Your office is getting ready to move. While this is generally a major event for any company, it often signifies some sort of major transformation happening with the organization – either growth or shrinking.
It’s easy to understand why this is a stressful time for any office manager. Most people have had to move from one living situation to another, but in terms of offices most people have never had this kind of undertaking on their plate.
That’s why we’ve put together five points of consideration for moving an office that we see in almost every case. The considerations – as you can reasonably understand – are significantly different than changing homesteads.
See below the five most important points about organizing an office move. Have you had to move an office before? Leave your advice or experiences below in a comment!
Furniture Planning
Planning where furniture is going to be moved is a crucial part of any office move.
Not only do you need to know whether it fits or not, but how you can coordinate where it goes, and how you can design the office to make the best use of its space.
You’ll want to spend time getting to know the layout of the new office. Also, you’ll want movers to know exactly where certain pieces of furniture are going. That means marking each of the rooms for the new office with what pieces are going in, or marking your furniture with an indication of which room it will be placed.
This will allow movers to seamlessly place your furniture where it’s going, which is a major undertaking should it be done on your own.
IT Infrastructure
Almost all offices have IT infrastructure that needs to be placed in specially-designated areas.
Servers and larger electronic assets can run hot, so they need to be placed somewhere ventilation is accessible. Monitors, desk computers, and other electronic devices all require some forethought into where it might go.
Inspect your new space before the move to identify potential placements for your IT infrastructure. You’ll want to not waste any of your IT staff’s time moving things around as it will be a task in and of itself getting these assets running.
WiFi
WiFi connections are a common part of any office’s internet setup, but you need to make sure you have cable running to hook up to a router.
The building manager should have all information regarding cable systems that will enable WiFi. Another note is that moving to a new office may be a great opportunity to inspect your routers to see if they need to be replaced – experts recommend replacing your routers every two years.
HVAC
Your HVAC (heaving, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems are an absolutely crucial part of maintaining a comfortable office. Who wants to work somewhere that is too stuffy?
While nearly all buildings are designed and fitted for HVAC systems, this is something you’ll want to follow up with the new building manager about. You’ll also want information about the last time the HVAC system was serviced, and what maintenance will look like in terms of interruptions to your operations.
Move Preparation
Actual preparation for the move is where moving managers need to pay close attention.
As stated above, you should have a reasonably good idea about where everything is going in the new office space before a single fixture is picked up.
You’ll also want to have a clear point of contact with the moving company. Close coordination of efforts between your IT staff and the moving company is crucial to a successful office move.
Additionally, you’ll need to know ahead of time which of your staff is needed to help with the move, or if any staff is needed at all.
As you can see, moving an office is no easy task. But, with the right amount of preparation you can foster a seamless, efficient, and stress-free move – just put in the work ahead of time!