6 Essentials for a Smooth Office Relocation

Several years ago, the company I worked for decided they had finally outgrown their office space. Naturally, all of us were thrilled! This move meant that the company was doing well and ready for even more expansion. As the move-in date for the new office space drew close, each division was given the responsibility of getting their essential items boxed up. Now, my boss and I were in administration. So, along with boxing all our records up, we were charged with making sure everyone else had all the supplies and tools necessary to successfully move from one office to another.

This particular company was small, so a lot of the work (including the moving itself) was done by the employees. To say that this caused a lot of stress would be an understatement. Yet, there were several things that the company did to make this totally stressful time go more smoothly.

1. Meetings/Updates

Progress reports were sent out so that the staff could stay on top of the construction events at the new building. Weekly staff meetings were held to ensure that everyone was staying on the timeline and these meetings allowed the employees to voice any concerns they may have had about the move. As the date of the move approached, small glitches would pop up and these meetings made sure they got resolved quickly.

2. Tour of the New Facility

Once the new building was near completion, everyone got to take a tour and see their office space. At this point, it became real for the procrastinators and it really pumped everyone up. The new space was so amazing compared to the old one. It also allowed everyone a chance to discuss the general office layout, which in turn gave rise to a few tweaks in the overall office flow.

3. Notifications

My boss and I made sure to order ‘we're moving' labels well in advance of the move date. We began placing these on all our correspondence; from Accounts Payable/Receivable to Sales Quotes. We placed the labels on all outgoing documents. We also coordinated with the sales staff to prepare a mass mailing that detailed our moving information for our clients.

4. Packing

When it finally was time to start packing up, we made sure to a have large supply of packing materials on hand, including pre-printed labels for the outside of each department's boxes. We worked closely with each department to make sure they had the boxes they needed and anything special (and there are always special requests). Along with that, we also were in charge of gently nudging the slow pokes along.

5. Coordination

It was very important that all the confidential data remain just that: confidential. Since our department handled all the human resources and financial papers we had to make sure they were boxed securely and pretty much hand-carried to the new office space.

One tricky situation was that our company dealt with rental equipment that was constantly flowing in and out of the building. The rental staff worked very hard to make sure that (a) the equipment that needed to be sent out was on-hand; and that (b) the equipment that would be returning during the actual move period was delivered directly to the new office. This meant that we had to occasionally send someone over to the new office to man it for deliveries. While this took extra effort on everyone's part, it paid off. We did not lose one piece of equipment in the move.

In fact, on the actual move day (and it was completed in one day), the phones were manned all day, calls were answered and orders were taken. This required exquisite timing on our part. I was manning the phones at the old office, right up until the moment that the phones were turned on at the new office. Then, my boss took over manning the phones at the new office, while I shuttled myself and other last-minute items over there as well.

6. Celebration

Once the move was complete, the staff celebrated our new location with a little luncheon and toast. All the hard work and planning had paid off. All our equipment arrived safe and sound and business was not interrupted one bit. This was all thanks to hard work and a great team effort.