How to prepare your employees for the big office move?

Moving your company offices is quite a task that will certainly cause commotion in your company. However, the company move can and often is necessary for a company. Usually, it is a sound decision that is natural in the natural life-cycle of a company. The reasons can be different. The company may be growing and it may require larger space. The move may be needed to be closer to the target market or crucial clients. Moving to a more modern and functional space may be required and so on. Whatever the reason, it is tricky and difficult and it will affect your business and employees. So how can you prepare for it and how to prepare your employees for that big office move?

Prepare and organize your move

Office moving is a big and difficult job. It will certainly be a disturbance to your business routine until it is finished and it will affect your employees. To keep the negative effects at their minimum you should try to plan and organize your move in detail. This means to start planning well in advance and prepare your employees for it so the move goes smoothly.  This also means to analyze and hire professional moving help that will make your move easier. It is important to know that such a move may last for a long time, even months, so good preparation and smooth operation are critical.

 

The main goal when moving is to keep your business working flawlessly and to keep your clients satisfied. The clients should not feel neglected or dissatisfied because you decided to move. This makes it important to inform, prepare and motivate the employees to perform at their best through this complicated process. Some of the most important facts that both employees and clients should be made aware, assured of and prepared for are:

• How the move will influence them, especially how they will benefit from it
• Clients should be notified of the change in advance
• Employees should be involved in the process and
• Motivated to help through the transition

Preparing your employees

A crucial part of the office move is to properly prepare your employees for the process. Moving your office can’t be done without the help and participation of your employees, so you have to prepare them. You should start with the preparation of a detailed moving plan a schedule with your movers. After that, you will have the time frame and an idea of the employee’s role in the movie. Now that you have a general picture it is important to communicate it to your employees. This communication is even more important if you are moving long-distance or even if you are relocating your items to another country.

Communicate with your employees

The employees should be made aware of the moving process and their role in it. First of all, they must have a sense of how the move will benefit them in the future. It’s important to communicate how the move will provide better working conditions, closer markets, and better business opportunities. The move will, in the end, benefit both the company and employees in the long run. The move will cause commuting and other problems for many employees so it’s important to make employees aware of the positive moving aspects.

The communication is even more important if the move is long distance. This may require some of them to relocate with the company and even move their families. Good communication will help them understand the necessity and dynamics of the moving process and to transition faster. It will also help you speed up not only the business relocation but also speed up your family relocation.

Involve the staff in the moving process

Involving the staff in the office moving process is also very important. An active role in the move will motive employees and help them deal with the move more easily. Involving them in the process from the planning stages will allow them to participate and help as an integral part of the company and team. Making separate teams to handle certain tasks will stimulate teamwork and creative thinking in solving some of the moving problems. This will ultimately create a positive attitude and help decrease moving stress.

Some of the employees may be engaged in dynamic customer servicing during the move for example. They will provide adequate customer satisfaction while the company is transitioning. On the other hand, the other team can be engaged in the sorting, packing and moving process to make it rational, efficient and fast.

Organize and declutter

The moving process can always be an opportunity to shed weight and declutter your belongings. Business moving is no different with a lot of benefits from that activity. The staff should be encouraged to participate in packing and organizing the company’s item, documentation, and other possessions. Most of the stuff in that process can be sorted and disposed of. Old documentation and files can be thrown away. Some of it can be archived elsewhere. The whole archive and equipment can be streamlined and decluttered to provide that only the necessary documentation is moved. Decluttering will also help with the transition by making a sense of a fresh start in a new location.

Disruption in your business

An office move is a major disruption in the business process. It takes time and can lead to a problem in client servicing and performing basic business activities. It is very important to prepare the employees for such development. If the employees are well informed and involved in the moving process then it will be easier for them to get involved in the burden in this situation. The employees will also be motivated to make better efforts to keep the business running smoothly. In these cases, they will be engaged in not only servicing clients but also informing them of the situation and mending any problems that may occur. They will also take care of other moving-related activities like:

• Changing the official company address
• Notifying clients about the situation change
• Making sure that all are on board and providing assistance
• Finding suitable office space, etc.

Professional help

One of the most crucial things in an office relocation is to find and hire experienced professional help. Quality movers can help you organize your business move and also help your staff work out the process of planning, organization of the move as well as packing. They will also provide expert help in not only packing and moving but also with the insurance and protection of the office valuables. Researching and choosing professional moving help like Movage Moving New York City is important. Make sure you do proper research and chose the professional help suitable for your business.

So, moving your offices will not be easy. It will be difficult and complex. But be sure that your employees can help and make the process run smoothly. Involve them in the process, consult them and give them the opportunity to help and your staff will make the move easier.