5 Challenges of Relocating Employees During a Commercial Move

As a business owner, you have a lot to think about when your company has to move offices. You can’t just pick up employees and put them down in a new location, which is why a commercial move can be especially complex. Here are five challenges you can expect to face when relocating employees:

1. Relocation Costs

If an employee has to move cities, they may incur many expenses, including those incurred while selling and buying a home, moving furniture and belongings, and staying in a temporary residence.

To make the move easier on their employees, most companies will work something out to help employees cover expenses, whether through a relocation package or negotiations. But this means an added expense for the business. In fact, in a 2015 survey, Cartus reported that 78% of employers thought cost control was their biggest challenge when it comes to employee relocation.

2. Adjustment Time

No matter if your new office is near or far from the old one, there’s going to be an adjustment period for employees who have relocated. Of course, everyone knows lost time means lost profits, and no company wants that. That’s why adjustment time is one of the biggest challenges facing employers who are relocating offices.

Making sure that office furniture and equipment moving happens in an organized and efficient manner is an excellent first step in helping your employees feel comfortable in their new location and decreasing lost working time.

3. Equipment/Technology Concerns

Commercial moving often involves moving technology and equipment. Employees can be very particular about how the equipment they work with is handled, especially when it’s fragile, expensive, or complex. When they find out they are going to have to relocate, many employees will be concerned it will be damaged during the move.

It’s important to reassure your employees that moving office equipment will be done safely by a professional office moving company.

4. Compliance Issues

Sometimes, your employees just don’t want to move. They might have a spouse or family who doesn’t want to or can’t move. It may be because they’re attached to their city or neighborhood, or they don’t want to leave friends and connections behind. Sometimes legal issues may stop an employee from being able to relocate. For example, a divorced parent may be under restrictions about where they can move children.

You may have to offer incentives, such as paying for your employee to move or offering them a raise, in order to get them to come around to the idea of relocating.

5. Communication

Your employees are invested in their work, and they don’t want to be kept in the dark when it comes to an office move. Tell your employees about the move as soon as possible, and keep them up to date on it. Some employees will want to be part of the process. Assuring them that everything is going smoothly and that the moving company is keeping their things organized and safe will help them be comfortable with the moving process.