Relocation Roadmap: 9 Steps to Moving Offices Without Losing Productivity

Image: Anastasiia Krutota / Unsplash

The productivity of employees and management alike can drop off a cliff because of disruptions occurring across the board during an office move. The good news is that with a good plan, disruptions can be minimised, and productivity maintained, especially if you follow these nine steps: 

1. Plan Like a Pro

Before a single box is packed, create the most detailed plan possible. Outline key deadlines, identify different responsibilities and who they are assigned to, ensure different companies are contacted and booked—all the details you need for a smooth moving process. This kind of planning prevents chaos and ensures productivity can continue with minimal disruption. 

2. Declutter 

Clutter is known to impact productivity negatively. What better chance to declutter than with an office move? Consider hiring a professional company for rubbish removal to ensure efficient waste handling and compliance with environmental regulations. 

3. Take The Pressure Off With A Move Manager

Can you hire a move manager, or designate the job to somebody on your team? Having one person in charge—especially when it comes to liaising with clients and moving professionals—can help to ensure everything stays on track. It’ll also take a massive pile of stress off your plate, and who doesn’t want that? 

4. Keep Your Boxes Well Organised

Even with careful packing, unpacking can be time-consuming. Last-minute damage is also always a risk. But sorting office equipment wastes valuable time that employees could use to settle in. 

To get this important balance right, label everything clearly and ensure items go straight to the right area on moving day. Even better, have a setup team prepare the office before staff arrive. 

5. Communicate Well

Research from nearly a decade ago shows that when bosses and employees have different communication styles, employees can be up to 30% less engaged at work. Those figures remain relevant because communication is just as vital now as ever. 

When engaging in something stressful like a massive office move, it is critical that you meet your employees with their preferred communication style as changes that occur. Whether they prefer email, or face-to-face—communicate changes in the way that suits them best so they are then best placed to get through the upheaval and maintain focus on their core responsibilities. 

6. Backup Your Data

Around 4 in 10 companies are insured against data theft. Even if you have this vital form of insurance, moving offices may cause your cover to be temporarily void, so it’s important to do what you can to back up that data and protect it against theft. 

Data loss could also cause a huge dip in productivity, pushing the impact of the breach far beyond financial consequences. 

7. Ensure IT Continuity

Try to have your IT infrastructure in place before everything else. This, plus a phased transition and the ability for some employees to work remotely, will ensure workflow disruptions are minimised. Many managed service providers (MSPs) offer support on a one-off basis, meaning you can have a team of IT experts manage the tech side of your transition. 

8. Support However You Can

Be there for your employees throughout the move, whether that’s with virtual check-ins, coffee-shop catch-ups, or a WhatsApp group. It is essential for you to remain in-touch to answer any questions your team has, and to help them with any challenges they face. 

9. Take Care Of Yourself

Moving offices can be immensely stressful, taking a toll on even the calmest of managers. Remember to eat well, sleep well, and to remind yourself that problems will arise, but everything is solvable and this is only temporary. 

The more you accept this process is going to have its ups and downs, the sooner it will be over. You’ll then be well-placed to get everybody back up to high levels of productivity again—without getting burnt out in the process. 

Office moves do not have to mean lost productivity. By following the steps above, you can maintain workflow and efficiency, with the whole team hitting the ground running in the new office!