When your business has reached that critical point in its lifecycle when it needs a bigger office, you should not delay the move any longer. If you do, you might just find yourself doing business in a cramped, expensive place that no longer suits your employee’s needs. Often, when it comes to office moves, there are many uncertainties and unknowns which you must take into consideration.
For example, how will you move all of your equipment to your new space without damaging it? Or, how do you plan your move in order to avoid productivity losses? These are questions that must be asked whenever conducting an office move. So, in order to help you with your move, here are five tips, from certified NYC office movers, about how to do office relocation the right way.
Plan Your Move Early
Always plan your move as early as possible, since if you don’t, you might end up having to deal with issues you could’ve planned for. For a large office move, you could even start a year in advance. Take into consideration how many things there are to do before moving your office. Problems such as looking for a reputable moving company or ensuring your employees can still work during the move are critical to keep in mind.
You should also know that the move itself will take quite a while, especially if you’ve got a lot of assets. Besides that, another reason you should plan your move early is the fact that a lot of moving companies tend to be booked in advance by quite a bit. You need to find an open spot for them to take on your move, and that can take quite a bit to do.
Set Up a Budget
It’s especially important to have a decent budget set up for when you’re ready to start contacting moving companies. This budget should be set up in such a way so as to account for possible extra expenses that often accompany a big move. It’s not just about extra costs related to the moving company, but also regarding potential loss of revenue from loss of productivity, as often happens when moving offices.
Try to work on this budget together with your employees, as their input will most definitely be a valued asset. You’ll also probably need to hire a designer and call on the services of other professionals, such as accountants. All in all, be prepared to spend a bit of time working on this budget, as it will be one of the main pillars on which your move will be built on.
Compare Quotes from Different Companies
Another thing you should do when deciding to move offices is to compare quotes from different moving companies. The first quote you get might not be the best one, so keep that in mind when searching. Try to call a few different companies in your area and see what the price is going to be. Remember that a quote is only a starting price, the final price might be 5% to 10% higher. Take this into account when considering moving companies.
Any reputable moving company will try to take into account volume and size of items before giving you a quote, but even so, the price will still vary. This is the nature of the business, and until you actually start the move, you won’t know for sure exactly how many items there are to move or how hard the move itself is going to be.
Talk With Your Employees
It’s important to keep your employees in the know regarding a planned office move. Try to make them aware of the moving plans as soon as possible, so they don’t come as a surprise. You will also need a team of employees to supervise the move, so assign one whenever you can. Another thing to do is to get feedback from your teams, since their word matters. After all, it’s the teams themselves who will be making the most use of your new office space.
After taking into consideration the feedback you’ll most definitely receive, try to be as proactive as you can about potential employee concerns regarding the new location. Another thing that will require a bit of management is how employees will pack up their desks. Will it end up being a task for the moving company, or are you going to let your employees do it themselves?
Talk With Your Landlord
Unless you own your office building, which is extremely unlikely as most companies tend to lease, then you will definitely need to have a talk with your landlord. Try to plan your move so it happens at the end of your lease, since breaking a leasing agreement can be quite costly. You’ll also need to confirm the details of your new lease with your new landlord.
Once you’ve established the date of your move with your new landlord, talk to your old one and see what you need to do with your old space. You might have to hire a cleaning company to clean it out, or maybe repair any damages the space might have suffered during your time there.
