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Moving into a new office: everything you need to d...

Moving into a new office: everything you need to do

Everyone knows that moving house is a stressful and time-consuming task, so imagine how much harder this job is when you’re moving an office instead. Of course, the experience is an exciting one, but it’s a big change, and you are in charge of it all. Regardless of whether you have a team of four people or four hundred, there is a lot that needs to be done, and all of this work can get overwhelming unless you plan and properly prepare. It can be difficult to know where to start with such a big job, but you don’t have to go into this experience totally blind. Here are nine things you need to do before moving into a new office.

Determine Your Budget

Before you can even start to look at new properties, you need to figure out exactly how much money your business can afford to spend on the move. Remember, it’s not just the moving company and move itself you have to consider, you also need to put down a deposit on your new premises, buy new furniture and equipment, and print your new address on business cards, stationary, mugs, and other company merchandise. You may also need to hire a project manager to handle most the work so that you can continue to deal with your regular jobs.

Find An Office

Once you have the money situation figured out, you can start to look for your new office. Unfortunately, not all commercial properties are created equal, so it’s crucial that you take some time shopping around so that you can find one that ticks all of the boxes. Although looks are important, they can easily be changed, so don’t be put off by a place simply because it has hideous wallpaper. Instead, focus on the things that matter, like space, security, visibility, accessibility, and, of course, cost.

Sort Your Schedule

As soon as you’ve found a place you love, you need to start planning your schedule. This means setting a day your move will begin, a day your move will end, and assigning tasks to all of the days in between now and your last day in your current office. It’s important that you choose your moving out days incredibly carefully, as they could potentially have a huge impact on your business. If possible, you should try to move out over a period where business tends to be slow, as this means that there’ll be less disruption and sales will be affected to a lesser degree.

Notify Your Landlord

If you’re renting your current office from a landlord, you need to let them know about your plans to move somewhere else. It’s important that you go over your lease and check exactly how much notice you need to give, but, more often than not, this will be about a month. Ensure that you’re polite and that your notice is well-written to avoid any unnecessary conflicts. If you own your current space, then you’ll need to start making plans to sell or rent it out. This will likely be time-consuming and complicated, so make sure that you give yourself enough time to this.

Inform Your Employees

As soon as your landlord knows about your move and things are set in stone, it’s crucial that you go and tell your employees. After all, without them, you wouldn’t have a business at all. Unfortunately, it is possible that some of your employees may not be able to travel to your new location, so it’s vital that you give them as much notice as you can so that they can start to make plans of their own. This extra time will also benefit you, as it means you’ll have a chance to hire and train new staff before things get too hectic.

Start Delegating Tasks

Moving offices is a big job and, as such, it’s one that you simply can’t do alone. Because of this, you’re going to need to start delegating tasks to your employees. You may also need to assign or hire a project manager to oversee and handle everything so that you can focus mostly on the usual jobs you need to do to run your business. Just try not to give your employees too much extra work to do. After all, they have their usual jobs to get done too and giving them too many more will only cause stress, which will lead to an unproductive office.

Update Everyone Else

Unfortunately, your move doesn’t just affect you and those in your office; It also affects all of your customers, clients, current vendors, and anyone who delivers newspapers, magazines, milk, or anything else to your office. It’s important that you keep these people updated too, and let all of those vendors and suppliers know whether or not you’re going to keep doing business with them. You also need to update your Google listing, the contact information page on your website, and any company merch you have.

Hire Professional Movers

Moving offices is a costly project, but that doesn’t mean that you should try to cut costs by doing it alone. You need the help of a professional office moving company, as they will ensure that your move is safe, stays on schedule, and is as disruption and stress-free as it possibly can be. However, you can save some money on movers by booking them as early as possible. If your budget allows it, you should also consider hiring professional packers. This will save you and your employees a lot of time and hard work.

Plan The Layout

Moving into your new office without planning the layout would be a huge mistake. After all, there’s no guarantee that your furniture would fit or fill your new space. You need to take some time planning a layout that looks good and encourages productivity and efficiency. Once you’ve done this, you can go through all of your current office furniture and equipment and decide which of it you’re going to keep and what you no longer want or need. Instead of throwing away your unwanted items, you should sell them to boost your moving budget.

Moving into a new office is a complex process, but, hopefully, with the steps above, you’ll find it a little more straightforward.


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