that deals with office moves. They will assist you with the packing and organizing of things in a simple manner. Spend time checking that the company you hire can do the job along with a firm understanding of their costs.
With this, you must shop around as some will include boxes, help with packing and the transportation for a set fee. Always ask in advance what you are getting for that price to avoid any nasty surprises.
7. Get Everything Confirmed
You must spend time getting the date of the move confirmed as soon as possible and ask about the boxes, number of movers and anything else that plays a part in the move itself. This deadline gets everyone to focus and they know when it has to be completed by. Do this well in advance to allow people to get organized rather than just rushing around.
8. Throw Out Stuff
By throwing out stuff that you are either going to replace or no longer need, you will make the move a whole lot easier. We do this with moving house, so why would we not then do it with an office?
9. Plan The New Office In Advance
You want to plan as much of the new office in advance to allow things to be put in the correct place from the outset. This means knowing where everything is going in order to avoid having boxes piled up and an overwhelming mess at the other end.
An office move never has to be stressful if everyone in the office works together. Yes, you need a hierarchy to organize things, but overall it should be a team effort leading to a smoother move.
If you are interested in even more business-related articles and information from us here at Bit Rebels then we have a lot to choose from.
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