Whether you’re moving to a bigger building as a result of an expanding business, or you’re relocating your company to another city altogether, planning an office relocation can seem like a challenge. While moving house is often cited as one of life’s most stressful events, those who undergo an office relocation will likely tell you that it’s much more disruptive. After all, you’re not just responsible for moving yourself and your family, but instead a team of employees whose reactions to the new building you cannot predict, and whose work may suffer a temporary hit while you set up your new business.
However, there are ways to avoid the chaos and disruption and organise a seamless office move. From finding a reliable storage and removals company to planning for all eventualities, there are ways to minimise the risk of any shortfalls and try to make sure everything runs as smoothly as possible. At Essex Removals, we have years of experience in helping our customers plan and execute office relocations without a hitch, and have a few top tips and tricks to share for those who have a relocation coming up. Read on for our complete guide to office removals made easy.
Plan ahead
As with any relocation, it’s imperative that you plan the entire move in advance. You’ll need enough time to find new business premises, make arrangements for your employees, let your clients know the dates you’ll be out of office, and ensure that you’ve planned for all potential outcomes. If you plan everything last minute, you’ll not only put yourself under a great deal of stress, but you’ll also make it difficult for your employees to plan around the relocation.
This applies whether you’re moving across the street or across the globe, however, it’s particularly important if the move is going to affect your employees’ commute. If the location of your new business building is difficult to access for those who commute via public transport, you’ll need to give your employees adequate time to plan for alternative arrangements.
In some cases, your employees may even decide to leave your company and move elsewhere. If you’re moving cities or even countries, you’ll need to make sure you give your employees plenty of time to find another job and yourself a couple of months to hire new workers. For this reason, planning ahead is absolutely essential.
Let everyone know
Letting everyone involved in your business know that you’re moving in advance is key to a smooth transition. As we’ve just mentioned, your employees will need to know in order to make arrangements for commuting and so on, but above all, it is simply respectful to keep your team in the loop. Transparency is key, and your workforce will appreciate being told early on that you’re moving – if you spring this news on them last minute, they may begin to wonder how much you really value their contributions to your business.
Additionally, you’ll need to make your clients and business partners aware, especially if your new business location will change the dynamic of your relationship. For instance, if you’re relocating to a new country, you’ll need to discuss the logistics of you and your partners working to different business hours. These are all things you’ll need to consider, so make sure you discuss your relocation with everyone involved with your business as soon as the move has been confirmed.
Prepare for delay
No matter how well you plan for a seamless office move, problems and challenges are still likely to spring up. To make sure you’re well-equipped to deal with these issues, it’s helpful to prepare for potential delays and make sure you’ve got a plan in place in the event that your new business premises aren’t ready to move into on the planned date. If you’ve already agreed to move out of your current office on a set date, this could throw up a whole host of problems.
Firstly, you’ll need to source a reputable storage company to keep your office furniture, computer equipment and anything else safe until your new office is ready to move into. It’s a good idea to have a few reliable companies in mind just in case you need to make a last minute call. Secondly, you’ll need to find alternative arrangements for your employees. Your business won’t be able to stop in its tracks, so consider ways of making sure deadlines are met and things are still ticking along even if you aren’t settled in your new building yet. For instance, you could ask your employees to work from home or find a local hot-desking service to temporarily house your workforce.
Declutter your office
No matter how neat and tidy you believe your office to be, it’s inevitable that you’ll have clutter lying around that will simply slow down the relocation process. Whether you’ve got a pile of employment contracts for people who left your company years ago or a pile of shredded papers you haven’t disposed of yet, you’ll need to have a big declutter of your business premises before you begin packing up your office. Moving fewer items will not only make the process less stressful, but it’ll also make it cheaper as you’ll require fewer packing supplies.
Put items in container storage
Once you’ve decluttered your office, the next step is to figure out what you want to take to the new office straightaway and what you’d like to put in storage. It may be that you currently have more desks than you really need in your new office, or you’re hoping to stagger the move-in process and set up the kitchen area/meeting rooms once you’ve got your general office layout sorted – whatever the case, finding a reliable storage unit is sure to help you out.
With storage services, you can rest assured that your expensive office equipment and important documents will be kept safe until it’s time to collect them. Even if the building you’re moving to is bigger than your current office, you certainly don’t want to fill it up with stacks of documents and spare computer monitors that could be stored elsewhere. Keep your new office tidy and clutter-free with local storage services – you won’t regret it!
Purchase packing supplies
When it comes to moving an entire office, you’ll need to make sure you have plenty of high-quality packing supplies to make the entire process easier. The packing supplies you’ll need will differ from those you’d expect to use during a home relocation, simply because you may have a higher volume of belongings and a great deal of expensive equipment. Flimsy cardboard boxes just won’t do, as you’ll be transporting computer monitors, printers and laptops as opposed to books, clothes and bedding.
To really make your office removal simple and hassle-free, consider hiring a professional packing service. As a business owner, it’s unlikely you’ll have the time or the energy to pack up an entire office by yourself, and it simply isn’t professional to ask your employees to help out. By trying to take care of everything by yourself, you may cause damage to expensive equipment or even injure yourself.
On the other hand, when you hire a team of packing professionals, you’ll be able to sit back and relax (as much as any business owner can!). They’ll have the expertise and the resources, including high-quality packing supplies, to pack up your office in the timeframe you need and will take as much care of your office equipment as they would their own belongings.
Hire professional removals experts
There are many ways to take the stress out of your commercial relocation, however, one of the best things to do is simply hire a team of professional removalists. After all, when you hire a removals company to take care of your office relocation, you’ll have the peace of mind you need that everything is being carried out to the highest possible standards. From packing up your office to transporting your business’s equipment, you can rest assured that a reputable company will do all they can to make your relocation as hassle-free as possible. They’ll even be able to set up your new office for you, so your employees can simply come back to work and settle in without delay.
Additionally, when you hire a professional removal company, you can be confident that your belongings will arrive in the same condition as they left your office. A reputable company will always cover their backs with comprehensive insurance so that, in the unfortunate event that something does go wrong, you won’t be left to replace expensive equipment or to repair broken furniture without financial support. Office movers are experts at what they do, which will make the entire process much less complicated for you and your employees. If you’re planning to move offices soon, make sure you find a company to help you get from A to B.
Essex Removals: Professionals in house removals, office relocations and self-storage services
For a company you can rely on for a professional, hassle-free and cost-effective office relocation, look no further than Essex Removals. We can help you through the entire process, from packing through to setting up your new business premises, and pride ourselves on prioritising professionalism in every instance. We even provide free insurance for up to £50,000 so you can rest assured that your belongings will be kept safe and in top condition at all times.
In addition to our office removal services, we can also assist with moving house, worldwide shipping, packing supplies and a range of storage options. Whatever you need to help simplify your relocation, we at Essex Removals are here for you. For more information about our range of moving services or for a free initial quote, get in touch with our team of experts today.
