Office Relocation: The Importance of Communication

Tips for an Office Move

One of the most important things to remember when moving an office is that communication is absolutely essential to a successful move. You need to keep everyone involved with or affected by the move up to date. Remember: You are not the only one who needs to be prepared; they need to be prepared as well. Here’s a list of who you should definitely keep in the loop—although your actual list may be even longer.

The movers: This one is the most obvious. Communication with your movers is very important. This entails labelling, and lots of it. Consider using coloured labels to help organize items by which room they should be left in, etc. Make sure that your labels are written very legibly and placed in a very visible spot. You want this process to be as easy as possible for the movers; this will ensure the move happens quickly and that things are moved and placed properly.

Your employees: Make sure your employees know when the move is happening well in advance. This will help them prepare. Also try to talk to them one on one to find out how they are coping with the move. Some may, for example, have problems with their new commute if it ends up being significantly longer. Also, if they’re helping with any of the packing, tell them how things should be packed. And lastly, remind them to pack up their personal belongings, which should probably be moved privately by them as well.

The project coordinator/moving consultant: Generally speaking, it is a good idea to have a project coordinator when moving an office. They will be in charge of certain set tasks, which may include working closely with the movers, preparing for payroll changes, etc. Keep each other informed on a regular basis. You will benefit from being as updated as possible. And they will too, so make sure the information is flowing both ways—communication here is mutually beneficial.

Your technical team: Don’t forget these guys. Setting up new networks and finding electrical outlets and phone jacks for everything can actually be quite daunting. If problems arise here, they could potentially halt your entire business beyond the moving period. So give them enough time and information to work out a plan of attack.

Your clients, banks, vendors, etc.: Lastly, don’t forget everyone else—everyone who is not working for you. If your clients lose touch with you because of a move, you could easily lose their business. Give them plenty of advance warning. Send out emails and letters, and update your website. Don’t let a move hurt your business in any way. Period.

With everyone up to date, your move will most likely go swimmingly. Other people have responsibilities too, but if they aren’t informed of what they are, those responsibilities might end up becoming yours—at the last minute. Communication will take some of the load off of your shoulders. Do not try to do everything alone. Moving an office would be an awful lot of work for one person.