5 Hacks for Making an Office Move Stress-Free

Posted On Friday, 08 January 2021 21:12

When your startup takes off, you’ll rapidly find that you’re running out of space. Whether you’ve been working from home, a coworking space, or a small office, it’ll be time to move to a bigger business space. 

Having sufficient space for your operations is key for your business performance

Recent statistics underscore the positive impacts of relocating an office to a more spacious location. 68% of employees report beneficial effects, with 67% highlighting comfort, and 61% space as the main plus points. Consequently, 48% of team members report an improvement in their productivity, and another 48% say that they enjoy coming to work more. 

Some aspects of planning an office move are fairly straightforward

Starting to plan early, communicating with employees, and hiring a reliable moving company should all be on your to-do list. To minimize stress further, though, check out this list of five hacks to make your office move a smooth affair. 

1 - Declutter in Advance

When you’re packing up your old business space, go full-on Marie Kondo on the place. Ruthlessly cut back on clutter and get rid of what you don’t need. 

When you’re tight on time, it’s tempting to pack up everything and sort through it at your new location. Avoid this if possible. 

By decluttering in advance, you’re reducing the volume of things to move, saving time and resources. It also means you will spend less time unpacking and sifting through chaos at your new office. 

First, make an inventory of everything at your current business location. Categorize it into things you’ll need immediately, things you’ll need later, and things you can do without. The first two categories are handy for determining a packing order as well. 

Then, you can donate, sell, or recycle furniture and office equipment you’re not taking along. A note on binning and recycling tech, though: Carefully wipe any sensitive information first.

2 - Create and Share a Layout for the New Office

Ahead of the move, create a layout of your new business space and share it with your team. 

This will help you finalize your future floor plan, and figure out the best work space for each employee. It also makes people feel involved in the planning process, and reduces uncertainties or anxieties on their part. 

Plus, they might spot any problems with the placement of work spaces and equipment you have overlooked. 

In terms of organization, having a dedicated layout also makes the process easier for movers - and for those in charge of packing and labelling. 

3 - Develop a Packing and Labelling System

Packing and labelling is something that you should spend some time and effort on in advance. 

Generally, label every box with its destination in your new office, and a list of its contents. 

Make sure to pack everything that’s fragile or valuable separately, and give the movers a heads-up about it. Plus, check the moving company’s policy on anything they break or lose. 

Document the state of furniture and valuable items pre-move with pictures. That way, if something does get damaged, you’ll have evidence on your side. 

4 - Have a Moving Timeline 

Ideally, you want your move to interrupt regular business operations as little as possible. To achieve this goal, it’s crucial to have a fixed moving timeline. 

For maximum efficiency, prioritize which team members and departments move first. Make sure that the infrastructure they need - from desks and office chairs to internet access - is in place by the time they get to the new location. 

Having a dedicated timeline also makes it easier to keep your team in the loop and reduces confusion.

5 - Distribute Tasks

Finally, while there should be one central manager of the move to a new business space, you should assign tasks to every team member. Make sure that everyone knows what they need to do and when. 

During the actual move, be sure to centralize all the information and to have at least two people in charge of handling questions and troubleshooting at both your old and new location.

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