The Ultimate Office Relocation Guide

If your business has outgrown its current premises and you need the additional space to work effectively, you may have considered moving office – This can be a great way to achieve a more functional workspace that encourages staff collaboration and communication.

Be aware: Office relocation is a major project that requires careful planning and consideration. You may be interested in our office relocation checklist before working through this guide.

There are many independent factors to consider and several boxes to tick. Don’t worry, like all processes, office relocation can be broken down into a series of small, manageable tasks that will ensure your move goes as smoothly as possible.

So, here’s our Office Relocation Guide to make sure nothing falls through the cracks.

 

Contents

 

Identify Your Project Team

Before planning an office relocation, you should decide which members of your team will be involved in the project and assign clear roles and responsibilities for the office move.

Choosing Your Office Relocation Team - Assembling the right team is vital for any successful office relocation or business move. But who has what it takes to manage the process and what tools should you be looking out for?

 

Engage Your Staff and Key Stakeholders

Ensure any changes directly affecting your staff are discussed with them as soon as possible (Information & Consultation of Employees Regulations, 2004).

And don’t forget to consult with relevant regulators, board members and employee unions on your plan to move offices.

 

Find a Suitable Office Location

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to choosing a suitable office location, so it’s important to establish what your business needs and priorities are.
Some common location priorities are:

  • Good public transportation links
  • Local amenities
  • Parking
  • Access to major roadways
  • Access to airports

You should always analyse your new office location and make sure that you understand its IT capabilities and facilities.

The most important facilities that your office will need are:

  • Wifi
  • Printing
  • 24/7 access
  • Remote access
  • Meeting rooms
  • Breakout space

 

Establish a Relocation Budget

We recommend that your business identifies all of the tasks that need to be completed for your office move, no matter how small they are. This will help you to determine the real financial impact of your relocation.

If you’re working with a reputable supplier they will provide full cost estimates for each project element as well as considering the less obvious moving costs:

  • Building insurance
  • Legal fees
  • Office design and fit out costs
  • Dilapidation costs on your existing property

Why not check out Hubble’s office budget calculator to get an estimate of how much you should be spending on your next office?

Top 5 Tips for Your office Move: Include staff in the decisions, plan way in advance, don't forget to include IT in the plan, announce the move on social media and recycle unused furniture.

 

Address Your Telecommunications Systems

Telecom offerings are constantly evolving so we recommend shopping around for the right phone system and service contract when moving offices.

Key questions to consider:

  • Are you going to embrace new technology and cloud solutions?
  • Have you established your required phone line capacity?
  • Do you plan on switching providers?
  • What are you going to do with your existing phone numbers?

 

Get Organised

Moving offices can be a complicated experience but you can minimise the disruptions to your business by:

  • Creating an inventory of all your assets and resources
  • Carefully labelling all packed boxes

And if you’re choosing to downsize your office to a smaller space, you might also consider:

  • Getting rid of your old, bulky office furniture in preparation for new streamlined pieces.
  • Decluttering that all important stationary cupboard – only keep the items your business actually needs.

 

Office Relocation Tip - Cloud storage will ensure that you can get you business back up and running quickly after the move.

 

Next Steps

Now that you’re aware of relocation issues, complete the steps on our Office Relocation Checklist to move offices without a hiccup.

 

Need a Helping Hand?

From boosting staff morale to reducing operating costs, moving offices can have a hugely positive impact on your business.

So, if you need a refresh to your current working space, get in touch with our team of office relocation experts today.

Our unique design will reflect and express your organisation’s brand and make all the right impressions, where they count the most.

Plus, we’ll handle all of the moving parts and keep things running on track. Not only that but we can help you to expertly design your new office and take care of office dilapidation requirements.