10 tips for moving the office

Bulky furniture, piles of electronics, multiple rooms full of little things you need… Moving to a new office is a lot of work and a lot of headaches – just like moving to a new home, regardless of the size of your company. But you probably have a good reason for taking this laborious move. We can help make the moving process as smooth as possible.

There is no way for objects to grow wings and fly to the new office – you need a global plan. Do it as early as possible and you will be clear about who, what, how and when will be involved. Otherwise, you may spend whole nights transferring everything from printer cartridges to staples to the boxes and wondering where to stuff everything how to transport.

It is especially important for you to have a plan for exactly where things will be placed once they are in the new location. Take a good look at the layout of the spaces and foresee the corners for each item according to the needs of the team. This planning can take several months in advance to prepare the new workplace. It’s also important to predict how much you’ll spend and prepare an approximate budget for the move.

You may not want to trust anyone, but it will be a lot easier if you have a person in charge to make sure every stage of the move runs smoothly. The ideal person for the purpose is the administrative assistant or an employee with experience in such an endeavor.

Look for movers with experience in moving offices to find the best ones that won’t disappoint you, collect at least three professional quotes. You will find out who will do it most expeditiously and which offer is more financially bearable when you meet personally and on site with a representative of each of the companies – they will also see what the scope of the work is.

Important: the company must be licensed and insured, so you will avoid unnecessary risks that no one and nothing will get hurt or disappear.

Reconnecting all the technology needed to run a company is usually one of the biggest complications of moving to a new office. You can’t entrust this job to the people from the moving company, so as soon as you know the date of the move, engage the IT department to prepare a plan to transfer computers, servers, phones, Internet and all technical equipment in general. When the right time to transfer is assessed in advance, it will also be clear to you whether some parts of this equipment are no longer redundant. Then you will have to think about whether to donate them, to whom and how you could recycle them.

If the building you are moving into is not owned by your company, you will need to comply with the rules – it may only be permitted to move in on non-working days, or a special application may be required to use the service lift. Any situations can provoke stumbling blocks, which you need to “clear” in advance and draw up good logistics.

The sooner you update your documents with your new address, the easier it will be later, so as soon as the move is certain, even if it hasn’t happened yet, order new business cards, return shipping forms, shipping labels and everything you use.

Yes, we know, it’s terribly time-consuming, but it makes things a lot easier, less confusing, and saves time when settling into the new office. When packing all items, label them with directions for the exact location where they should be placed and a list of the items each box contains.

Size matters! Will the conference rooms in the next office have room for the tables and chairs you have? Both electrical and kitchen equipment require a lot of space, so measure the size of the most massive furniture and machinery and consider whether they will fit in the new spaces. It would be a shame if it turns out later that you have distributed them in vain.

You will simplify the move if you transport some things yourself in advance. For example, plants, loose office supplies and other small items – you can place them in the new workplace even before you have officially moved in.

The things with which the drawers of the cupboards and desks of the employees are filled are their concern – let the team know about this and everyone will be able to decide when it is convenient for them to bring their personal belongings to the new office. This avoids worries about lost belongings, because the movers, no matter how punctual, are unlikely to promise to protect fragile and valuable things.

Good luck!