The Guide To A Seamless Office Move From Armstrong Steel
Have you outgrown your current office space? Are you ready to build a prefab metal building for more office space? Make the transition into your new office building as seamless as possible by starting early, over-communicating and being patient. Moving an entire office is extremely complicated, no matter how big or small, and staying calm throughout the process will make sure your employee’s stress levels are lower, therefore keeping your stress level low.
Start Early
As soon as you realize it’s time to move to a bigger office, start planning. The earlier you start preparing for your office move, the better. The more detailed your moving plan, the easier everything will flow. Once you have found your new office space, whether it is a commercial steel building or leased office park space, take the time to meticulously plan out where each employee will sit, where the copy room will be, and if there are any needed renovations before the move. Organize your future space, and make sure the moving company can do exactly what they need to do quickly and efficiently. Let all existing Supervisors know that they complete the Office Move Project Team. Educate these people how to instruct their team on the move. Your employees will appreciate the designated person to ask questions and this will relieve your inbox of simple, repeated questions.
Since you are taking apart your filing cabinets to pack them up, plan a little extra time to purge any old documents and folders you may not need anymore. This will help you keep your new office organized and lighten the load for the movers.
Choosing the right moving company is a challenge, and not one to be taken lightly. Make sure you do extensive amounts of research before hiring a moving company. A real professional office moving company will already have best practices in place to help your office move to the new prefab metal building office space without a hitch.
Over-Communicate
Communicate, communicate, communicate. The more you talk to your staff and moving company about the move process before, during and after, the more likely your move will be an easy one. Without communication, employees can become confused and panicked which can cause delays for the moving company. Are your employees going to have to pay for parking in the new space? Will they be getting new equipment or will they keep the same workstation they were using in the old building? Do they need to back up their computers before the move to ensure they have all their work? Keeping your employees well-informed is your number one priority once the move gets underway. After all, the majority of the things that are moved are the things they use every day.
Be Patient
Be sure to give employees time to get their desk back in order after the move. Employees will already be out of their element in the new place, working hard to transition to their new surroundings. Expect production to slow for a few days before and after the office move while employees are packing and unpacking. Just like moving your residential things, there is a transition period in which normal activity becomes strained. Be smart about your move. Don’t wait until the last minute to get the job done–your company will suffer. Make it easier on yourself and your staff by being prepared. If you are too busy to handle the move yourself, name the harder tasks to your HR Director or Office Manager. You will pay for a bad move if you get to your newly build prefab metal building office space and your equipment is broken or your employees don’t know where to go or what to do after the move.
If you like Steve’s take on Office Moves, take a look at some of his other articles by clicking here.
Photo courtesy: David Martyn Hunt, Lars Plougmann, Fabricio Zuardi« Stay Sane During a Metal Building Project – Prepare Your Job Site For Delivery!
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