Tips On Planning A Hassle Free Office Relocation
Are you overseeing your office relocation? Congratulations! It’s an exciting time in the life of any business. There’s much to organise when you’re relocating to a new commercial space. It’s important to maintain a good working environment and to maintain your business throughout the big move. To make this process as smooth as possible, starting early and organising thoroughly is crucial.
Put Together a Moving Team
It’s important to delegate tasks to different team members that they can complete alongside their regular work, and to make sure that all the jobs get done properly in the lead up and during the move. Set people tasks that play to their strengths, and recognise your own weaknesses when deciding which jobs you should or shouldn’t do! Look at the following points to allocate, as well as breaking down tasks into smaller roles.
The Budget
Costs associated with relocation can quickly escalate. The biggest is generally the new office lease and overhead costs, followed by the cost of the move itself. Don’t cut corners on insurance or the professional movers, but once you know the overall budget allocation, try to figure out the best that can be done within it. The last thing the company would want is to move to beautiful new space to then be in the red and have to make up for losses.
Inventory and Office Plan
In the lead-up to the move, start taking down an inventory of items. This includes a list of sensitive documents and paperwork, as well as office supplies and pieces of equipment and technology. Back up this inventory and distribute copies to other team members. An inventory will give you the best possible chance to complete the move efficiently and get back into the rhythm of work faster.
Another important task to complete is drawing up an office plan to scale, based on your new premises. Hopefully you’re upsizing and the space is bigger, but if it’s the same size or slightly smaller, you will need to account for this. Take the measurements of the new office and of existing furniture to successfully tetris your way into the new office. Make sure desk configurations work, and that there is enough space between them and clear walkways to exits.
Hiring the Movers
Hiring a reputable moving company is paramount. Talk to colleagues, business associates and friends to hear their recommendations and experiences with removalists. Research removal companies to ensure that their insurance comprehensively covers any damages or losses.
Some removals companies offer safe sensitive-documents removals. While you should make copies of sensitive documents in case any of them get lost or damaged in the process, hiring a company that specialises in their safe transport is well worth the money. If your new office has less space to store these documents, there’s also the option of hiring out a document-sensitive storage space with a storage company. This option also applies to companies needing to store documents or other items and furniture while they wait for a new lease.
Give the professional removalists your office plan to get your new office sorted as soon as possible and have your workers and colleagues back to business promptly.
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