Got a corporate relocation in your future? When you’re moving offices, it’s a great opportunity for a fresh start. You’ll be able to set up your new place according to today’s processes and needs rather than those of whenever your current location was put together. Your staff are probably itching to get over and get started!
But minimizing downtime is a big concern in successful corporate relocations. Obviously, your staff can’t be running at normal efficiency during the move itself, and every moment the new location isn’t ready to allow them to do that is productivity and profit lost. Let’s talk about how you can reduce the impact to your business.
The Simple Option for Smaller Office Moves
The obvious option when your office is still on the smaller side is to just move on the weekend. If your staff are only in the office 9-5, Monday to Friday, then getting the move done over the weekend will have minimal impact. They leave at 5, Friday, and by the time they’re in at 9 on Monday, everything’s set up and ready to go.
It’s great if you can do that. But when you’ve simply got more stuff or have a good amount of de-assembling and reassembling to do, or have complicated equipment that requires reconfiguration, a weekend may not be enough.
What to Do with Your Employees During a Corporate Relocation
One of the main sources of lost productivity during an office move is what your staff are up to. As you prepare, ask yourself if there are alternate arrangements that you could make to lessen that impact.
Can Your Staff Work from Home?
Easier said than done for some companies. If employees need specialized equipment to do their jobs, there may be no substitute for your actual workplace. However, if your staff work off of laptops and complete their tasks digitally, simply have them work from home for the transition period. You’ll often find you’re able to do so over short periods with no significant impact on productivity.
Can You Move in Phases?
Do you have a lot of stuff to move and set up? You may be able to do it piece by piece. Move one department over all at once, get them up and running, then do the next. Your early movers will be able to settle in and get to work while they wait for the rest to make it over. While inter-departmental work might see a little disruption, the work within the departments can remain on-track.
Take A Proper Inventory and Do Box Coding
More logistically speaking, a big key in reducing your downtime is to know what you’re moving and where it all is. Nothing will throw a wrench in your operations like knowing there’s a crucial tool somewhere but not being able to find it — or worse, opening up that last box and realizing it got completely lost.
You can head off these issues by taking an inventory of everything you’re moving and packing your office equipment and supplies with a robust box coding system. When you know what you’ve got and where it needs to go, you reduce the chance that something simply gets forgotten or misplaced. Everything is accounted for. And when you’re getting going in your new space, you know right where to find it.
Working with a Commercial Moving Partner?
Corporate relocations of all sizes run a whole lot smoother when a commercial moving partner is involved. For many businesses, it’s going to be practically impossible without the help.
Need a hand getting moved? Reach out to Two Small Men. We’ve got the trucks, we’ve got the expertise, and we’ve got the experience. Start by sending us a little information here, and we’ll figure out how to get you the most affordable, reliable move in no time.