An office move involves more than furniture and boxes. If the computers are off and nobody answers the phone, your business comes to a standstill. With good planning, you can move in a way that staff and customers notice as little as possible.
Make one person responsible
Appoint one point of contact within the company to coordinate the move. That person keeps track of the planning, is the contact for the removal company, the landlord and the IT provider, and makes decisions if something changes. In a larger company, a small moving team with someone from each department can help.
Start with a plan working back from the moving date
Fix the date and work backwards. For a small office a few weeks of preparation is often enough, for larger premises think in months rather than weeks. At the very least, think about:
- the notice period and handover requirements for the old premises;
- when the new premises will be available and whether any building work is still going on there;
- the lead time for internet and phone lines at the new address;
- new furniture that needs to be delivered in time.
IT and internet first
The internet connection is often the part with the longest lead time. Order it for the new address as early as possible, and make sure it works before moving day arrives. Have your network, wifi and printers set up and tested in advance.
Make an overview of all equipment: computers, screens, servers, printers and phones. Let your IT provider decide what they will disconnect and reconnect themselves, and what the removal company may transport. Make sure there is a recent backup of all data before anything is disconnected.
Move outside working hours
Most businesses move on a Friday afternoon, at the weekend or in the evening. That way everyone can still work on Friday and everyone is sitting at a set-up desk on Monday. If that is not possible, move in phases: department by department, so part of the business is always reachable.
Working from home can help too. Let staff work from home on their laptops on moving day, so the office is empty for the movers.
A floor plan for the new office
Make a floor plan of the new office with a number or colour for each room and each workstation. Give each employee their own number, and have everyone stick it on their boxes, chair and equipment. The movers then put everything straight in the right place, and nobody has to go looking on Monday.
Let staff do their own packing
Have everyone pack their own workstation: personal belongings, desk drawers and the documents they use every day. Give a clear deadline and enough boxes. Archives and shared cupboards can be packed by the removal company. Also use the move to clear out: old archives that no longer need to be kept go to a confidential shredding service instead of coming along.
Inform customers and suppliers
Let customers and suppliers know in good time that you are moving and from when the new address applies. Update your address on the website, in your email signature, on invoices, in your Google Business Profile and with the Kamer van Koophandel (KVK, the Dutch Chamber of Commerce). Don't forget your bank, insurer and post delivery either. If you will be less reachable for a day, it is better to call your customers than to let them find out for themselves.
The first working day
Make sure someone from IT is there on the first day in the new office to sort out problems straight away. Walk through the building with the moving team beforehand: does access work, are there keys or passes for everyone, is the coffee ready? A calm first morning largely determines how staff experience the move.
Short checklist
- Fix the point of contact and the planning.
- Order internet and phone lines in good time.
- Make a backup and divide the IT tasks.
- Floor plan with numbering for every workstation.
- Inform customers, suppliers and the KVK.
Moving your business and would like someone to look over the planning with you? Request the free moving check.
