The right office space is an important consideration for any business and can be a major factor in its success. A positive work environment ensures employees are motivated and productive. In recent years, companies have transformed their workplace to increase efficiency, become more eco-friendly, and provide employees with better and more flexible work spaces. An office relocation can, therefore, provide the opportunity to realise new working strategies that promote business productivity. Before relocating your office, it is recommended that you take time to consider the reason for moving and the results you aim to achieve, which can ensure your office relocation is a productive business move. This article highlights some key tips for office relocation in the current climate, with a focus on the effects of COVID-19 on business operations, such as office downsizing, and recommendations for how to adapt to new office measures.
Pandemic and Office Downsizing
The coronavirus pandemic has directly and indirectly impacted the majority of businesses, which has led to economic downturns. A major consequence for businesses has been looking for ways to cut on their operating costs, mainly through office downsizing.
Following the virus outbreak, surveys conducted in the UK indicated that 37% of business owners planned to move to smaller and cheaper working spaces due to low productivity and an option for employees to work remotely. 58% admit to adopting working from home while 45% of business owners opted not to have their staff work at the office concurrently. Results from an online survey done in the US showed that 47% of companies would conduct redundancies in March and the three months that followed. In March when the outbreak was at its peak, 11% had conducted permanent redundancies and 7% of these were temporary.
Tips for Moving To a New Office Space
Moving to a new office is a complicated process that requires a lot of work, no matter the size of your company. Companies decide to relocate following lease expiration, a growing workforce, business restructuring and needing to downsize. There are several tips used to offer guidance on how to move to a new office more efficiently. Below, we discuss how these tips can be implemented while following the measures put in place to curb the spread of Covid-19.
Plan Early
It takes six months to plan a business relocation and up to 2 years to plan a large commercial relocation. Plan your move as early as possible and follow the steps below.
- Acknowledge the reasons for your office relocation and how you will benefit from the move.
- Inform your employees about the move and give them an opportunity to make suggestions about the kind of office space that would suit their needs.
- Appoint an office move team to facilitate the process.
- Generate a timeframe that will allow for effective office relocation.
- Begin searching for a new office location based on your business needs. Ensure the office meets the guidelines put in place to guarantee employees of their safety in their post Covid-19 working space.
- Have a budget plan that will facilitate your move without any setbacks.
Hire a Moving Company
Hiring a reputable moving company that will do the packing, loading, unloading and unpacking in an efficient manner can take a lot of the stress and hassle out of office relocation.
Ensure that your employees and the moving personnel prioritize their health. They should follow the guidelines put in place to stop the spread of Covid-19. Make sure they sanitize, wear their gloves and masks properly, maintain social distance and self -isolate immediately they develop Covid-19 related symptoms.
Data Protection
Work with the I.T team to ensure that they back up the data, check the hardware, test if the backup methods work and pack carefully. These are essential steps to protect data when moving. The risk of losing confidential company information is high when moving to a new workplace. Therefore, this should be one of the top-most priorities, otherwise it could lead to massive losses for the company.
Address Change
You should notify your clients about your office relocation. Keep in mind to change the address on your business cards and company websites. It is important to keep your clients updated to avoid inconveniences which could possibly lead to loss of clients.
About the author:
Patryk Panczuk runs a removals and storage company called Removals & Storage Experts based in London. He is passionate about helping people make a new house a home and to do away with the stress of moving.
Photo credits: Unplash