Like moving to a new house, moving your business can be extremely stressful but long-term planning and careful timing will take a lot of the stress out of the whole venture.
There are many reasons to change where you do business from. Whatever your reasons, however, there are a multitude of things that need to be considered, from self-storage to IT, and it can be a stressful task.
Fitting out the new premises
It’s usual to take on the new premises before you’ve vacated the old ones as you generally have to allow time for fit out.
Decide if you are intending to move your furniture. Some office complexes provide furniture as part of the package or it may work out more cost-effective to purchase new furniture to suit the new layout. Moving premises can be a great time to reorganise the office layout to make it more efficient.
If you don’t need your existing furniture you will need to arrange for it to be collected on the right day. If that’s not possible you may need to get it moved into a cheap storage unit for a few days.
IT
Unless you are moving into fully serviced offices you will need to make arrangements to ensure the smooth continuity of your IT systems. Your IT staff will need access to the new premises to set up the network and get Wi-Fi turned on. Some services – such as VOIP internet phones – may need you to notify the providers that you will be connecting from a new location or the connection could be blocked by their firewall.
Risk Assessment
A new place of business requires a new set of risk assessments. Some of these will need to be completed before you can open the doors to the staff. At the very least you will need to scan for obvious hazards such as uneven floors and to ensure that the first aiders know where the first aid kit is (it’s a good idea to ensure at least one of them has a portable first aid kit on hand throughout the move).
While you’re looking for Health and Safety issues you should also consider the security implications of the new premises. Check that you know how to use the alarm system (and arrange for one to be fitted if needed!) Also consider whether it’s possible for strangers to get to areas they aren’t permitted and ensure that the appropriate locks are installed and that, if necessary, security cameras are set up to monitor entrances and exits. You may want to change all external locks to ensure no one has a copy of the keys who shouldn’t.
Budget Accordingly
Take time to plan any time your business will be forced to close to coincide with a quiet period. Give employees plenty of notice if they will be unable to work and above all check your bank balance. Moving costs can quickly rack up so it’s important to ensure your business has enough spare capital to cover all the costs plus the cost of any downtime the move entails. You don’t want the last thing your business does to be moving to better offices!
