7 Office Shifting Tips For A Seamless Shifting Journey

There are many reasons for you to shift your office. It can be business expansion, new staff members, market demand and others. Most companies avoid moving and opt to stay in cramped spaces. Agreed office shifting is a stressful task that requires skilled and effective handling. But shifting is the right decision to grow your business, which needs more space, people and facilities.

This transition time is the most risky, as there are high chances of customer complaints and sales drop. Also, there’s a fear of getting office items damaged during transit such as hard drives, laptops, files, data servers etc.

The co-ordination between your staff and IT department is daunting. Making a detailed checklist for your office move is really important. It helps reduce stress and makes sure everything goes smoothly when you’re changing locations. Below we have shared 7 office moving tips and a detailed timeline journey to make your shifting easier.

A] Office Relocation Tips To Make Your Move Better

1. Don’t Delay. Plan Your Move Early

Office relocation needs advanced planning and preparation. While planning, decide on the moving date, the time frame for the relocation process and a schedule. Additionally, having a specific budget can come in handy when hiring packers and movers.

Also, make sure to check all your office stuff carefully before moving. This helps avoid problems like lost or broken items and keeps things moving smoothly.

2. Communicate With Your Employees

Communicating with your employees is one of the crucial tips you need to consider. A general agreement should be distributed amongst the employees stating the objective behind the relocation. Be sure to keep your staff up-to-date with office move-packing instructions and time schedules.

Encourage feedback and address any concerns promptly. This inclusive approach fosters a sense of unity and cooperation among the team, facilitating a smoother transition.

3. Decluttering Is A Must.

Remove everything that is not needed in the new place. Shred unnecessary paper and dispose of old furniture and appliances. You can also sell or donate things that won’t be needed anymore or opt for storage services.

4. Ensure Separate Packaging

It is advisable to pack items of each department separately for easy road transportation and unpacking process. You can assign a number to each department, making it clear the content inside the boxes. However, hiring professional packers and makers can make things easy for you. They’ll ensure everything is done systematically without any confusion.

5. Secure Packaging For Your Personal Belongings

Ensure you pack your personal belongings like plants, pictures, possessions, documents, stationary in your respective boxes. You can also ask for special boxes or containers from the hired packers and movers services company if required.

6. Consolidate Confidential Files And Documents.

There are confidential documents and files if misplaced, may create chaos. Ensure securing them before the move. You can also ask the packers to make special arrangements to consolidate files and documents that require security.

7. Hiring A Professional Packing And Moving Company

Hiring a packing and moving company is essential to facilitate smooth office shifting. These companies have the knowledge, expertise, and resources needed to make the entire process seamless. They will further provide packing and unpacking services to ensure your business items are transferred safely.

Moreover, packers and movers can also identify your business requirements and help draft a suitable moving plan. Choose a company that is well-established, experienced, certified, and insured for your office relocation.

No doubt, relocation is difficult. And, therefore it is recommended to contact professional packers and movers company to assist you in the process. Right here is a detailed step-by-step guide to help you in getting prepared for the moving day.

B] Step-By-Step Timeline To Stay Organized

1. Assess The Current Lease Agreement

Before moving, it’s essential to review your current lease thoroughly. Consider whether your lease is still active and if there are any potential penalties for ending it early. Assess if you might lose your deposit and what repairs or maintenance tasks need addressing before returning the keys to the landlord.

2. Delegate Tasks

Would you like to oversee all aspects of the move or just specific ones? Should you lead, or delegate to a team member? Allocate responsibilities to your moving team, ensuring clear roles in planning, packing, unpacking, organising, and decorating.

3. Develop A Decommissioning Strategy

Cleaning up your old office isn’t all. It’s about making it like it was before you moved in. That means taking out fixtures, signs, and furniture, and fixing any damage, like broken lights. Plan early and share tasks with your moving team.

4. Create A To-Do-List

Creating a to-do list for moving offices is essential. It helps keep tasks organized. It ensures nothing is overlooked. It allows for efficient delegation of responsibilities among team members. Ultimately, it contributes to a smoother and more successful relocation process.

5. Inform About The Shifting To Employees 

Plan to send an email to all employees and then follow up for feedback asking for any changes in workspace needs. Ask about recommendations specifically about any adjustments needed for workspace or work style preferences, especially about the new office layout. If your company is small, opt for personalized one-on-one meetings. For larger organizations, consider using surveys or arranging departmental meetings if a full-company meeting isn’t possible.

3-4 Months Before Your Move

Here are the steps to take three to four months before moving your office.

1. Fix Your Moving Date

Before shifting your office to a new location, you’ll need to decide on a moving and packers company and compare prices. Once you’ve made your choice, book your slot to make sure the company can help you on the day you need.

2. Convey The Moving Dates To Employees

Inform your employees directly about the scheduled moving date. Clearly outline the tasks they need to accomplish, such as packing their workspaces, and completing work before the wifi, laptops and other gadgets get disconnected. Ask if anyone needs a helping hand to lift the boxes due to health issues and give the required assistance.

3. Convey About The Moving To External People

When it comes to moving offices, don’t forget to inform those outside the company. Reach out to vendors, clients, and service providers to share our new address and any updated contact details. This ensures a smooth transition for everyone involved in our business dealings.

2 Months Before Your Move

1. Design A Floor Plan

Create a floor plan by deciding the placement of office furniture, office decor, equipment, and employee workspaces. Identify common areas as well. If feasible, locate ethernet connections and power sockets for efficient tech setup. This ensures an organized and functional office layout.

2. Managing Service Transitions

Make sure everything runs smoothly by setting up the internet, phones, and utilities at the new office. Also, arrange for garbage collection, recycling, and security services. Work with IT to install computers. Tell current vendors if their services will change.

3. New Furniture & Equipment 

If there’s any need to purchase new furniture or equipment for the office, it’s best to begin the buying process early. This allows ample time for shipping and assembly, which can sometimes take longer than expected. Additionally, consider arranging assistance for furniture setup, and remember that decorating the office space also requires sufficient time allocation.

4. Arrange For Address Change Updates

Start updating your address on documents early. Order new business cards, letterhead, envelopes, and return labels as soon as you have your new address. It’s crucial to have all updated documents ready before the move to avoid any inconvenience in your new location.

1 Month Before Your Move

1. Check Final Arrangements

Make sure to finalize your plans with the moving team. Double-check the move date and consider whether a moving-day itinerary is necessary to coordinate logistics effectively. Choosing a logistic services will help ensure a smooth transition and minimize any potential disruptions during the move to the new office location.

2. Check Employee Access Cards And Office Keys

Order keys and, if necessary, employee access cards for your new office well in advance. This ensures they’re available for distribution before the old office shuts down permanently, streamlining the transition process and ensuring smooth access for everyone involved in the move.

3. Have A Back Up Of Data

Make a copy of all the important data on a hard drive. This precautionary step guarantees that in case of any mishap during the transit of computers, you can easily put that copy onto a new computer if needed. Additionally, consider scanning certain files to digitize them, and then securely shred the physical paper copies. This process helps reduce the overall load and ensures the safety of your valuable information.

4. Co-Ordinate With Building Staff

When moving, inquire if there are some specific times when you can load and unload the things. Because if you move during working hours, there are chances that other individuals in the building may face troubles and raise a complaint. Also check about the parking, if it’s limited you might be required to do some planning.  

1 Week Before You Move

1. Update Your Office Address

Check if the office address is updated on required documents, social media accounts, website, financial accounts, business listings etc. Make sure that you’ve updated your clients, and vendors with the new office address. 

2. Review The Moving Day Schedule

Make sure everything is going as we planned. Figure out which boxes need to be moved first. Keep the fragile stuff in separate boxes and the office furniture in another. Choose someone to be in charge while the movers are here, making sure they’re doing everything right. And after they’re done, lock up the office. Don’t forget to check that we haven’t left anything behind.

3. Give A Reminder To Employees

In addition to laptops, monitors, and IT equipment, request employees to thoroughly clear their desks and cubicles and securely pack all personal belongings. This ensures a smooth and organized transition during the relocation process.

4. Managing Tech

Disconnecting and reconnecting the tech is one of the biggest complications. This is a task that can’t be outsourced, so your internal team must start working on it soon to avoid delaying the day-to-day tasks of employees.

The Day Before You Move

1. Verify If Everything Has Been Packed

By now, majorly most of the equipment must be packed and ready for relocation. The items which are yet left to be packed, ensure its packed by tomorrow. Do a walk-through to verify the same. 

2. Collect Employee Access Cards

Ensure that you collect the company’s keys, and the parking and access cards to return it back to the landlord.

The Moving Day

1. Meet Movers At Old Office

It’s important to have someone from your office available when the movers come and go. They can also help make sure there’s a clear path for the movers. They’ll need to tell the movers which items to load first and last, point out any fragile boxes, and identify furniture that needs to be taken apart. For fragile items, you can also opt for fine art moving services to ensure their safe transportation.

Further Read: Tips For Packing Fragile Items

2. Final Check Of Empty Office

The team must check for any items left behind and note any damage to the property. They should return all keys and parking passes unless they’ve made different plans with the property owner or manager. It’s also important for them to confirm that the lease has ended.

After You Move

1. Test And Unpack Your Technology

Make it a priority to unpack the essentials and test your phone, computers, servers, printers, and any other devices you rely on. By troubleshooting any issues promptly, you’ll ensure smooth operations and minimize any potential disruptions to your work.

2. Verify Your Change-Of-Address Updates

Make sure everyone who should know about your move has been told, and update your online profiles to show your new address. Don’t forget to update any business materials like stationery, business cards, and labels.

No doubt, relocation is difficult. And, therefore it is recommended to contact professional packers and movers to assist you in the process. Right here are some of the tips to help you in getting prepared for the moving day.

Conclusion

Moving sounds hectic. But with professional help and following the above-mentioned tips you will be able to transition smoothly into your new workplace.

If you’re looking for packers and movers from Mumbai to Chennai, Bangalore, Noida, Hyderabad, Pune, get in touch with us. With Mega Pack and Carry, experience a smooth and seamless shifting journey.