Office moves are incredibly stressful times for a business. They involve a lot of time, planning, money, logistics, and people. Most of all, they represent some of the biggest changes many of your employees will experience during their tenure with your business. Get these three things right, and your office move will run a lot smoother.

Buy-In

When moving into a new space, it is a good idea to get buy-in from as much of the team as possible. Whether big or small, the company should communicate with your team well in advance of the move so that they are prepared to adjust their working environments and their commute. Ask for the opinions and ideas of everyone from the receptionist to the CEO because each will have a different perspective on what is working in the current office and what would improve their ability to do their job. If possible, take more than just the senior team to visit the new space. This will help build a sense of community and buy-in for the move. If building a new office from the ground up, make sure to keep everyone up to date on the construction progress so that by the time the big day arrives, everyone is excited about the move.

Infrastructure

Finding appropriate office space is difficult due to the combination of low liquidity with the high cost of rent. This is particularly true for start-up businesses, which often begin as ideas and early versions in the homes of entrepreneurs. As business scales up owners struggle to find affordable space in reasonable locations that will comfortably house both product and personnel. Most end up renting less than ideal locations, for the sake of getting started. Often these sites are cramped for space, making product storage a concern, but this can be easily outsourced for less than the cost of increasing your rental space. More and more companies are turning to remote working structures that allow their workforce to work at home, thereby negating an initial need for office space. As the business grows, prudent owners keep their eyes on the market for better spaces that can bring the whole team together.

Manpower

Whether you run a small start-up or a large corporation, it is important to thoughtfully consider how the move will happen. This is why getting buy-in is so important. If you plan to ask your employees to be a part of the office move in any way – from packing up only their own personal items and files to actually lifting heavy furniture – you’ll need their support for the move. Office moves usually happen in stages, which theoretically allows for minimal disruption to the business. This is a difficult process to manage, but experienced office moving companies can help you plan the move so that it impacts the business as little as possible. Regardless of who will be involved in the actual move, make sure everyone is prepared and physically fit enough to help.

While office moves can be exciting times that signal a business’ success, they are nevertheless stressful times – for the people and the bottom line alike. Make sure you plan, communicate with your team and seek professional help when necessary.