Are circumstances pushing you to move your office but you fear the disruption this may cause your business? You may be in the enviable position of having outgrown your current space. Perhaps you need to move operations closer to your clientele or suppliers. Whatever the reason, many business owners fight against an office move as it may cause employee downtime and lost business. Poorly executed office moves can also result in lost or damaged equipment and business assets. But with proper planning, a complete office move can be flawless and painless. Read on for our office move checklist that will help you move offices without losing business.
Six Months Before Your Move
A stress-free office move requires a lot of prior planning. If possible, start preparing at least six months in advance for your move.
The first thing to review is your budget. Without a budget to guide your team, your office move could end up being costly due to avoidable costs and fees.
The next item to review is your current lease. How much notice do you have to give without getting penalized? What about penalties for property damage or repainting? All these will affect your moving budget.
During this time, you should also be looking for suitable office locations to move to. Put together a moving committee that could help you make decisions on which office to move to and other planning aspects. A well-coordinated moving team can take the headache out of an office move.
You should also start comparing different office moving services. Get quotes from at least three reputable office moving companies and compare the cost as well as the flexibility of the services. If you have items that need specialized equipment to be moved, make sure the moving companies have the capacity to do so.
Remember to get moving coverage if you have valuable equipment or you rely on certain machinery to operate your business. This way, you will get compensation if items get damaged during your move.
Three Months Before Your Move
By this time, you should have chosen your new office space. Give notice at your current office and sign the lease agreement for the new space. Notify both landlords of the planned moving dates.
If you are moving to or from a building that has other businesses, the property manager may have to give you permission for certain things. For instance, the movers may need special access passes to go in and out of the building.
You can also book your moving date with your selected movers about three months ahead. If you have equipment that needs to be specially disassembled, they can come up with the plans in a good amount of time. Place orders now for new office furniture or equipment to have them ready for the move.
Create a moving plan or checklist and assign tasks to specific members of your moving committee. The checklist could include items such as the connection of internet and power services, compiling a moving list, etc. Don’t forget to update employees on moving dates.
Two Months Before Your Move
Two months before you move you and your contractor should create floor plans for your new office. This will show the location of furniture as well as heavy machinery and equipment.
The floor plan will help ensure that all employees have a working station and there are enough power points. The floor plan will also help movers to place items in the right place from the beginning and you won’t have to move big items later.
This is also the best time to stop services or utilities at your current location while signing up for them at your new offices. You can also make a list of items you will need to collect from employees such as building access cards or tokens.
One Month Before Your Move
D-day is approaching and you and your team should now be staying on top of the move. Tag and list your assets and take photos of any high-value items. Give employees boxes so they can start packing their items.
At this stage, you should also change the address on the following:
- on your website
- business stationery
- social media accounts
- Google listings
- with your bank, suppliers, and clients
Your IT team should start backing up your company files and planning for the moving of your server and other sensitive IT equipment.
Two Weeks Before Your Move
Two weeks before your move you should finish every moving detail with your moving company. Agree on a detailed itinerary of the move including what items get moved first and when. If you have ratty equipment or furniture, this is the time to get rid of them. Some moving companies could even offer you disposal services.
At this stage you should also order your new office keys, access codes and parking passes for all employees that need them. Also, ensure that all essential services and utilities are connected. Your IT team should follow up on internet connections and start setting up the server and other required IT setups.
One Week Before Your Move
Do a final inspection of your new space at least a week before you move in. Make sure that everything is ready, i.e. the space is clean, utilities are connected, etc.
Confirm the moving date with your employees and ensure that they pack their personal belongings in time. Inform employees that should be present during the move of their responsibilities.
Moving Day
On moving day you should ensure that all the utilities are working at your new offices as well as the old one. During the move, make sure that the movers set up office furniture and equipment according to the established floor plan.
Do a walkthrough of your vacated offices to document any damage and check if anything was forgotten. Test that IT systems are all functioning and that everyone is settling in well to their new space. Ask employees to help with unpacking and making a comfortable environment out of your new offices.
Planning an Office Move Using an Office Move Checklist
Office moving usually ends up being more stressful and challenging than business owners expect. Proper planning using our office move checklist can reduce employee downtime, lost business, and stress levels.
If you need quality moving services for your business move, contact us today.