Office Move Checklist to Ease Your Relocation

You've finally decided to relocate to the office and there's an air of excitement swirling around the office. You can't wait to get going, but before the big day rolls around, you're going to want everything in order as you relocate to your office.

Moving to a new office can be both exciting and intimidating at the same time. After all, you don’t only need to find the right space for your business but also you need to ensure that it is properly set up and managed once you arrive. Taking the proper steps to plan and execute an efficient move will save you both time and money in the long run.

To make sure that everything runs smoothly, we have compiled this comprehensive office move checklist designed specifically to ease employers' relocation efforts! Whether you’re just starting out or expanding into bigger premises, this guide provides step-by-step guidance on every aspect of planning for a successful office move.

First things first

Before your office move begins, you first need to find the ideal office for you to move into. There are a few things to consider before choosing your business’ new home as they can have a big impact on your business moving forward:

Location

This is the first step on this checklist, and it's an important one. Set yourself some time to consider different locations, be it nearby the current location or further. Relocating to an office that is further away can have big impacts for some team members in terms of commuting and this is all worth keeping in mind when doing your research. 

As well as this, consider what type of area you would be asking your employees to relocate to. Finding a new space helps employees to thrive and productivity to skyrocket, and details such as what the physical space looks like and what surrounds it such as local gyms or green areas. These can be positive factors in boosting your employees’ wellbeing and performance. 

Growth

The relocation of your office must consider the growth of your business, looking at the long-term needs rather than just the short-term. Accounting for growth means accounting for new hires in the future, so moving into a space big enough or that you can expand into as you hire new employees and teams grow is important. 

Flexibility

On the other hand, since the Covid-19 pandemic many employers have seen the benefits of hybrid working. You may prefer to look for a new office space that is more flexible and suitable for a hybrid workforce, allowing you to use it in the way that best suits your business. 

The layout

Defining exactly what you want the business's space to look like going forward is one of the more enjoyable aspects of relocation, and again it can do wonders for productivity and motivation. It's an opportunity to really define your style and brand, and your new space should reflect your ethos and the company’s personality from the colours on the wall, the size of meeting rooms, and much more. 

Secondly, the redesign of your office can help to create a space that is better suited to the needs of your employees. For example, an office can create collaborative spaces through its layout which can help to foster better relationships between employees and help the business thrive. This is still the early stages, and ideas may change and develop over time when it comes to looking at different spaces but it’s nice to have a vision that will help to define your company’s brand. 

If you're in need of some inspiration, here are 5 decor ideas for your new office that can help inspire your employees. 

One year before office relocation

Review your current office's lease

Take some time to review the lease of your current office as an office move can be expensive and you do not want to be met with any unexpected fees. For example, if you are leaving your current office for a new location before the end of your contract you may have to lose your deposit or pay a fee.

Your lease may also hold you accountable for any damages or breakages to the workplace, and this can also include any damages that occur during the move itself. This can begin anywhere from 6 months to a year in advance, and it can really help to ease the relocation to your new office. 

Create a budget

Creating a budget can help you to ensure you do not overspend and provide a strict outline for the moving process. For example, planning what new office equipment is needed can help to prevent overspending, ensuring you know exactly what and how much is needed.

This can also highlight potential necessities that were not initially thought of such as a storage unit if there is a gap between the move-out and move-in day. When creating a budget, add up all of the estimated costs from movers, IT specialists and even the new mugs for the office – yes, it all counts! This number may change as you get quotes, but it’s important to have a rough idea so you know where to start.

Six months before office relocation

Communicate the office relocation internally

Once the office move is officially in the diary, it's time to notify the rest of your employees. This is where you want to let them know the move date, the reasons for the move, and what the new office is going to bring that the current one doesn't. This is your opportunity to get the team excited about the move, as well as getting their feedback about what they want from the new office. As a result, you can ensure that the new workspace is perfect for your team.

Communicate the office relocation externally

Once you've communicated your move to your employees, the next step on the checklist is to notify all partners, suppliers and clients of your office move. It's important to consider how your new location may impact local partners, for example. 

Assemble a team of employees 

Moving offices is a mighty task and outlining a clear team of employees who are going to be involved in the process can help to make it easier. Breakup the responsibilities and delegate them to different employees to help ease the transition.

As well as this, it is wise to have selected one employee to be the main person involved in the move to keep track of all the key bits of information such as key dates, information of your new office. This helps everyone to know who to go to if they need anything rather than splitting this up between different sets of people.

Three months before office relocation

Organise professional movers

Employees may be able to help some of the way, but don't try and do it all yourselves. Office relocation is a hefty task, and so it's important to use professional movers to help get all of your essentials moved over to the new office swiftly and safely. 

Top tip: using the British Association of Removers is a good way to find a reputable and trusted company to help you move offices. 

Organise your new and existing office furniture and office equipment

This most likely began a long time ago when the vision for the new office was being worked out. However, three months before you relocate is a good time to start thinking about what furniture you're going to want to move to office spaces, what you're going to want to get rid of, and what new furniture you need. 

Conduct an audit of your office furniture and office equipment and make an inventory list. Doing this at the same time as organising a mover will help you to also identify any heavy or important pieces of furniture that require special care.

It's also likely you are going to want new office furniture to spruce up your new office space and help make it feel different, so now’s the time to place those orders so they’re ready for the big day.

Inform the landlord 

You can do this as soon as your office move is confirmed as earlier is better and it's polite, though 3 months is plenty of time. You want to give your landlord enough time to get things in order and be able to find a new tenant for their office space. 

Invite the movers to have a look at your office

Having the movers come in and take a look at your current office and all of the pieces of furniture that need to be relocated. This is an opportunity to make note of any special pieces of furniture or office equipment that needs to be transported especially carefully. 

Two month before office relocation

Design the floor plan

After ordering and sorting all of the furniture such as chairs, desks and sofas, you can start thinking about the floor plan of the office. While some workspaces such as serviced offices may already already have a great layout, others like managed offices require more input from the new tenant. Spend some time drafting different floor plans to see what works best. 

Organise installation of internet and phones

Everything does perfectly, until you realise that your employees can't actually do any of their work because the internet isn't up and running yet. Book an installation date well in advance of your move date. This should be a top priority a couple of months prior to your relocation to ensure that everything is ready to go when it comes to the first day in the new workplace. 

Note: this is only necessary for traditional office leases. If you move to a serviced office, coworking space, or managed office, the provider will handle all of this for you. Your phones and high speed Wi-Fi will be ready to go from the moment you move in! 

Arrange external storage facilities if needed

It may be the case that storage facilities are needed temporarily to house certain items before they can be moved into the new space. 

Create a master list of necessary items that need to be collected

Making a master list in advance of all your employee's passes, parking permits, access cards and other important items can help you to keep track of whose you've collected and whose you haven't. 

One month before office relocation

Organise an office welcoming party

It's a nice idea to set up an office-warming party to celebrate the special occasion that moving to a new premise is. If you are moving to a coworking space, this is an opportunity to meet the other people who work in the office and network with like-minded people.

Order packing supplies 

Order a range of different packing materials to fit all the big and small packing needs. 

Send out email about packing up

Around a month before the move, send out an email to all employees telling them when to have their desks packed up. 

Change-of-address list

Send out an email to all clients and affiliates of the address of your new office space. They must know the location of your new office a little in advance in case there are business requirements. However, you don't want to send it out too far in advance as the email may get lost or even forgotten about as they continue to send stuff to your current office. 

One week before office relocation

Send out reminder email 

Send out an email just gently reminding all employees to begin packing their desk up and the date of the office move. 

Carry out a detailed check of the current office

Perform a detailed check of the old office before everything is moved out in case there are any damages or issues that need to be reported to the landlord

Out with the old and in with the new

Remember that list we made months back of all the passes, keys and other miscellaneous things that needed to be collected? It’s time to make sure everything is handed back in and returned to the appropriate person. 

Once this is done, hand out any access cards, parking permits and so on to the new office. 

Colour-code labels

Using colour-coded labels is an excellent way to organise your office move to help ensure that everything is organised properly so that people do not have to go searching through boxes once for things once they've arrived in the office.

The big day

And breathe! You’ve finally moved in, and it’s time to congratulate yourself, the team and celebrate your new space. Now all that’s left to do is update the company website with all the location and contact details of your new office, set up the computers and you’re ready to start the next chapter of your business’s journey. 

An office relocation can be a daunting and stressful task. By breaking down the various aspects of an office move into months, you can easily plan and budget for a successful relocation. Using this checklist can help to ease the transition and make it as smooth and pain-free as possible. From purging old files to ordering new furniture, this list will ensure that you don't forget any important details in the midst of all the excitement. Planning ahead is key to a stress-free office move - so make sure to keep this checklist handy! 

Alternatively, consider moving to a flexible office space which is managed by a provider, such as a serviced office, semi-serviced office, managed office, or coworking space. This is the easiest and most hassle-free way to move offices and ensure that the business is up and running in your new location as quickly as possible. Want to find more about these flexible workspaces? Get in touch today or use our office search tool to find the perfect new workspace for you.