Office Move Tips: Communicating Plans with Employees

When you’re relocating your business, your employees often play a crucial role in the success of getting your operation back up and running smoothly. While it might seem easier to keep all the planning and details under wraps until closer to the time of your office move, having informed and involved employees will mean more people helping get the job done.

In most organizations, your office staff and employees are the ones most intimately familiar with the day to day operations and which pieces of technology and equipment are vital to minimizing downtime for your business. Involving your employees in planning, preparations, and post-move setup are a great way to ensure a smooth transition for you, your employees and your customers and clients. Here are a few pieces of advice to consider as you prepare communications for your team regarding your upcoming office move.

MAKE AN OFFICE MOVE PLAN

Be sure to have your moving plan in place so that you can communicate a clear message to your team. A good plan includes outlining some of the timelines, expectations and reasons for relocating.

Changes can bring about lots of questions, so communicating your intentions upfront helps to minimize “rumors” from generating.

BE TRANSPARENT IN COMMUNICATIONS ABOUT YOUR UPCOMING MOVE

Transparency is vital, as we mentioned above, change can be hard. Keeping your employees informed about the process, why you’re making changes, and what the new office means for them and their jobs is essential.

It’s also important to communicate how you’d like them to be involved and what your expectations are as you prepare for moving day as a team.

IDENTIFY A GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS TO ACT AS “POINT PEOPLE” FOR YOUR OFFICE MOVE

As a manager or the leader of your organization, you likely have a variety of other things on your plate, outside of preparing for an office move. Develop a small team of individuals that can serve as the point person and answer questions for different departments as they prepare for your office move.

These people should be familiar with the planning and preparations in progress, as your office move approaches. They can be an excellent resource for your employees and ensure that everyone is on the same page throughout the process.

COMMUNICATE AND REITERATE DETAILS OF YOUR OFFICE MOVE

Communication is key. Communicate with your employees early and often and be sure that you’re communicating your plans and expectations in a variety of places so that all your employees are up-to-date on the upcoming move.

SET EXPECTATIONS FOR MOVING

Setting clear and concise expectations for employee involvement during your office move is essential. If they need to pack their personal belongings or prepare certain areas or pieces of equipment for relocation, make sure they know in enough time to plan and complete these tasks ahead of time. Setting these expectations helps minimize disruptions to your regular operations and streamlines the moving process.

COMMUNICATE CHANGES TO YOUR OFFICE MOVE PLANS

Changes happen, dates get shuffled around, and setbacks can occur, especially if your new space is under construction or renovation before your move. If changes will affect timelines and ultimately impact your personnel and their involvement, be sure to communicate those changes as they are confirmed clearly.

The more you communicate throughout the process to your staff and employees, the better they can prepare ahead of time for a smooth move.

ELLEFSON TRANSPORTATION GROUP IS YOUR TRUSTED, LOCAL OFFICE MOVE PROVIDER

At Ellefson Transportation Group, our goal is to provide office move services that help you eliminate downtime and streamline the process of relocating the items essential to operating your business. For over 50 years, we have been creating customer focused, quality driven solutions for residents and businesses across the CSRA and beyond. If your organization is considering relocating soon, contact one of our office move specialists to learn more about how we can create custom solutions designed to fit the needs of your growing business.