Moving Office doesn't have to be daunting

A critical aspect of any project is good communication and this is never more true than for an office relocation which is why Communicaiton is number 8 of my Golden Rules of Moving Office.

#8 - COMMUNICATION

Internally, change can be unsettling for staff and this can certainly be the case with an office move. At the same time as the office move process is going on, your company has to continue to run its business and focus on its existing workload and commitments. No wonder moving is ranked as one of life’s most stressful events!

However, moving office is a great opportunity to affect positive change management, improvement in business performance and increased morale and momentum - providing good communication is maintained throughout the whole office move project.

Externally, there are many  moving parts in an office move and you need to ensure that everyone involved in the project is regularly updated – especially if there are any changes!

Whether your office lease is about to expire, you have an option to break in your existing lease or you want to take advantage of favourable market conditions to move to new offices before office rents rise - my advice is that before you do anything you need to fully understand and evaluate your options and seek legal advice.

#7 – DON’T SIGN ANY LEASE DOCUMENTS WITHOUT GETTING LEGAL ADVICE

One of the most common pitfalls when moving offices is businesses having a misplaced belief that they can save money by not engaging the services of external professional help. This is a false economy and, as a result, many office moves end up being a time-consuming and stressful job fraught with difficulty and expensive mistakes that could have been avoided.

#6 - ENGAGE THE RIGHT OFFICE MOVE PROFESSIONALS

As we enter a new year with the economy showing tentative signs of recovery, we continue to focus on the careful management of our budgets. When it comes to managing your office move, creating a realistic budget is critical and as such it is number 5 of my Golden Rules of Moving Office.

5. CREATE A REALISTIC BUDGET

Creating a realistic office move budget is a critical planning tool that will help you assess your costs and manage them throughout the process.

I believe that one of the key pitfalls when moving office is businesses not starting the process early enough. Although this may seem very obvious, it is surprising how many businesses can be unprepared for their office relocation. Starting early is #4 of my Golden Rules and is critical for a successful office move. 

#4 - START EARLY