The Moving Office Checklist

For many businesses, there comes a time when you outgrow your premises meaning that it’s time to move on to pastures new.

13:35 09 November 2018

Making this transition can be an incredibly hectic and stressful time for management and employees alike, so consulting a checklist is essential.

Finding The Right Location

Moving to a new office space offers the opportunity to start afresh, breaking any bad organisational habits your business might have developed in your current premises.

When hunting out the perfect spot to move to, think very carefully about what sort of environment you need to function in properly.

Think about what furniture and equipment you need to bring with you and what can go into storage. This could allow you to opt for a smaller, less expensive space, forcing your business to conduct itself in a more organised manner, with less clutter to distract or hinder your employees.

Delegation Is Key

The office move relies on task delegation and the cooperation of all employees. Whilst one volunteer can assume the role of the ‘office move coordinator’, they can’t carry out the mammoth task themselves.

Representatives from the different departments should be nominated. They should consult their respective teams and compile their list of needs and wants for the new office, covering everyone’s viewpoints.

It’s a good idea to set up shareable online spreadsheets with the moving timeline and deadlines for individual tasks so that everyone is in the loop and can be held accountable for their responsibilities.

Get Designing

Using the floor plan of the new office space and the requirements each department has identified, you’ll need to get to work planning the most appropriate layout for the new premises.

At this stage, you should be thinking about what new items the office will need, like shelving, partitions, new chairs and desks, or appliances for the kitchen.

On your floor plan, you should colour code each department to streamline your packing and unpacking process.

Control The Purse Strings

Moving office is expensive but you can control costs by keeping a track of the essential expenses.

Draw up a comprehensive budget broken down into different expenses, including personnel costs, removal services, cost of new equipment and decorations, and the updating of marketing materials.

Final Essential Administration

Before you can start packing up and moving, there are many crucial administrative jobs you need to carry out.

Firstly, recruiting a removal company is vital, and should be done as soon as possible. You’ll also need to arrange for storage space to keep excess furniture and equipment in. Have a look around your local area and you’ll likely be surprised to see how many cheap self storage providers are out there.

Spread the news of your move - notify all your suppliers, current clients, the bank, utility and insurance providers. Arrange for your address to be updated on all promotional and marketing material, from business cards to your website.

Call forwarding and mail redirection should also be set up to commence on moving day so you don’t miss important contact from anyone who missed the moving memo.

And make sure you get the keys or access codes for your new office building so you’re not stuck on moving day!

Pack It All Up

Ease the pressure of the packing process by proceeding in stages.

Firstly, get rid of everything that doesn’t deserve a place in the new office. Ask your employees to take their personal possessions home with them for safe-keeping and donate any unwanted equipment.

Ask each department to pack up their own equipment and ensure they mark all of their boxes and furniture with colour-coded stickers according to their assigned colour on the floor plan.

There is no need to go full steam and pack up the entire office in a day. Try to disrupt the normal running of the business as little as possible by carrying out packing in stages, packing up the items used the least. Pack up items used daily as close to moving day as possible.

Get The New Place Ready

Don’t add to your stress by leaving set-up tasks until after you’ve moved all your equipment across to the new office.

All painting, carpeting, cabling, appliances, shelving and partitioning should be set up before moving day rolls around.

The Big Day

Drawing up a moving day itinerary will help smooth out any bumps in the process, keeping everyone on your moving team in the loop. You should also distribute your colour-coded floor plan to everyone involved so all the equipment is unpacked correctly.

Packing an emergency kit including first aid supplies, snacks and drinks are also vital!

Once everything has been unloaded into the new space, have the reps from each department do a walk-around to check everything is in ship-shape.

Give It A Spin

Despite all the time and effort you have put into drawing up the perfect plans for the new space, some aspects may not gel well and will need adjusting.

For a few weeks after moving day, allow everyone to work in the new premises and see if they have any feedback, positive or negative about the functionality of the environment.

If there’s anything that needs altering, now is the time to sort it out, completing the moving process!