We are currently in the process of moving office buildings, thankfully just across the street; however, I have to manage all the details for our teams so they can have uninterrupted work time.
Have you dealt with an office move and what little things could I be forgetting to plan or worry about?
I bet that’s quite an undertaking especially this time of year! Looping in @hilary.couraud who I believe recently experienced an office move and @sam.miniato who did a move last year, as they may be able to share some pointers or lessons learned. I also want to point out some helpful articles on how to communicate the new location to TriNet - How to add a work location and how to change your HQ address
We had an office wide meeting where everyone gave their input on what small things needed to be updated or changed or improved on during the move. For example, one employee knew that our address needed to be changed on a website for a vendor I wasn’t aware of so i’m glad we had that meeting. Having everyone give their expertise and input really helped since each company is unique. I was mostly focused on the address updates so our vendors and customers had that information as well as the standard local tax laws, but since your moving across the street your very much likely in the same local tax jurisdiction.
We moved about a block last year and I coordinated the entire move, so I completely understand where you are. Things I hadn’t thought of but wish I had -> not every office space in the new location was compatible with our current furnishings/decor. Unless it comes furnished or you are getting new furnishings, measure each space carefully and move furniture accordingly. It would also be super helpful to take your team members over ahead of the move and let them get an idea of the space that they’ll be occupying. When we moved (despite the fact that I was the coordinator), I didn’t have an idea of my workspace layout, so there was a lot of adjustment of what to do with my personal items and reference materials.
Finally, I know you know this but plan every possible needed item for a successful day to already be in place before the staff reports to the new facility. We had everything in place like internet, but I didn’t think to start new water cooler service (we were an expansion) until the week before and they weren’t able to deliver until we’d already been in the space for several days. Likewise if you’re getting a new fridge, make sure it’s in place long enough to be cold for when lunches go in it on day 1. If you’re moving the current fridge, make sure your people take their stuff home/clean it out before the move.
A cold fridge! Now that is a small detail that makes a big difference!