Moving Office is always going to be a major job for any company, but with some planning and attention to details, the process can actually be quiet smooth. Many people will have moved house, and as such will have some experience with the process and the issues involved. These issues are magnified in a commercial situation due to a number of factors, disturbance to the commercial activities, high cost of labour and the fact that the new office has to be set up in such a way that it is ready for work asap. It is important that people tag each piece of their equipment so that it can be moved to its correct spot.
The key to all of this is preparation and attention to detail. One feature which may be useful, is to move all unessential filing cabinets, desks and general office clutter into storage in the period leading up to the move. This has the advantage of having all unnecessary documents, computers and equipment out of the way during the move. Once you have settled in to the new office, it can then be moved in. The following is a short guide to the process and timeline coming up to the move:
Preparing the Move
- Letters need to be sent out to all the companies you deal with notifying them of a change of address
- Organise van rentals from CARHIRE.ie Ireland
- Decisions on how to manage network systems need to be decided. The least downtime the better
- Create a floor plan so everybody knows where they are moving too
- Keep staff well informed off the issues and news of the upcoming move
- Make employees responsible for their own desk area
- Remember that it is not possible to be too organised
One Week Before the Move
- Items that are not currently being used should be packed
- File should be moved to the new location
- Pack as much as you can as soon as you can. You may be able to move a substantial amount of stuff before the move proper takes place
- Use this opportunity to get rid of items and upgrade items
- Shortly before the move itself begins, most stuff should be packed and only thing absolutely necessary kept out
The Move
- Filing cabinets can be moved as they are
- Create a checklist of boxes. Assign each box a number and description. This way you can check boxes in and out of the van
- Move office furniture
- Get the vans moving as soon as possible