Moving an office with a moving company like Alliance Moving & Storage for example involves much more than moving items from one place to another. There are transitional workflows to consider, in addition to reorganization, floor plans, budget, employee experience, and adaptation periods. While knowing that, at the end of the process, the change will be worth it, even the most organized project manager and the most optimistic leadership can feel overwhelmed in the midst of it all. Over the next few weeks, we’ll share tips for each phase of a corporate change – planning, preparation, boxing, and unboxing – that will reduce office disruption and get you back up and running efficiently and faster. Regardless of complexity or destination, all corporate changes begin with the all-important planning phase. Check out these helpful tips for this stage of the process below.
6 To 12 Months Before The Move: Planning
- Establish a budget – and a process: In addition to determining what your company has to spend on a move, it is also wise to establish a process for making move-related purchases: how they will be paid, how they will be accounted for, and who will be responsible for their approval and contracts.
- Centralize and Organize: By storing all of your notes, contracts, documents, to-do lists, and other move-related items in one place, you’ll save yourself an enormous amount of time and sanity.
- Coordinate with managers to determine change logistics and workflow strategies: In addition to determining what will need to be moved from point A to point B, managers can help assess what equipment and goods need to be moved, what can be discarded, and what new items may be needed depending on size and layout of the new space. They will also ensure that comprehensive work plans are developed and followed throughout the change process. Change can be stressful, but deadlines will still need to be met, and managers need to communicate with their team members to ensure a productive balance is maintained throughout the process.
- Talk about the change with your employees: It is important to remember that your employees are your greatest assets. Sharing the motivations behind your move will make them feel informed and valued. Ensuring they are fully prepared will help the move go smoothly. Make sure your employees are aware of everything they need to know.
- Create a moving summary and checklists for employees: These checklists can include key milestones and their respective deadlines, the new office location, floor plans, and anticipated move information they will receive during the relocation process.
- Establish communication with your employees: If you use regularly scheduled emails, communications, or general meetings, please provide as much detail as possible in your communications and encourage feedback; Employee follow-up questions can also draw attention to items you may have missed, including issues arising from plant changes, need for equipment replacement or upgrades, changes arising from a move to an open or private plant, etc. Appointing someone to manage these communications if you don’t already have an internal communications team will keep messages clear and consistent.
