Office relocation 101
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Office relocation is both an exciting and daunting task. It all depends on your preparation for this particular move. It is not the same as moving a house since it involves meeting with your employees, getting your IT team on board, talking to clients as well as taking care of your deadlines and many more. With all of that, plus handling the move itself, it can become overwhelming. Luckily, there are many companies out there, like Manhattan Movers NYC, which can help you with your office relocation while you take care of your business. So, if you plan to take this step any time soon, take a look at some of our tips for making this move a stress-free one.
Plan Your Office Relocation in Advance
If you already know that you will be relocating your office in your near future, start planning for it as soon as the moving date is set. If you think that it is going to be fast and easy, you are wrong. It is going to take a lot of time, as well as money and energy, so do not be one of those making a basic beginner mistake. If it is possible, try planning your move 3-5 months ahead. Do a thorough research about office relocation and make sure that you have all the details covered. Moreover, if you already know the dimensions and the layout of your new office, you can give your employees the opportunity to do their own planning. You can create a floor plan and put it on someplace visible for everybody to see. Also, you should decide in which part of New York City you will relocate your office to. So, try to find the best neighborhood for young professionals.
Hire the Right Moving Company
As previously mentioned, office relocation is both time and energy consuming. So, do not stress about the details of the move because you might harm your business. Do yourself a favor, and hire office moving experts that can handle your relocation. Just make sure to hire a full-service company since it requires a lot of equipment and paperwork. Have an interview with a couple of moving agencies and see which one suits your and your companies’ needs the most. Not all companies are suitable for office relocation, you need to find one which specializes itself in that. The best way to do that is to get recommendations from your friends, family or colleagues. If however, none of them had had experience with this particular move, you should go online, and prepare for a lot of researching. Reading online reviews can be helpful, just make sure to read all the comments, good and bad.
Update Your Address Everywhere
It is important that everybody knows that you are moving. Especially your clients. Besides transferring your utilities, you need to update your website, business cards and all other publicity materials you may have. Also, you need to contact Google in order for them to change your online listing and address. You should know that these things do not change overnight but need some time to process. So, just like planning your office relocation in advance, you also need to transfer your utilities before the moving day arrives, not after. Moreover, if planning on moving out of NY to another state, you should update any suppliers or vendors.
Order New Equipment Before the Move
This should be done well in advance as well. At least 1 or 2 months before your office relocation date is due, you should put your orders for new office furniture and equipment. You will want to have everything there and ready for you and your employees when you relocate. The sooner everybody is settled in, the quicker you will all get back into the routine. Sometimes these deliveries can take a few weeks, even months, especially if you ordered a lot of office equipment. Order them even if you think that it is too early. It is better to be safe than sorry. Eventually, if it arrives earlier than you expected, you can always rent an affordable storage facility and keep the equipment there until the new office is ready.
Organize Your Employees
First things first, you should have a meeting. Whether you are a small company or a larger one, you should have a couple of meetings before the actual moving day. Tell your employees the details of the move. Make sure that everybody is on the same page and agrees to the layout of the new office. Keep them posted whenever you find out something new about your office relocation. Moreover, you can agree on a certain day when all of you will be packing, especially packing private belongings. So, when everybody is packing their personal stuff, you can tell them to put their name on the outside of the box. By doing this, the movers can place them in the right place according to the layout chart you made.
Clean and Purge Your Entire Office
Do not bring the things you and your employees do not need anymore. Do a deep cleaning and purging. Save only what is necessary for your work in the new office. With the rest of the things, you can do the following:
- Donate – If you bought new furniture for your new office, you can donate the old one to a charity or some start-up business.
- Sell – If however, you need extra cash, you can sell your old furniture and office equipment online.
- Throw away – If something is just collecting dust and is completely unusable, let it hit the bin.
Shred the paper – All the documents and old and already used paper should be shredded or recycled.