Before moving your office, there are a few things that may be helpful to know.
The first is you will most likely need to prepare
a few months in advance. A successful move needs alot of pre-planning preparation.
Each employee must help assure that productivity and work flow continue at
acceptable levels during relocation. The following information may assist
you in the relocation of your office.
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You will need to decide who your Move Coordinator will be. This person
will need to have the authority to make critical decisions throughout
the relocation process. Typically the Move Coordinator is an executive,
as you will be putting alot of responsibility and authority to assure that
the move will go as scheduled. On larger moves, more than 15 offices, you
may wish to appoint a moving committee. The committee will be responsible
for developing the companies moving policies and requirements. Committee
members should be made up of different levels of the company. This way the
committee members can communicate the necessary information to their peers.
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The best way to avoid confusion and anxiety
is to let each employee know what their role in the move is. You or your Move
Coordinator, will need to schedule a moving date and consult with the new
building management and your office outfitter. They will also need to check
the requirements of the current lease.
Advance planning is key for a successful move. Be sure to include time for
unscheduled events. Specifications that your mover will need are Detailed
accounts of items to be moved, services rendered and by whom.
Move Coordinator or move committee responsibilities may include:
- Issuing a "Request to Bid" to selected carriers.
- Selection of the carrier/mover.
- Coordinate change of address on all forms, stationery,
invoices, deposit tickets and checks, etc.
- Forwarding change of address to financial institutions,
insurance carriers, credit card companies, newspapers, magazine
subscriptions, clubs, etc.
- Provide blueprints or floor plan layout for origin
and destination sites.
- Develop a scaled master plan showing layout and placement,
floor-by-floor, department-by-department. For each floor or department
at the new office. Show the location, size, and assignment of offices
and work areas.
- Notify utility and service companies of connection and
disconnection dates.
NOTE: It is best to schedule disconnection after
mover's loading date and connection prior to mover's delivery date.
- Securing adequate liability coverage for employees and
materials before, during, and after the move.
- Communicating the employees roles during the move.
- Working with designers and decorators to be sure the new
office space is completed prior to moving day.
- Coordinating delivery of new office furniture and/or equipment
on dates acceptable by Move Coordinator and the movers.
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It is very important to let the employees know their role in the relocation process.
Movers will often assist with drafting employee pre-move instructions and procedures.
Pre-move orientation seminars can be very helpful. The Move Coordinator must be an
active player in this process. Employee cooperation is essential in meeting limited
time schedules.
Employee and management anxiety can be minimized by the Move Coordinator by communicating
time schedules and when they are met.
Each employee should be responsible for their own work area. Chairs, desks, office
equipment, etc. must be tagged for identification. Your mover should be able to provide
boxes and tags for marking and identification purposes.
Here are some more helpful suggestions...
- Employees should discard unneeded items. This will help reduce
the moving costs.
- Provide each employee with color coded labels and tags for
packing their possessions. Affix labels to the side of a box to assure that
it does not get covered.
- Department Move Coordinators are responsible for seeing that
ALL items are moved and tagged. Any item not labeled will not be moved.
- Desks and credenzas to be moved should be emptied prior to
loading time. Desks, cabinets, and credenzas should be locked, if
possible, to avoid any unnecessary damage.
- Atlas recommends that file cabinets and contents be left intact
when the cabinet is to be moved.
If cabinets are fastened together to form
a bank, remove the bolts. Internal drawer plates should be tightened to hold
contents in place.
- Traditionally, movers contract to move only company property.
Movers are not liable for loss of personal property.
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There is no cure for poor pre-move planning. It becomes the role of the professional moving
consultant to offer their experience in planning your move. We have done this many times
before, let us offer our advise and help you avoid the pitfalls and perils of office relocation.
- From the initial walk through(s) at both the old and new locations,
sites, manpower, services, materials and office furniture traffic plans are developed.
- Time schedules for pick-up and delivery are coordinated and loading
schedules are planned.
- Move supervisors and moving committee members should meet to develop
pre-move policy plans and to outline employee responsibilities.
- Office floor and department plans are developed with Move Coordinator
and color codes are assigned, with code numbers on the plan indicating individual
workstations for employees. Colors and codes match equipment and furniture
according to where the pieces belong in the office as shown in the Move Coordinators
master plan.
- Strategically place the floor plan in the new office. Place directions
signs to indicate location of department. Pressure-sensitive color-coded stickers
should be displayed near office entryways. Your mover will advise you where to
position the stickers on each piece of equipment.
- Consult the contractors/decorators of new building to coordinate
move-in plans.
- On-site moving supervisors are assigned to oversee operations at
both locations to direct flow of furniture and equipment to its proper location.
- Building owners/managers, at both locations, are consulted weeks
in advance to secure exclusive use of elevators, hallways, entrances, and loading
docks or parking spaces.
- Elevator capacities and clearances of doorways and stairways
are investigated and protective shielding put in place by the mover.
- Permits, when necessary, are obtained from police/safety board
to block streets during specific hours of move.
- Contingency plans are needed in case of elevator breakdown, electrical
failure, truck/mechanical breakdown, etc.
- Special handling of bulky/heavy items (e.g. safes, fireproof files,
conference tables, etc.), should be moved before the main moving day to avoid
congestion and slowdowns.
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Cooperation between movers, employees, and management is essential in a successful move.
Employee production is maintained with minimal disruption. With pre-move planning
communication, a qualified mover and staff assistance and support, your office move becomes
a study of efficiency and management.
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