Don’t go it alone – why you need expert partners for your business relocation

Moving house is regularly cited as one of life’s most stressful events. So, it’s no wonder that for many people, business relocation is just as stressful – perhaps even more so. The mechanics of relocating an entire business are enough to give even the most experienced leaders anxiety.

A 2015 survey by E.ON found that more than three quarters of small and medium sized businesses had delayed moving because of the stress. The same survey found that moving offices was the second most stressful work task, just behind hiring new staff.

It’s a fair assumption that bigger businesses experience similar stresses. True, they may have bigger budgets and in-house teams dedicated to the move. But they also have to manage more employees, more furniture, and bigger spaces.

That’s why businesses of all sizes often work with experts for their business relocation. This can range from a consultant to advise on certain elements of a move, to an entire team that manages every facet.

Key considerations for a business relocation

A business relocation has numerous aspects to consider, including:

• Costs – the new lease, utilities, and the cost of the move itself must all be budgeted for
• Timeline – this needs to be detailed down to the hour to ensure that all parts of the move work seamlessly
• Communication – it is essential to have a strong comms plan that keeps employees in the loop every step of the way
• Furniture – you’ll need to audit every item and decide what to keep, store, refurbish, recycle, or donate
• IT infrastructure – any downtime of IT will impact the bottom line so data and telecom migration should be prioritised
• Personnel relocation – will you ask each employee to move their personal items or include this in the move? If it’s the latter, you’ll need to audit everything and make sure it’s on the correct desk post-move

When you look at a list like this it’s understandable why many businesses may put off a move. And this only scratches the surface.

There’s also the move itself to consider, including packing, transporting, and setting up in the new space, as well as cleaning the old office.

Companies that have fragile equipment, sensitive data or valuable artwork will all require specialist attention.

A business relocation expert can take the weight off internal teams and ensure that the move is a success.

An integrated partnership

Some businesses may not have the budget to hire an expert partner for the entire process. Others may have in-house expertise for certain areas, such as communications or IT.

In these cases, an integrated partnership makes sense, where the business can partner with an expert for the areas where it needs the most support.

It’s common to have the expert project manage the move as this is a daunting task for someone without move experience. Most experts are more than happy to slot in with internal teams.

We have supported clients all of sizes with their business relocation, from project management to handling the entire move process.

Get in touch to discuss how we can support your office move.