There is a time when your organization may decide to relocate or you may want to move your own business or office to a different location .. From a strategic point of view that is expected to bring greater benefits for your organization or business. For example, certain areas may be designated by the government for tax relief. From a cost perspective, this could be a huge consideration that can be part of the decision to relocate. However, unlike moving your own house or private property where there is room for greater control and management, moving an organization may be far more taxing than you anticipated. This is because you will have to adhere by certain company policies and regulations. A great way to ensure a smooth move is to prepare for the move in advance.
Organizing Your Office Relocation
It is important to ensure that employees feel integrated with the corporate relocation. To ease in the process, it is good practice to communicate early to employees about the impending move, reasons, and the date by when the relocation is expected to be completed. You can chart out responsibilities and delegate work by departments to make it a cohesive preparation. Every department should also have clear instructions such as preparing an inventory list. No one will be able to remember everything during the chaos of packing and moving office supplies and personal items. So it is always best practice to document all the items and label them clearly. Each box can be labelled with a note on what items have been packed. So when you receive the floor plan or the designated area where you will be expected to setup your unit again, you will find it easier to unpack and organize things easily.
This is also the perfect opportunity to shred documents that have been collecting dust and other furniture including supplies that are no longer required or outdated. You can give them away or destroy items that are confidential, so information is not misused. While packing, you also need to be practical what you really need and what can be shelved. If you are hiring professional movers and takers, then you must thoroughly verify their background and check if they have corporate relocation experience and their standing in the market. Speak to them in detail to understand the breadth of services and what is included in the relocation scope and those for which they will not be held responsible.
Data is critical to every individual and the overall organisation. Back up data and make a couple of copies if required before disassembling your desktop or packing your laptop and other media accessories. For secure files, you may also want to verify against security regulations so there is no process violation while moving sensitive information.
Throughout the entire few months leading up to the final move, employees and support staff will have numerous questions. So communication is key to keep up their morale and assure them of the organization’s support.