Moving Office: Your Ultimate Checklist
By Jerry Mooney
If your company is starting to outgrow your current office, it could be time to move onto pastures new. But if there is one task that businesses hate, it is moving office. There is a whole lot you will need to organize. First of all, you need to find your perfect office space. Then there is the whole responsibility of organizing all your staff and equipment and ensuring the move goes smoothly. To make sure moving office goes as smoothly as possible for you, we’ve spent some time creating this blog post. Read on to find the ultimate checklist of everything you need to do.
View Plenty Of Offices
Don’t put all your eggs into one basket by going for the first office that you view. To make sure you come to the best decision, you need to view as many offices that are on the market as possible. They will each have their advantages and disadvantages, most of which you will only really notice by looking around. You can find available offices on commercial real estate websites. Don’t just choose one from what it looks like in the pictures online. It is super important you visit it to get a feel for what working in it will be like.
Consider Your Budget.
Your budget will also play a part when you are choosing a new office. As you are likely to be moving because you are growing your business, you should expect to pay more than what you do now. So you should budget for this extra expense. However, you need to set yourself a budget that you will stick to. If you end up going over your budget for a super fancy office, your company could end up running into money troubles at some later stage. So there is no point looking in the areas of town where the prime real estate is unless you know you can definitely afford it.
Check Safety Regulations
One of the most important aspects of any workspace is safety. Your employees deserve to have a safe space in which to work in. If you are looking at older offices, you should make sure that they meet all the current health and safety regulations. If they don’t, it could be worth looking elsewhere for an office. However, there are some parts of the old office that you could upgrade before you move in. If there is a sprinkler system in your new office that has been in for a few years, it could be worth installing a corrosion control system on it. You can find out more information at www.ECSCorrosion.com.
Consider Location
If your current office is bang in the center of town, you should try and keep your next one in a similar location. This is mainly for the convenience of all your employees. Moving further out of town could make getting to work a problem for them. If you can’t find a centrally located office and end up moving further out, you should find somewhere close to public transport links. That way, employees who don’t drive won’t have a problem getting to work every day. Good road links are also very important.
Pick A Sensible Moving Day
When do you want to move? You will probably have a date when you will want to have moved out of your current office. In fact, if your lease is running out, that could spur you on with the move. However, it is a good idea to set your moving date well in advance if you can. Then you and all your employees have something to work for, and it won’t be a big surprise for anyone. Try not to plan your move during a busy period for your business. One of the best times to move is at the end of the year as companies are winding down and getting ready for the Christmas break.
Plan Your Move
Now that you have found your next office, you need to carefully plan your moving day. The best way to do this is to get all your staff involved. This will work out cheaper than leaving it all to movers. However, you will almost certainly need movers to take all your items and equipment from your old office and into the new one. If you just pay for them to load and unload the van, you won’t really need to pay too much. But when it comes to packing up your whole office, you should get everyone on your staff to help out. Make sure each department packs up all their own stuff and takes it down to the movers. Plan your moving day for a weekday, but give your employees half the day off. They should come in on the morning to pack up everything. Then, once their stuff is loaded onto the van, let them go home. The next day, everyone will report to the new office and sort all their stuff out. You can find out more about how to organize an office move at websites such as www.mymove.com/resources.
Expect some Problems In The First Couple Of Weeks
It could take some time for people to settle into their new workspace. It could take some staff a bit of time to get over all the upheaval. You will need to give your staff and colleagues a few days so they can unpack and get their new offices and desks in order. It could take some time to sort everything out from all the moving boxes. But even once your new office is all unpacked, there could still be some teething problems in this new space. So give it at least a couple of weeks before your company is back to normal, and firing on all cylinders.
So, as you can see, finding a new office and moving premises doesn’t have to be such a big nightmare. The key is careful planning and organization, so you can take it slow!
Jerry Mooney is co-founder and managing editor of Zenruption and the author of History Yoghurt and the Moon. He studied at the University of Munich and Lewis and Clark College where he received his BA in International Affairs and West European Studies. He has recently taught Language and Communications at a small, private college and owned various businesses, including an investment company. Jerry is committed to zenrupting the forces that block social, political and economic justice. He can also be found on Twitter @JerryMooney