When you move an office, it takes more than just packing up a few boxes and transporting them to a new location. It's a huge change for everybody involved. Employees go through the change just as much as the business and the owner. It may change the commute time, the space they have to work with and may cause some employees to fall behind on work during the move. As the owner of the business, it's up to you to prepare your employees and keep them comfortable during the move.
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Where Should You Start?
Whenever you need to move your office, you want to start with scheduling everything the move involves. From packing to transporting to unpacking, you want to schedule everything about the move to ensure everybody is on the same page with your office move. Make sure to pay close attention to any shipments needing to be forwarded and any new services you need to set up, such as internet, phones, utilities, etc.
By creating a schedule of events for the move, it's easy to assign tasks and take some of the stress out of the situation. Employees will know what to expect and when it will be happens, so there will be no surprises.
Your Communication Plan
After you get a schedule put together, you need to create a plan for communications. This should include communicating with employees, movers, suppliers, clients, etc. The best way to start your communication plan is to let everybody know what is going on. Hold a meeting, sent of a memo or do whatever else you need to do in order to communication the need for the move to your employees and anybody else involved.
The point of the communication plan is to eliminate situations, such as an employee coming to work and finding out the microwave has been packed and sent to the new location. This could cause them not to be able to heat up their lunch and could be a huge stress. Keeping everybody on the same page will eliminate these types of situations.
Show Excitement for the Move
As the business owner, you should show plenty of excitement about the move. Whether you're moving into a larger space or a better location, it should be a positive, exciting thing. This will go a long way to set the mood with your employees. When you show excitement, they are more likely to get on board and become excited, too.
Hire a Professional Moving Company
Nobody enjoys packing, moving and unpacking. If you expect your employees to be in charge of the move, they may not be very happy about it. This could add additional pressure and stress to their workday. Instead, hire a professional to pack, move and unpack all your things. This will help things go smoothly and it's one less thing employees have to worry about.
It's very stressful to move from one office location to another. Some stresses cannot be avoided, but they can be minimized. Use these tips to help keep your employees happy and stress-free while moving.