5 Things to Know Before an Office Relocation

5 Things to Know Before an Office Relocation – Planning an office or business move can be a big undertaking but it also depends on how large the business is. With many of us working from home, a migration might not be as complicated as it once was with not everyone coming into the office every day. Still, it depends on how extensive the business is and how much you need. A lot of things might pop up along the way that you’ve never considered so let’s start with five important things to consider before office relocation.

5 Things to Know Before an Office Relocation

Location.

Obviously, location is probably one of the number one things to consider when dealing with an office relocation. Are you looking for better office space, closer to certain services, closer to your clients or customers, more economical for your bottom line or other priorities? Location can really matter so it’s important to discuss why the business needs to move and the benefits that could come of it.

Budget.

There are several things to consider in moving in office when it comes to the budget. What costs will be involved with leaving the current premises? Will there be services and utilities that need to be canceled and reset up? Will there need to be any tenant improvements to the current facilities or the ones you’re moving into? Will you have all the necessary specialized equipment that the business needs? Will the access be appropriate for your business? What about project managers, movers, and any labor involved in the actual move?

Communication.

As you plan the move you’ll need to think about who needs to be notified. How will you tell those that need to be notified and what is the protocol? Will you tell your customers and clients something different than vendors? Will there even be a need to tell customers or clients? How smooth can the transaction actually be? All change can be a challenge and staff and employees alike can go through some growing pains during the transition. How will it impact employees, vendors, one-time employees and clients? And then you need to determine how you will communicate after your office relocation.

Designing the new office space.

Make notes and talk about priorities and what employees will actually need to be able to do their work effectively. What kind of workplace culture do you want to foster? What type of furniture will you need, sell, or need to buy and move? How much work is involved in actually setting up the new office with Wi-Fi, Internet, utilities, CAT5 cable or fiber optics?

Make a plan.

Anything that starts out without a plan is sure to fail. Make sure you have a written plan as to how the process will go before jumping into the move. Make sure everyone is involved and knows their job along the way. Get quotes, put together a planning team, delegate who will do what during the move and immediately after, and review any and all documents.

Steps involved in an office or business move:

Speak to a tenant representative that understands your business and the goals you’re trying to achieve.
Review available leases, subleases, and spaces that may work for your business.
Review all documents and lease agreements so that they fit not only into your budget but timeline as well.
Put together a planning team who can delegate tasks and be responsible for the process.
Put together any insurance and budget that you might need.
Make a detailed floor plan of the new space by measuring and planning out how things will be laid out.
Make sure everyone is aware of the move and utilities and vendors are set up to be up and running by the time you move in.
Create an inventory of all items and furniture that will be moved into the new office space.
Make arrangements for any new materials, items, products, and inventory that will need to be up and running by the time you move in.
Assign a member of each team to oversee their department depending on how large the business is. Everyone should have their own management system and delegate out from there.
Make sure that everyone has keys and access to the building or security information if available.
Make sure that all areas are clearly defined and that staff knows where to go and when to set up.

Finally, give yourself some time. This is nothing that should be done over a weekend. If you’ve planned and prepared well enough things might go smoothly but, always leave room for mistakes, timing issues, and a little more space in the budget as well. While we want these moves to go as smoothly as possible, leaving room for the expectation that you might get a hiccup here or there, can allow for a less stressful move.

For expert tenant representation in White Plains New York and surrounding communities such as Tarrytown, Yonkers, new Rochelle, Port Chester and Greenwich, contact our office at any time.