There’s no doubt about it: moving offices can be very stressful for everyone involved. Your employees can get stressed by having to adapt to new surroundings, and you as the boss can often become the most stressed of all. But it needn’t be this way. Follow these tips to make your office move as smooth and stress-free as possible.
Choose Your New Office with Care
The first thing to make sure you do is spend a good deal of time finding the perfect office for your needs. If you don’t do this, you may only become aware of problems once you have actually moved, by which time it is too late.
For example, make sure that it has all of the facilities that you will require including enough parking spaces for your employees, meeting rooms, storage and enough space for desks. You may also want to consider access.
An office with bad access can become a problem for your employees if they have to travel to work every day, so it may be worth looking for somewhere with good public transport connections. In London, it’s easy to find somewhere with good access for commercial property. St James, for example, could be a good option, which will also provide you with a prestigious address.
Start Planning as Early As Possible
The earlier you start planning your move, the better it will be for everyone. A lot of work goes into an office move, so there is no reason to leave it to the last minute. You will have numerous issues to consider, including equipment requirements and the decoration and design of the office before you move in. You should also get your stationery updated to your new address in time, which could involve changing the letterheads, business cards, website and more.
Prepare Your Employees for the Move
Make sure your employees are well prepared for the move a long time before you actually arrange it. Provide them with all the information they need to know so that they are not left out of the loop, and make sure they know if they have to inform their clients of any important changes. You could even provide them with a plan of the new office so that they will be able to picture where they will work.
Your employees’ happiness is one of the most important considerations, so make it as easy on them as you can.
Get Your Employees to Box up Their Own Belongings
If your employees are unable to find their important documents and files when they arrive in the new office, it is going to prove very stressful for them. It may therefore be a good idea to get them to pack up their own equipment in boxes, which they can then clearly label. This can help everyone to settle in a lot sooner when they arrive.
Enjoy a Stress-Free Move
Follow the above tips to make sure your office move is less stressful for everyone. If you don’t start planning soon enough you could find that it turns into a mad rush on moving day, which could affect staff productivity, so keep these tips in mind and make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible.
