Moving into a new office in Kenya is a process laden with myriad challenges.
You must pack up big, bulky office furniture, equipment and electronics that are hard to carry, and small items from several rooms. Most of the time, there is only a little time to get everything done.
Worst of all, you don’t have the luxury of pausing your business affairs for a week to figure things out.
No matter how big your company is, moving an office is a lot of work, whether you’re moving to a new floor or across the country.
Here is a comprehensive office moving guide to ease this entire process:
Read more: How to Move Office with Minimal Disruption to your Business
3 Months Before Moving Office
Consider the following three months before an office relocation:
Examine the existing lease
If your current office lease has not expired, will you forfeit your security deposit? What repairs must you complete before returning the key to the landlord? Are you liable for property damage, such as damaged lights or paint chips?
Appoint an office moving crew
The first step of an office move is to appoint a Move Marshall. This is a member of your staff who will be the point man for the entire office moving engagement.
Your Move Marshall is responsible for ensuring the company’s concerns are handled well during the move. They’ll often be the main point of with the movers, and will coordinate the entire moving process from start to finish.
Make a plan for decommissioning
Decommissioning involves much more than simply cleaning your old office. Decommissioning is more comparable to restoring it to its pre-occupancy state. It entails the removal of wires and electrical systems, fixtures, signage and branding, furniture, etc. It also entails smaller tasks, such as replacing burned-out light bulbs, to repair property damage.
Decommissioning typically involves servers, IT equipment, backup generators, etc. in a large office move. You should have a plan for the re-commissioning process at the new site.
If you wish to avoid legal issues or the loss of your security deposit, you must comply with the lease’s restrictions. Prepare a decommissioning strategy in advance and confer with your moving team regarding the assignment of related activities.
Set a budget
You may need to change it in the future, but an initial estimate of how much you will need to spend will be beneficial when communicating with moving firms. Determine your non-negotiables and consider where you might save money by making concessions. Consider the purchase procedure as well. Who will purchase all moving-related items, and how will the suppliers be paid?
Inform Staff about the Move and Request Feedback.
Initially, you should send an email and schedule a meeting, either in person or virtually. The email should inform employees of the new office’s location, the date of the move, the main amenities of the new office, the rationale for the relocation, and the critical dates they should keep in mind during the relocation process. After a week or two, have a meeting (in person if possible, otherwise, employees can participate online) to discuss the results and address any questions or concerns that may have arisen.
If the new workplace offers open and private areas, some of your staff members may wish to adjust their workstation setups or preferred working methods. One-on-one conferences may be more appropriate for your small business. If it’s too big to fit everyone in one room, try emailing a poll or setting up some internal meetings. Motivate your staff to think about the move whenever they plan or take on new responsibilities.
Verify that your Office Equipment Fits in the New Space
There’s a chance that the kitchen space in the new breakroom won’t be big enough to accommodate the enormous fridge you had planned to bring with you. Get the dimensions of your largest things and compare them to the measures of your next site to save time, effort, and money transferring stuff that won’t fit. Conference room tables, bulky electrical appliances, and anything else that needs a lot of room fall under this category.
Before committing to the lease, you’ll want to know if your new office has enough space for your current desks, chairs, and computers.
Take stock
It’s essential to keep track of what you’re bringing along and leaving behind now that you know what will and will not fit. Even if money is limited, you may have to leave some items behind since they won’t fit in the new office. Your moving coordinator will better understand your demands and the goods you’ll need to leave behind if you take an exhaustive inventory (and replace them after the move if necessary).
4 Weeks before moving office
Continue to label furniture, equipment, and office supplies
Because it is a process, you will not be finished in a single day. Check up with your moving crew to ensure that the tagging is on track and that your staff has all they need to pack their workstations.
Plan your move with your moving crew
Confirm the relocation date again, and determine if a moving-day itinerary is required to organize moving logistics.
Purchase keys and access cards
Order keys and, if applicable, staff access cards for your new office ahead of time so they are available to distribute before the old office shuts for good.
Data backup
Back up all critical data on your computer, then utilize hard drive mirroring software to create a duplicate of your hard disk. If anything occurs to your PCs while in transportation, you can reproduce your existing hard drive on a new machine. To decrease the weight, scan specific files digitally and destroy the paper copies.
Coordinate the departure and arrival of the moving truck
Secure loading and unloading times with your present and new building managers. If there are loading docks, that’s wonderful, but if parking is restricted or the neighborhood is congested, you may need to arrange it ahead of time. Don’t put it off until the last minute, or it may literally cost you hours during moving day.
Understand the New Building’s Rules
Unless your firm owns the building you are moving out of or into, you will need to get a comprehensive list of all building restrictions governing relocation. You can only move during non-business hours or make a particular request to use the service elevator. Get these regulations from building management as soon as possible since they will govern the logistics of moving day.
1 Week Before Moving Office
Schedule disconnects, transfers, and setups
New office internet, phone, and utilities. You may also need to set up trash, recycling, and security services—plan computer setup with IT internally or with outside vendors. Let providers (landscaping, security, cleaning) know you’ll discontinue or transfer their services.
Address changes
Update your company website, bank accounts, social media accounts, subscriptions, and business listings (Google, Yelp, local directories). Who else should you tell you’re moving? Consider a change-of-address checklist. Most items include residential and commercial relocation.
On Office Moving Day
On the day of the move, the following items need to be completed.
Wait for the Movers at the Origin Office Location
Make sure that you or someone from your office (ideally your Move Marshall) is present to let the movers in and guide them.
Additionally, someone should be there to control the moving process and pave a route for the movers; if this step has not already still needs to include indicating to the movers what should be loaded first and what should be loaded last, pointing out any boxes that may contain delicate things (even if they are labeled), and indicating which pieces of furniture need to be disassembled.
Reserve an elevator for the movers
This one is especially for offices that are located above the ground floor. Having uninterrupted access to at least one lift aids massively in easing the movers’ mobility between the office and the moving truck. to ease our mobility between the office and the truck in the parking.
Carry out one last inspection of the office you are leaving behind
This is for documenting any property damage and determining whether things were left behind. It would be best if you also handed the keys and parking cards at this time unless you and the owner or management of the property have already negotiated other arrangements. You must confirm the end of your lease at the same time you hand in your notice.
Post-Move Day
Here are some things to do when the workplace transfer is finished so that you may start feeling at home there.
Install and check out your gadgets
Start by unpacking the necessities and making sure everything is working correctly. Fix issues when they arise, and your firm won’t suffer.
Verify your updated addresses – twice
Verify that your website, email signature, and any labels, business cards, or other printed materials have your new address and that you informed everyone who needs to know about the relocation.
Gather the Post-Move Team
Discuss with your team who will be responsible for removing tags, unpacking, and stocking the kitchen, restroom(s), and supply cabinets so that you can get back to work as soon as possible and maintain a professional appearance. They need to distribute such responsibilities among the staff members.
Celebrate the New Office
Your workers will experience stress due to the workplace move. They should be given some time off as a reward for their efforts. Plan a little celebration after the relocation to say “thank you” to everyone who helped make it possible and to enjoy your new place. Even if you aren’t settled in yet, you could show your employees your appreciation for their hard work and enthusiasm for the new workplace by throwing a celebration luncheon around the middle of the week after the move.
Office relocation is a significant undertaking, but you probably have definite cause to make the change. Establish your moving crew early to ensure that tasks are remembered, and plan as much as possible to ensure that everything essential is noticed. There will be less anxiety and more ability to stay on track if they know someone is taking care of all the details. Also, be sure that the business moving firm you pick has proper licensing and insurance.
