Shine Removals

Let’s face it; office relocation can be a pain in the butt—a piece of information confirmed by tens and thousands of people who have followed this route.

As bad as it may sound, going through the treacherous waters of office shifting could be a necessary evil in your life. After all, you can’t afford to be a difficulty-avoider over here because office shifting plans are rarely dropped in the middle of an ordinary day.

So, how do you find buffer from the stress involved in the process of office shifting? Well, we have the answer to this nightmare question.

 

1. Start Early Planning

As they say, “By failing to plan, you are planning to fail.” So, a successful office relocation depends a lot on proper planning of the logistics involved in the process. Your best bet would be to break the relocation down to many steps and stages to make it more manageable than usual.

Here are some key things to keep in mind while planning for an office relocation:

• Do not underestimate the time and effort required for office shifting—most people often end up committing this age-old mistake.
• It helps to be an early bird over here. So, plan in advance to get some cushioning on the tasks that can take more time than anticipated.

 

2. Discuss the Move

It helps to break the news of relocation with employees, external partners, and third parties as soon as the move becomes imminent.

Believe it or not, this is one of the keys to successful office relocation. After all, it helps to have them on board with the idea of shifting. How do you inform them?

• • Contact them through email or WhatsApp to break the news.
  • Update the company’s social media pages with the news.
  • Post a relocation board on your office door.
  • Set up a voice system on the office phones.
  • Important clients should be informed in person.

3. Decide the Timeframe and Budget

As you might already know, any reckless move can backfire in a big way over here. So, it helps to decide on the timeframe and budget in advance for the move.

Keep in mind to have some flexibility in both the areas because office relocation is a nightmare in itself. So, some degree of flexibility is a must to avoid premature disappointment down the road. Other benefits include:

• Deciding on the time and budget in advance will save you from many last-minute irresponsible decisions.
• It will also help you cut down the expenses on poorly implemented moves.

 

4. Form a Moving Team

Once you have planned everything in your head, seek volunteers from each department to form an in-house team of office movers.

Your job should be to identify key employees from each department to help you execute all the planned moves. You can also take fresh viewpoints from them to achieve agreement on the move. Some important things to keep in mind are:

• Hold regular meetings with the chosen employees for the sake of project planning, inspection, and accountability.
• Assign tasks with stringent deadlines. This isn’t to increase their worries, but to ensure that the office relocation happens on time.

 

5. Get Rid of all the Junk

Use the relocation as a golden opportunity for a fresh start. As it is, you would hate to carry all the junk stuff to the new location. So, dump all the ancient and useless stuff which are no longer needed in the new premises.

It could be your outdated computer, non-functional printer, old company leaflets, or anything else that no longer deserves a place in the new office. Some humble tips below:

• Donate the old stuff instead of throwing them in the bin to get some much-needed blessings.
• Shred old papers and documents by converting them into digital files.
• Do not donate electronic items until you have wiped out all the data from within.

 

6. Reduce Downtime

Of course, you would want your workers to be productive till the day of shifting. For the same, you cannot afford to deprive them of everyday use equipment.

Your best bet over here would be to move non-essential items first. Tools that are necessary for everyday operations can be moved at a later stage. Here are some tips on this subject:

• Split your office equipment into “essential” and “non-essential” category to reduce downtime during the move.
• Make sure to nicely label the sorted items to minimize any confusion at the time of unpacking.

 

7. Contact Utility Companies

Get in touch with all the utility companies to disconnect the utility services to the old office. From the Internet connection to the old office phones, and everything else in between that comes with a recurring cost should be abandoned before shifting.

Keep in mind that some of these services will be required until the final day of the move for the employees to keep working. So, you will have to plan this thing in some hierarchy that best suits the move.

• Depending on how far you are shifting, you might want to continue with the same utility provider on the new location. This might save you some deposit money.
• Don’t leave this critical task until the last minute. A utility service company may take anywhere between few days to a few weeks to get their job done. So, leave enough time for a smooth transition.
• Before the move, set up the cables and wires in the new office as well so that the new location can be use-ready from day one.

 

8. Recreate the Interior

If your office reminds people of the 1980s, then there is a definite need to change the interior of the new office before the move to keep the employee spirit high.

After all, office relocation is a good opportunity for not just office makeover, but also brand makeover. The moment the employees step inside the new office, they should feel like they have been welcomed by a breath of fresh air like never before.

• The possibilities are endless over here. One can create open workspaces, delegate an area for relaxation, invest in better lightings, add artwork, and do so much to design a productive workplace.
• Also, consider using natural materials such as plants, wood, and natural fibers at the time of interior designing for the natural look and feel that’s preferred by many of us.

9. Hire the Pros

If you are not ready to be a “go-getter” over here, you can seek professional help to get the relocation job done. The hired company will pack, load, and move all your office stuff to the desired destination.

You can expect a more organized, efficient, and painless move by hiring the pros. You can count on more benefits by entrusting the office moving task to the experts:

• Stress-free office relocation on any given day of the week.
• Experienced manpower to handle everything from scratch.
• Insurance coverage to handle damages during transit.
• Minimal downtime during the hectic office move.
• Proper planning and execution for a successful move.

 

10. Settle in

Once the move is done, it’s time to get settled in the new premises. As you might already know, you need to make everyone involved with your company know about your new office address. From your customers to your suppliers, no one should be left guessing about your new location.

• Start printing new business cards and letterheads with the new office address.
• Don’t forget the digital side of the business. Update the new address everywhere on the online arena as well.
• Order new stationery (if needed) and marketing materials with the new office location.

 

Final Words

Even the most difficult office relocation is doable with proper planning, resources, and experience. By paying heed to the pointers listed above, you will be able to handle the move much better than usual to save yourself from one giant headache.

Since everything will be well-organized, your move will be fast, stress-free, and smoother than your expectations even if the size and scope of the task may have seemed like a nightmare at first.