If you follow these guidelines to the letter, you won’t notice any real difference in your overall productivity levels. Get your employees properly hyped and don’t worry about it too much; a negative attitude is a recipe for disaster in any situation.
Moving your business to a new location can be a logistical nightmare. More often than not, people will be running around like headless chickens and won’t get any work done during this period. That is, if you don’t organize them properly!
To effectively coordinate the ensuing chaos, you need to plan everything well in advance. Here are some of the most essential things you need to consider before starting the whole process.
Declutter Old Office Junk
Believe it or not, but moving your business to a new location is a good way of decluttering your old inventory and equipment. The less junk you take with you, the easier (and faster) the whole moving process becomes. What’s more, by getting rid of that old furniture, you can finally buy some new, comfy chairs, for example, to keep your employees happy and more productive as a result. Not to mention that old furniture and equipment require a lot of maintenance, costing you more in the long run.
So, get rid of all those clunky printers and bulky TV sets lying in your old office and replace them with newer models that have additional features and are generally more useful. Also, consider donating them — as well as any old furniture you have stacked in your office — to charity for those juicy tax benefits.
Relocate in Stages
If you have multiple departments, or smaller divisions, inside your company, it might be best to relocate them one at a time. That way, your normal day-to-day business operations won’t grind to a complete halt while you’re moving employees and equipment around. Better yet, you can move them in stages during the weekends or after office hours, so they don’t hamper the productivity of the rest of the office.
Remember, you want to chunk the moving process as much as possible; newly relocated people will have a much easier time settling in that way. This might not come cheap — by any means — but you’ll be able to retain your workers’ overall productivity levels for the duration of the whole process.
Secure Your Equipment During Transport
Keeping employees busy (and happy) during the relocating process is essential. Yet, without proper equipment, they cannot go about their daily tasks. That is why you need to be extra careful when transporting delicate IT equipment and fragile furniture. In the long run, damaging any of these will not only cost your business a repair bill but it will also stop your employees from getting any work done.
Be careful with whom you hire to transport your office equipment. Cheap moving companies will be just that — cheap. Consequently, they won’t do a good job of securing your vital equipment and they’ll hinder your whole business as a result. Instead, look for Budget truck rental services for a smoother transition and do the moving yourself. If a few of your employees lend a hand, this will not only be a lot cheaper but faster and more reliable as well.
Establish Your New HQ before Moving
Another thing you ought to be doing is setting up a vanguard in your new office space. But first, you need to make sure that even they can start moving in.
Conduct a thorough check of the premises to determine whether you have working phone lines, electricity, Internet, etc.; if not, repair them ASAP! That way, there won’t be any surprises mid-way during your moving process, allowing you to focus on more pressing matters instead.
Once that is done, redecorate it, clean it, and replace any redundant furniture such as old
carpets and curtains, for instance, to make the new office more exciting; add some greenery if you can as well. In addition, if you can store it, buy some essential office supplies right away; an employee without coffee is like a smartphone without a battery — useless.
Now, all you have to do is move in your first squad to set up the new HQ and you’re good to go!
Let Everyone Know You Are Moving
Your employees are not the only ones you need to keep in mind during a potential move. There are suppliers, vendors, and most important of all — customers. Failing to inform them on time could spell chaos for your business, productivity-wise.
Make sure everyone is clear exactly when and where you are moving your business. Now, depending on your type of business, you can do this at least a few weeks before the scheduled move; perhaps even months in advance! Ensure that everyone is on the same page (ahead of time) and allow them to make their own adjustments and cope with the new situation. That way you won’t have any drops in productivity due to potential communication breakdowns with customers and suppliers.
If you follow these guidelines to the letter, you won’t notice any real difference in your overall productivity levels. Get your employees properly hyped and don’t worry about it too much; a negative attitude is a recipe for disaster in any situation.
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