New Year, New Start? Moving Office Checklist
- Carl Brown
Plan your entire office move from start to finish with this definitive Moving Office Checklist. It guides you through each step of the planning process and is loaded with top tips for a successful relocation – from the planning and preparation, right through to the actual move-in day and beyond. Get things right from the start. There is a right way of planning an office move and this checklist will show you how.
Reasons for Moving Office
It is important that you always have the key strategic & operational reasons for moving office at the forefront of your mind throughout the office relocation process.
- Lease (lease expiry / break option)
- Expansion /contraction /merger/acquisition
- Change of business location
- Business requirement to reduce overheads
- Desire to be nearer to your customers
- Change in working practices / increase in productivity
Exit Strategy
It is vital that you EXIT your current property in accordance with the terms of your lease. Failure to do so correctly might result in punitive financial penalties.
- When does your current lease expire?
- Is there a “break clause”?
- What notice period do you have to give?
- How do you need to serve notice?
Key Dates
There will be certain key dates that will drive your office move. Make sure you know them and stay on top of them.
- End date of current lease
- Date by which termination needs to be given
- Target date to be in new office
These are the big decisions that must be agreed from the outset and before the commencement of any office move planning. They can then be given to the Project Leader to start the detailed planning.
- Has Senior Management approved the move?
- What are you doing: moving to bigger, smaller, cheaper, better offices?
- Where do you want to move to?
- By when do you need to be in your new offices?
- Are there any special requirements/circumstances that are going to drive your move?
- How much is the budget for the entire office move?
- Who, internally, is responsible for the move?
Tip: It is essential that you have buy-in from Senior Management about the decision to move office. This will help avoid conflict further down the line.
Once it is agreed that the office move is happening you should appoint an internal Project
Leader to oversee moving office and to work closely with removal and fit out contractors
Prepare a Moving Office Timetable
You will need a detailed timetable to help ensure that: nothing gets forgotten; all of the component parts of your move dovetail appropriately; and that the moving office process stays on the right track from a timing perspective.
Your timeline considerations should include:
- When you want to move
- Co-ordination between current and new office lease
- Discussions with office relocation service providers to help fulfil your objectives
- Lead times and completion dates for all elements of the project
- When you should start the planning of the move
- When you must be operational in the new office
- Review of timescales with all office relocation service providers
- Revise timetable as required to ensure project is delivered on time
Tip:: There’s a lot to do and you are recommended to start planning your office move project as early as possible to give yourself the most amount of time to achieve the best possible outcome.
Preparing a Moving Office Budget
Even though you will have an estimated budget for the move, you will need to produce a detailed Moving Office Budget for approval by your Senior Management.
You will need to consider:
- Office Rent, Business Rates, Service Charges, Maintenance & Insurance
- Rental Deposit on new property
- Advisory fees for Office Relocation Service Providers
- Office Design, Space Planning & Fit-Out of new office
- Furniture & other office equipment
- IT & Telecom systems (migration and upgrades)
- Any repairs/dilapidations on existing office
- HR costs – recruitment, redundancy, relocation
- Updating stationery, business cards, website& marketing collateral
Tip: Best practice dictates that you get 3 quotes from all Office Relocation Service Providers. This will enable you to negotiate the most appropriate fee structure that meets your budget & enables you to get best value for money.
Create an Office Relocation Team
It is a good idea to create an Office Relocation Team under a Project Leader.
Points to consider:
- Appoint an overall Office Relocation Project Leader
- Include a representative from each major department
- Hold regular planning meetings with your Project Team
- Set up review meetings with your external Office Relocation Service Providers.
- Involve your staff and keep them regularly informed on the progress
Tip: Choosing a Project Leader: ensure they have enough time to devote to the project, are good organisers of people & processes and senior enough to make decisions.
For the best outcome it is recommended that you combine your understanding of your own company priorities with the expert advice and market knowledge of office move professionals.
Selection of New Office Space
The correct selection of your new office will have a positive impact on your business so the key to this is to choose a good Property Agent to help you find the right space & obtain the best lease terms.
You will need to brief them on:
- Size of office required
- Length and type of lease required
- Your preferred location
- Type of building sought
- Your total budget for office space
- Type of facilities required
- Timescale of office move
New Office Floor Plan – Space Planning
Working with the right Office Fit-Out Company will ensure that the design of your new office has a positive impact on your company’s productivity, culture & profitability.
Considerations should include:
- The space available against your requirement for offices & open plan space
- Size & location of reception, board & meeting rooms, kitchen & rest rooms
- Location of staff workstations
- Location for common IT equipment (printers, photocopiers, faxes, scanners etc)
- Extent of Fit-Out required – walls, partitioning, storage, trunking, lighting
- Refurbishment required – painting, flooring, blinds, lighting & ventilation
- Strategically place workers in close proximity to other individuals/teams who frequently collaborate on projects
- Be sure to plan for adequate storage and equipment areas to avoid clutter & safety hazards
Tip: Think flexibility! Make sure you incorporate enough flexibility in your new office floor plan to accommodate future contraction / retraction or consolidation.
Office Furniture
Your choice and style of office furniture will make an important contribution to the working environment for both your staff and visitors. It should give the right impression to clients and staff, be comfortable, practical, and in keeping with the overall office design.
Considerations should include:
- Decide on your office furniture requirements
- Will you utilise existing furniture or do you require new?
- If new furniture is required, should you buy or lease?
- Arrange to meet with Office Furniture companies and discuss requirements
- Discuss ergonomic needs with HR and your staff
- Consider how you can (profitably) dispose of any unwanted furniture
- Schedule date for delivery of new furniture (and assembly / installation)
Tip: Try to use “modular furniture” as this will allow for different configurations and provide flexibility for growth/contraction. It also offers many space saving solutions.
Moving Office: IT & Telecoms Considerations
Getting the IT & Telecoms part of an office move right can be the most challenging part of any office relocation – which is why it merits specialist attention.
- Audit your current IT and Telecoms equipment/systems
- Inventory all your ICT equipment (PC’s, printers, servers, faxes, copiers, printers, phones etc)
- Decide on appropriate network cabling configuration
- Identify where power cables are required
- Decide on best location for workstations
- Create a configuration plan for all systems at new office
- Will you be taking your old phone system or is it time to upgrade to better/cheaper solution?
- Are you wanting to take your current phone numbers with you?
- Meet with Business Telecoms specialists to discuss your requirements
- Create a Disaster Recovery Plan and/or Business Continuity Plan
- Discuss all of the above with your internal IT team and/or your IT Relocation Company
- Agree: overall requirement, hardware, software, licenses, networks, cabling, power cables, installation & testing.
- Remember that you will have to fulfil the continuity needs of your staff & customers and maintain connectivity throughout the office move process.
Tip: Discuss your requirements and plan with a specialist IT Relocation Company.
Working with an IT Relocation Company ensures your ICT infrastructure is transferred, assembled and fully functional in the new office without any disruption to business operations.
Communications & Notification Plan
It will be important to keep a whole host of external people informed when moving office – what’s going on and what the time scale.
- Use the Change of Address Checklist to notify customers of your change of address & outline the positive reasons for the move
- Consider personally telephoning your key clients and letting them know it will be “business as usual”
- Letters to the bank, insurance companies, government agencies, companies house etc
- Notify all office suppliers& service providers
- Arrange for mail to be re-directed to new address
- Make moving office the centre of a marketing &PR campaign (create a splash in local press!)
- Promote the move positively to everyone (staff & clients)
- Inform all utility companies at least 2-3 weeks in advance of your move date
Tip: Don’t forget your staff. Change can be unsettling for some people so note the positive role that HR can play in an office move.
The Big Move (Office Removals)
You should always use a professional Office Removals. They will help you relocate your business quickly & efficiently and make sure you are ready to go on that first morning in your new office.
Getting accurate Office Removals Quotes will involve meeting & briefing them at your office (with possibly a visit to the new office)so you can explain your office relocation objectives in detail and allow them to provide you with a comprehensive office removals quote.
- Get removals quotes (3) from professional Office Removals Companies in your area
- Ensure that you discuss the removals requirement for any technical equipment (including phone systems) as this may need special attention
- IT & Telecoms Company, as these items are valuable and merit specialist attention
- Make copies of the new floor plan available for the Office Removals Company
- Have labels for all furniture &equipment to match the new floor plan
- Make an occupation plan for the new office (who goes where & who gets what)
- All office moves create junk/waste so consider what items aren’t coming with you and how you can dispose of them properly.
- Consider your off-site storage and archiving requirements
- Agree how to work the overlap of the two offices
- Prepare a rota for who will be where & when (ensure everyone has a copy with mobile numbers)
- Contact your Local Council to make temporary parking arrangements and keep entrances clear during move
- Clean up “old” office; make good any damages before handing over property to landlord on exit
Tip: Always hire an Office Removals Company who is reliable, professional and who specialises in office relocations.
The Big Moving Office Checklist
These are things to think about when you get to your new office in order to facilitate the smooth transfer from one office to another & get business back up and running.
- You will need a Test Plan to check all equipment (phones, computers, networks, printers etc)
- Check for condition of new offices on arrival (take photographs to validate move-in condition)
- Have a representative from each department on location during the move to ensure everything finds its right home as it gets delivered
- Set up a “lost & found” area at both sites
- Keep a supply of refreshments available on both sites
- Distribute access cards and keys to all staff
- Ensure that the Office Relocation Project Leader signs off on each part of the move
Tip: Security & safety should be prioritised so insist everyone is aware of alarm procedures and is vigilant to any suspicious activity.
Post The Office Move
Once the move has happened there are still some key items that need taking care of to ensure that (i) you get what you’ve paid for and (ii) everything is working as it should be.
- Conduct a thorough site inspection of the new office
- Troubleshoot any issues that may arise and get your IT Relocation Company to rectify them
- Identify any building defects and follow these up with your Office Fit-Out Company
- Reconcile and settle all utility bills from old office (identify &resolve any discrepancies)
- Hold an internal and external launch party to showcase your new offices to clients and boost staff moral
- Implement training on new IT and/or phone systems
- Ensure staff have all the equipment and resources to carry out their tasks efficiently.
Tip: Hold an internal meeting with Team Leaders to check-in with how staff are acclimatising to their new workplace and review positive (or negative) feedback.
Focus on Reducing Your Office Costs
Just because you’ve moved office doesn’t mean you can stop! There are still some important tasks to tick-off to ensure you operate at maximum efficiency in your new office.
The final part to a successful office relocation is to now run the most efficient and cost-effective office possible. Savvy companies recognise the fact that their office relocation can provide them with the opportunity of driving down their office occupancy costs by reviewing all areas of costs.
An office move is the perfect time to consider new solutions and review and/or switch office suppliers to make sure you get the best cost package & service to suits your new requirements.
The most common areas where quick and simple savings can be made are to:
- renegotiate business rates
- switch business utility providers
Tip: Use your office move as a trigger for renewing and/or switching service and supplier contracts on favourable terms.
Whatever the size of your business, an office relocation is a major undertaking – and a collaborative team effort is needed for a smooth and successful office move. Assembling an Office Relocation Project Team is critical – and will need to comprise both internal and external stakeholders
Remember …
An office move is a team effort, and working together will help achieve the successful and smooth outcome that your business expects. Working with the right external professional team is THE SINGLE most important MUST DO for an office move..
We hope that you would consider using Select Interiors as your partnering company for your design & fit out
Subscribe to our Newsletter
