Office relocation can be a daunting prospect for managers and business owners, there are many things to consider and plan for, and even then things are bound to go awry. For a better idea of where to start, read our top ten tips for office removal to kickstart your plans for relocation.
There are a number of reasons why you might want to move your office location like lease expiry or rental costs, but high up on the list is most likely growing your company. A new space might make you geographically closer to more people, making it easier to hire, or it may give you more space, giving you the option to expand your workforce. Whatever your reason for moving is, it’s important to get it right; Burton & Smith is here to help you every step of the way and can offer unparalleled expertise tailored to meet your needs.
Start the Process Early
It’s important to start thinking about the relocation process as early as possible. Things to look into and research include what time of year is best to move, what you need to prioritise, what you need to budget for, and how you are going to organise your new space.
As time goes on, it’s more than likely that new things will crop up that demand your attention, so being ahead of the curve can be very useful in making sure that these little things don’t become overwhelming at the last minute.
Communicate With Employees
As a manager, it’s always important to communicate with your employees, especially when there are plans for relocation. It’s a great idea to engage your employees with your relocation plans, as they will also be making the move to the new office, it is important to ensure they are content with the plans to move.
Bear in mind that for some employees, relocation may lengthen their commute, so see if there are things that you can put in place to make sure that your employees are satisfied with the plans and any additional ties that may come with it.
Create a Floorplan for Your New Office
Conceptualising your new office space might be a challenge, so making a visual representation may help you to envision how you want it to be laid out and place people.
This is something that you can ask your employees for feedback on, and they can give you indications on if there are things that they’d like to see in the new office that aren’t an option in your current space. Your colleagues may have the benefit of experience or just a different perspective that might be useful to you in utilising the new space in the best way possible.
Change and Update Your Business Details
Before your move, it may be worth making a note of all the places where your company’s address is listed. This is so it becomes easier when the time comes around to update this information efficiently.
You will also want to arrange with Royal Mail for your post to be redelivered to your office’s new address. Doing this ahead of your move will ensure that the post does not arrive at your previous location after your premises have moved.
Updating your address on Google is also essential to make sure that customers are aware of your new premises. Updating your address on Google My Business will also make sure that Google pushes your business to local searches; also remember to update your website and social media platforms if you have them.
Lighten the Load - Scrap Unnecessary Items
Office removals are stressful regardless, but the stress can be compounded if you are moving unnecessary junk from one place to another. This is why it can be really useful to plan far in advance and take the time to really look at what you need to bring, and what is not redundant to you and your business.
An important step in any move, but clearing unwanted and disused junk from your space will make it infinitely easier for you to organise your move; it will also mean less downtime unpacking once you have made the journey. Hiring a removal company that offers an office waste removal service can help the process move seamlessly.
Move Non-Essential Items First
Once you have rid your office of unwanted and unneeded items, the first things to move should be the lesser-used items. Items or furniture that are not immediately essential to the running of your business should be the first to move into your new space. This is because it can give you a headstart in the relocation while not interrupting the workflow of your employees. Saving the most important items till last will mean that there is less downtime between moving from one place to another.
These non-essential items can also be the last things to be unpacked, but it can be comforting to know that while you’re moving the more heavily-used, essential items, the rest has already been taken care of.
Label Boxes for Ultimate Ease
If your employees have desks worth of paperwork, files, and other things that will need moving, make sure that you give them time to sift through it and get rid of anything that doesn’t need to be held on to. As mentioned above, it’s easier to do this ahead of time because it alleviates some of the stress of sorting through everything whilst moving.
Labelling can make it clearer for whoever is physically moving the boxes to know where they should go, and what is in them. This just saves time after the move as you won't have so much of a back and forth about where things belong and who they belong to, it’ll just be on the box!
Timing is Key - Schedule Your Move Right
A number of different things come under scheduling when you’re moving office locations. It can be worthwhile looking into things such as when your company is at its peak business and avoiding this time to prevent disruption to your services.
It’s also recommended that you bear in mind things like project deadlines and meetings when you’re looking at timing the move. This is because relocation is a stressful process and minimising extra stressors could also be very helpful in maintaining the quality of your work and professional output.
Prioritise Your IT Department
It’s really important that you make IT your priority when you move offices. IT is likely very integral to your business, so making sure that it is as unaffected by the relocation as possible is really worthwhile as delays could be costly.
Professional movers should be experienced in properly disconnecting and reconnecting your equipment, servers, and networks. This is where it is essential to have skilled technicians in charge of the IT aspect of moving offices, as they can ensure that there is no damage or data loss.
Hire Professional Movers
A professional moving company can take the pain of moving entirely from your hands. Experienced in packing and transporting goods from one location to another, they know how to do it properly and efficiently, making it a breeze for you and your team.
Find trusted office movers and talk with them about your plans for moving so that they can give you specialist advice specific to your business and needs. They will have done office removals before, so can likely give you an estimated timescale and price quickly which will help you budget and allot time for the move. They will also have all the necessary equipment and transportation needed for a move of that scale. You might want to shop around a little with local office removal companies because they might be able to offer you some different insights that will help you and your business.
Burton & Smith - A Helping Hand With Office Removals
Here at Burton & Smith, we are trusted office movers who are experienced in all sorts of removals, domestic or international. For businesses, we tailor our services depending on the size of the operation and make sure to minimise downtime and disruption. It doesn’t matter whether you’re relocating to somewhere else in the UK or taking your business overseas, we can help you do it with ease.
Our expert movers can complete every aspect of your office removal; as well as removals and storage, we can pack your supplies to reassemble your office furniture as additional services that we can offer to make your transition smooth.
Based in London, we at Burton & Smith have decades of experience at your disposal. If you are thinking about moving your company’s office to a new location, why not get in contact with our friendly team here at Burton & Smith to find out more specifics about what we can offer your business?
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