Moving into a new office? Here are 5 tips for the moving process
Moving your company into a new office space can be both time-consuming and exhausting. Follow these five tips for a smoother process for you and your co-workers!
“The most important thing when moving offices is involving all your employees in the process, while at the same time making sure your business is operating as normal up until the moving day," says Alf Astrup, Business Unit Director, Technopolis Kista in Stockholm and Technopolis Fornebu in Oslo.
Every year countless companies move out and into new offices. As a provider of flexible workspaces, Technopolis knows this process and how to make it work better than most. Here are five top tips from the workspace expert Technopolis for a smoother transition for your company.
- Plan ahead
Doing solid groundwork before a big move is key for a smooth transition. Start the process by planning the move in good time. In the early stages, you don’t need to know all the details, but an overarching idea of how and when is vital when planning your move. By doing this you will avoid unpleasant surprises on the moving day. Pointing out who is responsible for different tasks is also important. - Involve all employees from start to finish
Communication is key in this process, however small or large your company is. Share the planned timeline early on, the different areas of responsibility and why you have decided to move with all your employees. Allowing different perspectives and opinions to surface is important, too, and should come from all teams in your organization. Transparency and communication allow you to map out all the different needs within the organization.“Let all relevant customers and business partners know that you are moving. Gathering all information for both employees and customers can be useful,” says Astrup.
- Be thorough about what you bring to your new office, and what you leave behind
If your company has been using the same offices for a long time, there are probably quite a lot of items to move. Often employees would like to start fresh upon moving offices, and a new building with a new interior is a key part of this. Being critical as to what you bring is important in this sense so that you can start fresh at your new office. Make sure to recycle all the things that you don’t want to bring with you to the new office.“If you can’t reuse some of the furniture, décor or other office items, then maybe another company or organization nearby can use them,” says Astrup.
- Make a detailed plan for the move
Draft a plan in which you cover different scenarios. The plan should include relevant dates and a checklist. While this kind of plan is a good tool, there is no right or wrong way to draft it. Be prepared for sudden changes and be willing to improvise and adapt to different situations that might emerge during the process. - Throw an office warming party once you’ve settled into your new workspaces
Shared experiences are key to a good work environment. While moving can be an overwhelming experience for some, throwing an office warming party can help your team relax in their new office space and enjoy some time together in a social setting.“Getting settled in a new workspace often takes some time, and an office warming party can help speed this up. Just remember to be careful with the new furniture,” says Astrup.