How To Have An ‘Almost Stress Free’ Office Move

Moving in to new offices can be a very exciting time for a company. It most likely signals a new start, in bigger premises, as your business continues to grow and become more successful.

However, you have to get there first and with moving house being rated as one of life’s most stressful events, an office move is no different. In fact, it is possibly more stressful. Aside from coordinating the move itself, the process can also have a detrimental effect on business if not approached properly.

A survey, carried out by energy provider E.ON, covered 600 small businesses and found that three quarters of small and medium-sized companies delay moving premises because of the stress that will come with it. It also found that small businesses lost an average of 7.5 working days each as a result of the move.

Unlike with a home move, you don’t only have your own needs to think about. You also have those of your work force and the business itself. There is probably a lot of equipment and people to get from A to B, which is not only stressful for those organising it, but for everyone who is part of the move.

So, how do you make sure it goes as smoothly and is as stress free as possible?

1. Plan carefully and work together! Create a checklist of who is doing what and when it needs doing, then it can be ticked off as you go.

2. Assign tasks to all employees, so they can share the duties involved with an office move. This could simply be that some work from home (if possible) so the business doesn’t come to a complete standstill.

3. Keep your workforce updated through the entire process. If none of your staff members (whether there are five or 50 of them) know what they are doing, the result is bound to be chaos and stress for all involved.

4. Keep customers and clients informed. If they are aware that you are going through a move, they will be more understanding of any delays.

5. Take advantage of storage, such as Kelly’s Business Storage. This way you can purchase any extra furniture and equipment you need and store it, so there are no delays after you move in. Plus, with storage you don’t have to move everything in one go!

6. Research moving companies to find professional office movers. They know the needs of a business when moving, including that it is extremely important for you to avoid as much disruption and loss of productivity as possible.

7. Inspect the new premises and draft an office plan. This way, while you have your moving company on hand, they can place furniture and equipment in the correct place, so there is no need to move it all around later, extending the time your move takes.

8. Budget! A move can have hidden costs, which if you can’t afford can be extremely stressful.

9. Spread the move out over a couple of days if possible, so half the workforce can be setting up the new office and the other half can be finishing off the move out of the old office.

10. For the above to work, create a moving schedule and stick to it. As long as everyone knows what he or she need to be doing and when, the transition should be fairly smooth and pain free for the business.