If you’re a business owner, one of the most stressful things that you can do is move office. To the extent that 78% of small-to-medium business owners actually put this off and stay put in premises that are old, too small, too expensive, too not-set-up-for changes-to-the-business or a million other things besides.
In fact, moving office was second only to hiring new staff in a survey asking business owners what the most stressful aspect of owning a business was. Not to mention the fact that it’s expensive – the average additional cost of moving (taking into account moving costs, utilities and disruption to the business) is £40k over 5 years
But it doesn’t have to be this way. With a lot of planning, plenty of communication … it is perfectly possible for an office move to happen with minimal disruption to staff, clients and business in general. It might even save you money too – and we’re not just talking about cheaper rent! An office move can be a great time to review outgoings and suppliers and see where savings could be made.
At Whitefields Document Storage, we’re well accustomed to helping businesses move, so we put together a handy guide to making your office move as painless as possible. Read on for more…
Get the Timing Right
It goes without saying that moving your business is something you need to think long and hard about. You need to get the timing right – moving during your peak sales period might not be the best idea, for example!
If your current lease is coming to an end, it could be a great time to look elsewhere, and indeed this is probably the best time. Trying to get out of a lease early could cause you more problems than it solves, so unless things are really unmanageable, it’s worth staying put.
Think about what your plans for the business are. Where do you see it in 5 years? If there’s big growth in your future, then it’s best to move ahead of time so that you’ve got the capacity when the time comes. Whether this is warehouse space, office space or space for showcasing products, you want to make sure that you’ve got a workplace that works for you, and for your employees too!
Appoint a Project Manager or Team
It’s worth appointing someone to oversee the move and make sure that communication plans and deadlines are adhered to. If you’re the one doing this, appoint someone to assist you. As the owner, you’ll have plenty on your plate and it’s always worth having backup. If numbers allow, put together a moving team who will be responsible for this.
Make Sure You Choose the Right Location
It’s trickier than you think to get the balance right when it comes to location. You might be looking to save money with cheaper rent, but if it’s too far from your clients or too tricky to get to for your staff, you’re going to lose out. Likewise, a more central location is going to cost you more. You also need to consider local amenities: where are your employees going to park? Are there shops nearby? Is there green space for them to unwind in? Is the area well-lit at night?
You also need to think about the office space itself, and what your employees want from this. In a survey by People Matters, 40% of employees wanted more informal breakout spaces in their offices, while 45% wanted more views of green space.
Communicate and Manage Expectations
Throughout the entire process, you need to communicate. Communicate with your staff, your clients and customers and your suppliers. Put together a plan for who needs to know what, and when they need to know it, and make sure your project manager or team sticks to this.
Before the move, order any new stationery and make sure your employees know what they need to do and when, and, more importantly, what their new environment will look like and how they’ll sit within it. Send clients and suppliers emails letting them know a move is upcoming.
After the move, if possible, leave a note at the entrance to your old premises letting any visitors know your new location, and make sure you update your contact details on your website, social media profiles, Google My Business profile and email signatures. You should also update your details on any local citation sites (e.g. Yell, Hotfrog, Scoot etc) and local directories.
You’ll also need to make sure you inform HMRC, Companies House and your bank. Plus, any entities that take automatic payments from your accounts – once you’ve changed the address on your accounts, you may find that payments fail if these aren’t updated.
Lastly, make sure you redirect your mail to the new address. Arrange in advance to have this done from the day of your move.
Here’s a helpful list of things you need to update.
Review Your Outgoings and Equipment
As we mentioned above, whilst an office move might be costly in the short term, what with moving costs, the cost of switching suppliers and disruption to the business, in the longer term, it could actually help save you money. If you’re lucky enough to have found a building with cheaper rent, that’s an obvious saving, but less obvious are potential savings on electricity, internet, parking costs, water rates and a whole host of other outgoings.
Review your suppliers, and get quotes from others. Can you get a better deal if you switch? If so, that’s another saving. Likewise, are there any outgoings that you could do without? A move is a fantastic time to potentially cut some costs.
In addition to your outgoings, look at your equipment. Is any of it outdated or just not needed? Time to get rid! Think about the space you’re going to have in your new premises. Will what you have fit? Do you need to order more desks/chairs/storage? If so, do this well ahead of time.
An office move is undoubtedly stressful – there’s no getting around it (much like a house move!). But with these tips, you should be able to minimise stress to everyone concerned, and keep your business running smoothly.
