Reduce Stress During Your Office Move

Moving is never fun, but try moving and working at the same time and you'll go crazy. Relocating an entire office without completely shutting down is a challenge. You might be able to close for a day or two, but it will take longer than that to get up and running in your new space. Find ways to reduce stress during the move so that you'll be ready to get back to your clients right away.

Start planning early.

Choose a time of year when business is slower and less projects will be affected by the move. Give yourself and your employees at least three months to prepare for the move. Put together a clear plan of what needs to be moved and what can be thrown away or donated. Plan for the secure removal of electronics so that no information is stolen. Keep your employees in the loop every step of the way so they can plan their workdays accordingly and ensure a smooth transition to the new space.

Delete old data and toss old electronics.

There's no need to keep the old laptops and hard drives from 2009 that no one has touched in years. Check to see what's on them before recycling. Wipe all of the data that's no longer important, after of course you save all those funny pictures your forgot about. After the computers are completely erased, dispose of them through local electronic recycling and donation programs.

Move less important items first.

Leave the bare minimum in the office for day-to-day operation, like desks, computers and important files. Wait to move these until the final moving day. Move the extra furniture, the break room amenities, the old documents, and the office decor first. Label all boxes and bins carefully to ensure easy unpacking.  Getting all of this set up while the old office is still open will reduce the amount of time employees need to settle in to the new space.

Plan your coverage during the move.

If your employees are helping with the move, make sure to notify clients that there will be some down time and it may take longer to get back to them. Designate someone to be the contact person for clients and customers on moving day. Pick someone else to be the employee contact for any questions or concerns they may have about the move. Internal and external communication will keep your business running smoothly, even if it's "closed" for a little while.

Don't forget to move digitally too!

Notify all vendors and clients about your change of address. Make sure you update your address and location information on your company website and change your NAP information on Google. Google pulls information from all over the web, so update your information on other directories and search engines including Yelp and Yellow Pages as well. You can edit Google Maps directly with your new address. Once your edit is approved, the changes will show up in the search. Forgetting to update your digital information can mess with your SEO and send clients to the wrong location.