Organising your office move or company relocation
Updated: Apr 27, 2022
Relocating your office typically requires a different set of priorities to those of a domestic removal.
We suggest you start planning for your move around 12 weeks prior to the planned date to prepare your employees for the move.
Businesses need to ensure the minimum disturbance to employees and office equipment during the relocation. If a removal is not well planned, revenue can be rapidly affected and anxiety levels within the business can lead to reduced efficiency. First-rate preparation is vital to diminish this.
Our office move checklist
Create a moving team
If you can, put together a team who can plan and organise the move. Having a checklist is crucial so that nothing is missed. What are the essentials? Internet connection and phone lines, cleaning, security and maintenance services, utility services, and so on.
If you do not have the luxury of assigning a team, this will usually fall on the owners of the company or the office manager. They will need to coordinate everything as well as liaise with your building providers, staff, movers and clients.
Declutter the office
Moving is the perfect opportunity to have a spring clean. Do you really need to take all that clutter with you? Working with a clear desk policy helps. Many odd things seem to accumulate on desks, in cupboards and filing cabinets. For no known reason, we have a two-foot, battery operated James Brown figurine in our storage cupboard. What’s the strangest thing you’ve found while decluttering your office?
Location and new office requirements
Finding the perfect location for a new office is very important. Are you growing or downsizing? Are all your people in the office all day every day? Homeworking is becoming more popular, so could you have shared desk spaces? Flexibility can save money on premises and boost productivity.
Do most of your staff bring their own portable devices to work? How much desk space do you actually need? Do you need a meeting room? Can you store documents electronically and lose all that paperwork? Remember, if you’re disposing of any sensitive data, make sure you do so in an appropriate fashion.
Design your space in advance
Once you’ve chosen your new location, create a detailed floor plan. Design a layout that will meet your needs and check that the Wi-Fi and phone signal is sufficient for your needs. Do you have frequent visitors? What is the public space like? Do you need to create new signage?
New address
To make sure no correspondence is lost, set up a post redirection service in advance. This will make sure any post goes to the correct address for a few months after the move. Inform your bank, tax office, insurance company and tell Companies House of your new address.
You’ll also need to make sure that new letterheads and business cards have been printed and that you’ve updated your website, social media accounts and email signatures.
Step #1 - 4 Weeks Before The Move
Ask C2C Movers or other Moving Teams for an on-site survey for both old and new locations, this way any quotation provided will be as accurate as possible. Think about your preferred date and plan around this date . Most office removal firms will relocate your company on a Saturday or Sunday to minimise disruption of the working day.
Confirm that your relocation firm is confident with managing and moving workstation and electronic equipment. Ask questions and get references so that you are in no doubt in their aptitude for the move.
Visit your new office space and remember to take measurements of large item dimensions to ensure the equipment will fit round corridors and through entrances.
Devise a floor plan for the desks lay-out and equipment.
On your floor plan, remember that the usual large items such as chairs, printers, desk filing cabinets etc, need contiguous space to allow for chairs to move, drawers to open and access to shelves.
Show your floor plan to key employees for their approval and use this as an opportunity to reorganise certain members or groups of staff.
Most essential is to ensure you have an effective internet connection when you arrive, so your employees have the smallest amount of disruption on arrival.
Step #2 - 1 Week Before the Move
When the floor plan has been settled upon, send a copy to all staff so they can visualise their new surroundings prior to the move. Remember to make copies of this floor plan readily available at the new offices on the day of the move.
Give your relocation company plenty of photocopies of the new office layout.
Mark up each piece to be moved with coloured stickers or labels (such as one colour per floor or department) so that the removals staff know where to place them in the new office. Make the colour codes accessible to everyone.
Don’t forget to indicate clearly any furniture or equipment that does NOT need taking to your new offices.
Take time to remind your staff about their responsibilities. Do they need to pack their own files? Oversee the move of their own workstations? Pack up their own drawers?
It is worth employing or using your own IT Team to manage the reconnection of you network as quickly and efficiently as possible. Some commercial movers have their own in house specialist for this.
Step #3 - On The Day Of The Move
Tell your staff what you expect them to do. You may give them a half day holiday so they are not hanging around the office, or you may want them waiting at the new offices.
Remember the Health and Safety of both your employees and the removal company is absolutely essential.
Do not allow your staff to lift heavy items, remember trip hazards, and make certain electrical wiring is organised.
Allow your relocation specialists to do what they are best at; they know how to tape up filing cabinets (which are usually moved full), box-up equipment and to wrap computers safely before packing them into their lorries.
Remember to take extra care with secure or confidential documents. Arrange for any obsolete but sensitive data to be shredded and not simply thrown into a skip. Your removal company may have a specialist contactor who can undertake this.
Ensure your employees have easy access to the new lavatories, kettle and a sink.
Tell your staff exactly what the new car parking arrangements are, and ensure permits are allocated if necessary.
Send out your change of address cards
Step #4 - Celebrate And Take A Moment
Celebrate with your staff, this is a new chapter for you and your business.