The Office Relocation Checklist
Office relocations can be as stressful and daunting as moving into a new home. There’s nothing simple about relocating a whole team of employees and all your furniture and office equipment to a new space. You need to ensure that you have all your company affairs in order and that your new office location is ready for you to move into.
Meticulous planning and thorough organisation are crucial to making sure that your move is successful and goes without a hitch. An office relocation checklist can help you get all your tasks done. In this article, we’ll cover the various stages of planning for an office relocation. Here, you’ll find tips to prepare for moving to your new office and a checklist you can use to keep your move on track.
Download the Office Relocation Checklist!
Tips for Your Office Relocation Planning Process
It is vital to keep organised for the whole planning stage to go smoothly before your company’s office move. Here are a few things you should do as you plan out your office moving checklist.
Have a point person
Because office moving entails many responsibilities, your point person needs to be someone in authority who can get all your employees on board with the move and ensure that your move is on track with your planned timeline.
Your point person’s job would be to stay on top of your office relocation checklist. They will be in charge of your move planning team and will be communicating with them all throughout the move. They may also be assigned with the task of delegating roles and various tasks to other members of your company and communicating with building management regarding your move.
Analyse what your employees need and want
Get your employees involved with the move as soon as possible. Survey them about their wants and needs and let them know that they are heard. They may have some requests about their desks, their level of privacy at the new office, their closeness to the rest of their co-workers and other factors that would help them transition to the new space.
Develop a master plan
Your point person needs to have a master plan that you and the rest of the company can follow. This plan or master list should show which items are still pending, among other updates regarding your move. Your move manager may even opt to utilise a project management tool for a more streamlined process.
How to Prepare for Your Office Move
As mentioned, moving requires a lot of preparation, and you would even need to tick items off your list months in advance to ensure a smooth move. Here are some of the things you should incorporate into your move’s timeline.
Four months before your office relocation
Consult with an interior designer to spruce up your new location. They can have it well and ready for you by the time you and your team move in. Contact your property manager as well to plan the layout of your new company premises.
One month before your office relocation
Do a complete inventory of all your equipment and office supplies. Label all your items properly to track them and ensure that you are on schedule by constantly checking your timeline and confirming that all tasks have been accomplished. Make sure all your filing cabinets are in order as well to keep track of all your files.
One week before your office relocation
Double-check the loading dock at your new office’s premises where you will be taking all your furniture, supplies and machinery. The loading dock needs to be a big enough location to accommodate all your moving boxes. Ensure that the elevators, if any, are also open for your use. Additionally, provide the members of your company with the necessary access codes to enter your new place of business.
Moving day
Do a thorough sweep across your old office site to ensure you don’t leave anything behind, and work with office movers that provide professional services to save time and get the job done efficiently.
Provide your employees with all the information they need to know about your new office. Pertinent details about your office relocation can include a map detailing your new office address, information about safety protocols, and information on transportation options and parking permits.
Finally, ensure that you’ve been able to cross off everything on your office relocation checklist.
The Office Relocation Checklist
Here are some of the most important steps you need to take before moving your business to a new location.
Figure out your new office space
Companies have different objectives and reasons for relocating to a new office space, and naturally, each new office space would vary depending on the needs of the business. However, there are some things that need to be done under any circumstance. These include determining the layout of your new premises, how many desks you would need to provide workstations for each employee and how to set up your new space’s common area.
You would also need to make a checklist of all the new equipment (such as printers) and office furniture you will need to procure to get things up and running. Figure out how to reorganise your team members into their respective departments. Finally, take stock of the furniture and machinery you had at your old office to see what you can reuse and take with you to your new place of business.
Streamline your business operations
Gather a team of employees who can assist you and take on the responsibilities of leading the moving process. This can include coordinating with professional moving services and planning out your move.
Appoint someone to map out a budget, develop a timeline for the move, do some office inventory, and create the procedure for transporting important equipment and data to your new premises. They would also need to secure all the necessary permits (e.g. building access codes) and ensure that all moving checklists have been accomplished prior to the big move.
Protect your data and technology
Technology is one of the most pressing issues when it comes to relocating your business. Data is a vital part of any business, and moving or migrating your machinery and equipment may be a potential security breach. That is why it’s crucial for your planners and IT department to work together and ensure the protection of your data and equipment, and it should be a priority on your office relocation checklist.
Relocating your place of business is the perfect time for your IT staff to re-evaluate the IT equipment you have on hand. Your IT team should properly assess all of your technology at your original office and take an inventory of the equipment, power sources, telephone lines, IT systems and servers that are in place. They should also make backups of all important files and data before moving day, and they should ensure that your new office has the necessary IT infrastructure and cabling in place.
Communicate with everyone involved
Another thing to remember is making the formal announcement that you are relocating your business. Create an internal announcement for your employees, develop an external announcement or press release for your customers, press affiliates and suppliers, and provide a detailed timeline about your move.
Craft posts for your company blog and social media channels. And don’t forget to update your website, social media platforms and collaterals with your new phone numbers, contact information and office address.
If you will be relocating far away, you will need to prepare relocation packages or severance offers for your staff. Moving their place of work will be a major disruption to their way of life, so it is vital to keep everyone informed of your plans and provide them with options.
Meet all your final obligations
Ensure that you have fulfilled all your obligations before turning the office over to the building manager or the new owner. Revisit your lease to make sure you don’t miss any of the fine print. Cancel all the bills associated with the old office if you won’t be staying with your current service providers. This is one of the last things you will be doing in your moving process, so you should make sure that you plan out the timeline of your move accordingly.
Prepare your old space for the next tenant
Another crucial part of moving out of your old office is assessing the condition of your old office when all the equipment, furniture and other items have been packed up. Take an inventory of the old space, check for any damages and do the necessary repairs. Book and schedule reputable cleaning services to leave the space in tip-top shape. Do your best to bring the space back to its original condition.
Hiring Professional Moving Services
When planning a big office relocation, hire the professional services of expert movers who are familiar with the local area and have complete packing supplies to aid you with your move. Office Removals Sydney is a team of professional movers who will help you build your office relocation checklist and aid you with your move, from preparation to execution. Book a consultation with us today!