How to Prepare Your Employees for an Office Move
Similar to your home, it can become very easy to become complacent and think of your office as a home away from home. However, getting too comfortable with your workspace may cause issues down the line. For instance, after a few years of hard work and dedication to your company, some, if not most of your employees, may become rather possessive when it comes to their workspace, whether it be a corner office or even a small cubicle.
There are many reasons why employees may resent having to move to a new office, including, but not limited to, being familiar with their surroundings as well as the people they work with, and being used to their daily eateries and dependable parking space.
As such, if you are planning to relocate your office or an entire division to a new area of the city, or even a new province or country, then you will need to strongly consider how the move will impact the mental and physical wellbeing of your workers. Here, we break down some of the steps that you can take to help your office move be as smooth and stress-free as possible.
Let Your Employees Know Well Ahead of Time
We would strongly advise that you let your workers know of the move several months before it actually transpires. By doing so, your employees will be able to plan ahead and begin to acclimate to the idea of the move, especially if the new office will be quite a distance away from your current office.
Some employees who are unable to make the move, due to the new office being too far away, may decide to leave the company. But if you let all of your workers know about the move several months in advance, then you will also have ample time to hire new employees to replace the ones who have left.
In any event, very few people like sudden and unexpected surprises or changes, so we would recommend that you inform all of your workers of the move several months in advance during a staff meeting, and you should also notify your clients of the move as soon as possible, via online, over the phone, or during a press conference or other such PR event, so that they can also make the necessary changes to be ready.
Involve Your Workers in the Planning
Most moving companies today will assign a moving planner to help you prepare for the big day, so why not get a few of your most trusted and dedicated employees to form a small moving committee so that they can be involved in the planning stage?
In fact, a moving committee can help reduce some of the stress and burden that you may be dealing with, as they can work very closely with the moving planner and the moving company on many of the logistical details or problems that need to be focused on or resolved. Also, they will likely provide you with some very helpful suggestions or ideas on how to arrange your new office space once you have relocated.
Use the Opportunity to Declutter Your Current Office Space
Similar to planning for a home move, an office move can also serve as an ideal opportunity to declutter your property. Hence, you can use the opportunity to sift through your magazines, periodicals, books, files, and any other superfluous and outdated documents in order to drastically reduce the amount of clutter in your office.
We would also recommend that you set aside at least one day for decluttering so that your staff can go through all of their files and determine what needs to be thrown out or shredded, and what needs to be transported to the new office during moving day.
Sell the New Office to Your Staff
In the event that your new office is a great distance away from your current one, then you may want to look into the amenities that your new office will have so that you can inform your staff of them. For instance, if parking in the new office will be hard to find, or quite expensive, then you may want to look into public transportation options near the area, or suggest that some of your employees share rides to reduce their transportation costs or avoid parking altogether.
Also, if parking is an absolute must, and is of the paid variety, then try and negotiate discounts for your workers to incentivize them to not only make the move, but also be excited about it. Any other benefits of the new office and the surrounding area should also be highlighted, such as a nearby gym, delicatessen, library, spa, or pub.
Other benefits may include free and/or ample parking, membership rebates, an office rec room, free snacks, and anything else that can help your employees feel less anxious or worried about moving to a new office.
Ask Your Workers to Provide Their Input on the New Office’s Configuration
A happy employee is a hard working and loyal employee, so try and get your staff involved, in terms of the configuration of the cubicles or desks, as well as the appliances and furniture that will be purchased or brought over to the new office. By doing so, your staff will feel like their opinions are valued, and may even look forward to moving to the new and improved office.
If you need more tips on how to help deal with the new office move, or need help in liquidating your surplus inventory or assets before the move, then please visit our website or give us a call at 888-471-5066. We are also fully insured and bonded, guarantee concise, timely, and clear communication, and provide all of our clients with a high level of transparency through every step of the liquidation or decommission process.