Are you still searching what are the best ways of smooth relocation? If yes, check out these top 10 best steps to a smooth move or relocation.
For some people, moving is an exciting time. It’s a new beginning, a sign of growth, a symbol that your company is moving forward.
However, for others, moving can be an experience fraught with anxiety and tension.
New things make us nervous and uneasy, and in a business setting, this can lead to a loss of productivity, or worse, a decrease in engagement and loyalty.
As a result, it’s important to have a plan for how you’re going to make this a smooth move as much as possible. Consider these following ten steps we’ve outlined below, these will help you to make a smooth relocation.
Top 10 Steps to a Smooth Move or Relocation
10. Have a Party!
Lastly, it’s important to kick off your time in the new office the right way. Have a party to celebrate the successful move, and also to create some positive memories on the first day in the new office.
This doesn’t need to be much; a few pizzas for lunch can go a long way. But doing something like this can have a real positive impact on morale.
Follow these ten steps and your move will go so smoothly that your new office will feel like it’s been your home this whole time.
See also– Top 10 Things To Do When You Have Nothing To Do
9. Execute Outside of Working Hours
On a similar note, don’t do the move during a normal business day. Instead, do it over a weekend. Send people home on Friday and tell them to come to the new office on Monday. This makes the transition seem a little less abrupt, which should help to ease the anxiety that comes with it.
Another thing you could do is give everyone the day off and do the move then, but this, of course, would be accompanied with a marginal loss of productivity. Weigh both options to see which will have the most significant impact on you and your team.
8. Hire Professionals
Don’t burden people with the actual move. The idea of lifting heavy furniture and being held liable for any damage they cause will make most people stress.
Instead, tell people they are responsible for their own personal belongings, and then send them home before calling in professionals to move your equipment and furniture over to your new office.
It’s true this may cause you to spend a little extra money, but it’s well worth the expense.
7. Schedule Meetings with Move in Mind
It’s true that life needs to go on even after the move, but you don’t want to overload people with too many things on the same day as the move.
Consider canceling weekly meetings or postponing any other major things on the calendar so that people don’t have to worry about being torn in too many different directions during the move.
6. Notify Clients of Change
Whether you want to do this individually or in a more large-scale way, such as with a newsletter announcement, that’s up to you. However, make sure all of your clients are well aware that you’ve moved and where they should send any correspondence.
5. Make Sure Services Have Been Changed
Schedule your move with your cable, phone, electricity, and other utility. providers well in advance. Technicians may need to come out install new equipment, and this can limit when you can get access.
There’s nothing worse than showing up to the first day at a new office to find out that your internet isn’t connected, and you can’t work, so make sure this doesn’t happen to you.
4. Provide Resources to Help People Adapt
A new office means new parking rules, new commuting options, new nearby lunch spots, new copy rooms, and so on.
Consider putting together some sort of information sheet that gives people what they need to know about their new offices, such as a map of the facility and the departments, and also the surrounding area.
This will save people from having to spend their own time gathering this information, making it easier for them to build a new routine and stay focused on their jobs.
3. Allow for Remote Work
One thing you could do is to expand the number of time people is allowed to work remotely for the duration of the transition.
You may still want people to come in, but the ability to work from home on days where there is lots of chaos could be just what some people need to stay calm and productive during the relocation.
2. Explain the Move
Alongside this, make sure you’ve made it clear why you are going to be relocating. People tend to be more accepting of something they understand.
If the move seems arbitrary or unnecessary, then expect a lot of pushback.
Furthermore, whenever possible, you should try to highlight how the move will make people’s lives easier. For example, maybe it will make it easier for two offices that frequently communicate to work with one another. This efficiency boost will be welcomed by all, so it’s important that people understand it.
1. Set Up Clear Lines of Communication
One of the main reasons people don’t like change is because it represents a moment of intense uncertainty. So, to ease people’s anxiety, you need to be working to resolve some of this uncertainty.
The best way to do this is to make sure there is a clear, open line of communication for people to use should they have questions about the move.
For example, you could delegate someone, or a team, to manage the transition. They would be responsible for coordinating all that needs to happen so that nothing gets forgotten and the move can go as smoothly as possible.
Another option, or something you could do in tandem, is to set up a regular meeting to discuss the move. This will give you the chance to make sure everyone knows what’s expected of them, and it gives your employees the opportunity to ask any questions they might have.
No matter what you do, just don’t leave people in the dark. This is how rumors start, which will quickly turn a good experience turns into a bad one.
