Rather like house removal, an office move can be unnecessarily stressful but it doesn’t have to be! If you plan ahead you can have a very smooth office transition, especially if you use our tried and tested tips from the removal professionals! An office move might not be the most exciting day of the year in your work diary but it can be a far less daunting task than you might think. With a little forward planning and savvy thinking time, you can be ready to move in no time so you don’t lose any valuable business time or money. 

Plan Ahead

Firstly, never spring an office move on your employees. Give everyone plenty of notice so they know exactly what’s happening and when it’s going to happen. That way if you are getting your employees involved, they can start their share of work early. Prepare a checklist with timings and share it with key members of staff who are going to be involved in the move. It’s also wise to employ a reputable removal company or a man with a van (if you have minimal things for the move) to help you move offices because undertaking this task on your own could lead to breakages or losses. Check out the insurance policies with the removal companies you get quotes from so that you are comfortable you are suitably covered. Remember that removal companies are fully trained to carry out their job with minimum fuss and know how to handle delicate equipment. They will make your office move a lot easier and less stressful for you. They can also help you with storage guidance if you are moving temporarily in between new premises.

Get Rid

Instruct your team to get rid of the things they don’t need or use but make sure that any physical items aren’t usable in your new premises.  Unwanted paperwork is easy to get rid of but always use a shredder so nothing gets into the wrong hands.

Draw Up A New Floor Plan

Prepare a floor plan of your new office and clearly mark where your staff will sit and where items will go.  Print this out and give a copy to every staff member so it is clear where they need to be on the day of the move.  It’s also a good idea to take some of the management team to the new office so they are familiar with it before the big day and they can explain to each of their team where their new work area will be.  Equally the floor plan is a useful guide for your chosen removal company to ensure a smooth removal day.

Empty Filing Cabinets

Your removal company will give you instructions as to what they can and can’t do for you. One of the things they should advise you is to empty out your filing cabinets because the contents make them extremely heavy.  Use double walled boxes to store your paperwork and files and make sure you mark the boxes with what the contents are so there’s no confusion when you arrive at your new office building.

Let Your Clients and Customers Know

Make sure to let all your clients and customers know about your move in advance.  You can do this via email to save on paper but sometimes it’s also wise to use regular post as well so that no-one misses an important email.  It’s a good idea to put a footer or a header on all of your correspondence, electronically as well as regular post with a note reminding people of your move, when it’s happening and your new address.

Protect Your Equipment

If you aren’t using your removal company’s help in wrapping up your computers and electronic equipment, make sure to use plenty of large bubble wrap to store monitors.  Computers and printers can easily be moved onto trolleys so they can be transported out of your current building and into your removal van or lorry easily.  This also helps when you arrive and unload these items at your new premises.

Label Up

Make sure you label every piece of equipment in your office before it’s moved; this means desks to dustbins, stationary to laptops etc.  It’s a good idea to use a coloured system too perhaps per department so that your team and the removal team can easily identify what goes where.  You could use an alphabetical system or a numbering system too.

Final Office Moving Tips

Finally, wear moving clothes, comfortable shoes and have plenty of snacks and drinks on the go to keep your staff motivated when unpacking!  You might even consider moving over a weekend to avoid losing any business during the week. If not, the best day for an office move is a Friday so that you can tidy up loose ends over the weekend and get straight back to work in your smart new office on Monday morning.