There will come a time in most businesses when it becomes inevitable that you’ll need to relocate your office. This could be for a number of reasons like you might need to move into larger offices after a recent expansion (one would hope!)?
Or it could be a case of having to relocate the business so that it’s more centrally located in terms of employees, suppliers, and target customers. Whatever the reason, when the time comes, you’ll need to make sure that the transition itself is a smooth process for all involved.
For the sake of your sanity and that of your employers, it would wise to at least think about the following three main topics when you relocate your office.
3 Things To Think About When
You Relocate Your Office
Office Design
If you’re moving into an office space with a layout that previously belonged to another business in your industry, you likely won’t have to do much by way of design.
Similarly, the office space where a company in a different industry used to be is now your new space. You may have some specific adjustments to make but probably nothing too drastic.
But if you’re designing a brand new office space in a brand new building… you’ll have a lot of work to do before you can even consider when to move.
A well-designed office makes for happy employees! Everything makes a difference, from the color of the decor to the flooring (sheet vinyl is a good option), so make sure you pay close attention to detail.
You will more than likely hire an experienced design team to handle all the blueprints, hire contractors, etc. But you may want to try your hand at designing the furniture along with the design team, assuming you enjoy that sort of thing (I do!).
The office’s layout should be created with ‘enhancing productivity and accountability’ at the forefront. For example, the layout design should include all the assigned offices, their proximity to the conference room, supply room, bathrooms, break room, etc.
Location
Another reason you could be moving would be due to the location. Perhaps this is something that you have already considered because of complaints from the majority of your staff.
Maybe the offices are too far across town from where most everyone lives? So you need to find somewhere that is centrally located for at least the main staff.
Also, if most of your team have children, then they likely send their kids to whatever schools are local to the office and not their home.
This is because when you spend all day at an office, you likely drop your kids at school before your workday begins and pick them up on your way home. If this is the case, you might look into purchasing an old warehouse on the outskirts of town because it’s cheaper as it’s further away from the city.
But, will your team’s kids suffer at poor schools in the neighborhood surrounding your run-down but cheap building? Or will their schools be so far from the office, that your staff arrives late and constantly asks to leave early, to pick up their kids on time?
Timing
The last thing you want is to put your business in any kind of danger because you accidentally chose to move your office at the wrong time. Yes, you actually need to make sure that the timing of your office is right.
The best way to do that is to check your work calendar for any big industry events. Either you or your team may need to attend one of these events, then your move doesn’t happen. Similarly, make sure it is not a particularly busy time for your business.
You probably shouldn’t schedule any big sales or product launches around the time you’re relocating the office. It is possible that this once “simple” move could end up disrupting your company’s bottom line. Oh, and a lot of your customers may be upset about it too!
Edited by Jessica Rose Adams
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