Seven tips for making your office move a seamless one

An office move can be the start of great things for any organisation.

It may have been prompted by a practical need such as a changing headcount or a merger but done well, it also gives businesses the chance to make positive changes, refresh working practices and motivate employees.

One element that has to go to plan before any of this can be achieved is the office relocation.

Team work is key to an office move. Good planning, a decent checklist and everyone inspired to play their part in the process can help to make the move a seamless one. People can arrive at their new workplace fired up and ready for a new era, rather than frazzled by the last-minute chaos of a hectic move.

Get it right and you can be on track to creating a productive, healthy and happy environment. Here are our seven tips for making an office move a successful one:

1. Take only what you need

Several months before the moving date the first step has to be a review of every item on the premises.

From paperwork and files that are no longer needed for legal or practical reasons, to equipment that no one has used for over a year or will not be needed at the new site, all this needs to be securely shredded, destroyed, recycled or donated to charity.

2. Audit the rest

Once you’re left with the files, furniture and equipment that will be going to the new building, now is the time to think about packing requirements.

Audit the number of small, medium and heavy items in each area, including reception, offices, conference rooms and kitchens. By creating a checklist of equipment, you can then order just the right number of boxes, and box types, for each space.

3. Match boxes to items

Packing boxes need to be matched to the items that need packing.

In each area you will need to work out how many small boxes you need for smaller, heavier items such as books, stationery and telephone handsets. Medium boxes can carry lightweight larger items and large boxes are designed to hold fabric-based items such as uniforms or cushions.

4. Protective action

Before packing you will need to have protective packaging to hand.

This should include cushion foam to fill any spaces between box contents and prevent slippage, quilted pad to place around breakable items such as crockery, pictures or mirrors, and stretch wrap to protect equipment from scratching.

5. Start packing early

You can make the process easier all round by packing non-essential or long-term storage items months before the move.

By getting a head start and tackling packing in stages over several months there will be much less to do in the week or two of the move, which will help to reduce stress levels.

6. Optimise storage space

By choosing high quality, heavy duty, stackable storage boxes it's easy to minimise the amount of floor space needed.

Heavy duty cargo and moving boxes are just one suitable option. These are made with strong double thickness corrugated cardboard and two layers of board on the base for extra strength. They can be stacked up to five boxes high for better optimised storage space.

7. The day before

If you’ve followed a week-by-week process of packing less often used items, the day before the move should only involve packing the most essential equipment.

When packing equipment, it’s a good idea to ensure that power cords do not get separated from their devices en route, by wrapping these in stretch wrap and taping them to the relevant device.

On this day you should only need a final ‘mop up’ of vital items such as telephone handsets, PCs, current work files and desktop stationery items. This will alleviate stress and make the final working day in the ‘old’ office as positive as possible for everyone involved.

By making it your aim to relocate people and equipment to the new premises with minimal fuss throughout the planning and moving process it’s entirely possible to keep staff morale and engagement high.

Resources