Making the leap to a new office can be overwhelming, especially when there’s so much to arrange. You need the move to be as efficient as possible so business operations can resume and profits won’t be hit. But you’ll need a concise plan in place to make sure that happens, and you’ll probably need reliable outside help to assist with the office relocation project.
It doesn’t matter if you’re moving to the other side of London or into a bigger building just down the road – any office relocation is stressful. Good project management and planning is required, and all hands on deck – make sure all staff have a specific job to help the move go as smooth as possible. Here are some top tips for planning a London office relocation.
Create a timeline
An office move can take a year or more to plan – it’s not just the day of physically moving. As soon as the relocation project is confirmed, put together a timeline. For example, when is a good time for the business to move? Try and arrange it around a quiet time in the year, as it could cause havoc during busy season. You want to cause as little disruption to clients or customers as possible.
Include absolutely everything in the timeline – any building works, contractors which will be booked to install telecoms, decorating etc. You should also identify a date where everything will be ‘back to normal’ in the new office.
Hire a project manager
You can choose whether you wish to appoint a current employee to be in charge of the relocation, or hire an out of house project manager. Either way, somebody needs to have the responsibility and report progress back to you. Companies may also wish to hire office relocation services which can make the process hassle free, including packing and unpacking, equipment inventories and organising transport.
Inform staff and clients
It’s easy to get caught up in planning and preparations, but it’s really important to give accurate updates to employees and customers. You need the workforce to work as a team and understand why the business is relocating and their responsibilities during this time of change. Moreover, you need to inform your loyal clients about your relocation and any disruptions in service they could experience during this period. If you have a PR or marketing department, make sure they are communicating the relocation in an effective, precise and positive way.
Once you know everything is under control, you can celebrate the success of the move!
