How To Be Fully Prepared for an Office Move
Wondering how to be fully prepared for an office move? With the right amount of preparation and resources, Rework can help simplify your office relocation. Here’s how to use our services to ensure you’re ready—and how they can make the process quick, simple, and frustration-free.
Develop a Timeline and Checklist
The first crucial step of a successful office move is a detailed, step-by-step checklist and timeframe. Determine the date or dates you'd prefer to move. The day or week you choose will affect the rest of your timeline. Set up the remainder of your dates accordingly. Work out a timeframe with your professional movers and any other companies or individuals crucial to the move, such as electricians and interior designers.
Rework’s decommissioning team will work with you to set up a detailed plan for this process and assist you in meeting your goals. We’ll take full inventory of your current furniture items so that you always know what you’re working with.
Next, form your step-by-step checklist. What's most important, and by what date do you need to complete each step? Is there a budget set aside for completing each of these items?
You’ll need to do several things before the move—among them, finding the time to pack up all your office supplies and bulky furniture. Check off each step as you go, and be sure to stay within your desired timeline.
Notify Customers and Suppliers
Whether you’re relocating into a larger space to accommodate company growth or seeking out a better fit for your current office needs, you’ll need to inform your contacts of the new location.
Update your business address with clients, company social media accounts, financial institutions, and anywhere your business is listed online. Take marketing collateral into account as well. Ensure client brochures, email marketing campaigns and other marketing materials include your updated office location.
Informing your clients can be done via a simple, automated voicemail or email that alerts them to your change in location. Notify your suppliers and discontinue any services at your former office—such as water, electric, or general supply deliveries.
Notify Employees
Notifying your customers is of indisputable importance, but so is notifying your employees. This is an exciting time for your team and keeping them in the loop is sure to make them feel the same. It could even be fun to get everyone involved with the process by setting up a social media campaign or an official countdown until your moving date. These efforts will make the moving process one that gets everyone involved.
You should also make sure your employees have enough time to prepare their personal belongings. This way, they won’t lose or leave behind anything of importance during the move.
Arrange for Phone and Internet Installation
Transferring any utilities, such as electricity and Internet access, is a critical step of the moving process. Contact your current providers to inform them of your relocation, and plan a date to have any necessary equipment, wires, or routers set up.
Water and heat are important, too. If a building manager doesn’t handle these utilities, don’t forget to take care of them yourself.
Solidify Your Moving Arrangements
The next step involves solidifying your plans. Lock dates firmly in place—for instance, the electricians will come on Wednesday, and the movers will come the very next Monday. After that, what about a cleanup crew?
Skim over your previous lease to ensure you’ve met all terms of an equitable termination. On that note, check your new lease to make sure it's gone into effect. Confirm that there aren't any obstructions that could prevent your move: a lack of permits for building alterations, troubles with your lease, potential bad weather, and more. Rework can assist you with all these tasks by setting up a clear schedule to remove your existing furniture. With an emphasis on landfill diversion, our decommissioning team will work with you in every step of the process and take the time necessary to ensure you’re adhering to your previous lease standards. Whether you’re looking to transition your existing furnishings or liquidate your office furniture, we’re here to help.
Organize and Pack
Another way to be fully prepared for an office move is to pack efficiently.
Start well in advance. Sort your items into categories and place them into labeled boxes. Are there any items you’d rather not bring along? If so, donate or recycle them. Rework deeply values the environment and will ensure the proper disposal or refurbishment of former furniture. These acts aren’t just beneficial to the environment; they benefit you, too. You can write off some donations on your company’s taxes.
As you're packing things away, create an inventory list to ensure that you don’t lose anything of crucial importance. Cross items off the list as you unpack them. If anything is missing, investigate.
While not necessary, an inventory can save you quite a bit of trouble and heartache. It lets you know exactly what you’ve brought along and alerts you to misplaced, lost, or stolen items.
Prepare the New Space for Your Employees
Before you move in, you'll want to make sure that everything is functional. Are all the electrical outlets where they need to be? Is there an adequate phone and Internet signal?
If your employees walk into a half-functional office, you’ll lose the entire first day of business to troubleshooting. Make sure they'll have full access to any necessary equipment, like computers and phones, and other essentials, like working bathrooms, an office break room, and proper lighting.
Smaller projects, such as arranging personal items and decorating, can take place after the move, but larger ones should be completed well before move-in day. Rework's installation services can help you install your furniture and incorporate it seamlessly into your office space.
If you haven't already done so, purchase new keys and access cards. Hand these out to employees prior to move-in day, or be ready to distribute them on the day that everyone files back in.
Once everything is up and functional, you're done! All that's left is to finish the finer details and get everyone acclimated to the brand-new working environment.
Searching for furniture for your new office? Rework Office Furniture is the best place to find task chairs, workstations, ergonomics, and used conference chairs for sale. We also offer design, installation, and decommission services that will help your move go smoothly. Come and look through our wide selection of new and pre-owned furniture, or contact us about our services today!
