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7 Ways to Keep Employees Productive While Relocating Your Office

January 10, 2025 | Commercial Moves

Relocating offers many advantages to companies, but the time and disruption involved can cut into your employees’ productivity. How do leaders maintain employee engagement and productivity while planning the logistics of a move?

As your national moving experts, we have seven key tips for planning and executing a move that minimizes workforce disruptions.

1. Assemble a Moving Team

People at desks.

Moving your office involves details and logistics that require advance planning. The best way to manage these details is to ask top-performing employees to join a moving team. With the senior member of your company overseeing the moving logistics, the rest of your workforce can remain engaged in their responsibilities.

Details the moving team should address include:

  • The moving date
  • Moving company selection
  • The layout of the new office, including who will sit where
  • A moving timeline, including which employees and equipment will be moved first
  • Employee expectations during the move

As preparations progress, your moving team should coordinate with the moving company to ensure that the company’s needs are met.

2. Set a Strategic Moving Date

Choose a date that minimizes the amount of work lost. For example, moving over a weekend or holiday. If this isn’t possible, plan the moving day during a slower time for your company that is free of events such as meetings, conferences and presentations. If you operate out of a large office building, consider an after-hours move when traffic is minimal and elevators are free.

3. Promote Office Wide Communication

Informing employees about the move early on and providing regular updates fosters a sense of inclusion that can alleviate employee anxieties. Allow each individual employee to ask questions and get their concerns addressed. Keep channels open throughout the moving process.

4. Encourage Employee Involvement

People collaborating.

Involve employees in planning by seeking their input on the new office layout or amenities. This participatory approach can boost morale and make everyone feel valued.

As the moving day approaches, employees can help the process go more quickly by packing their offices or desks. Ask the moving company for bins or boxes that employees can use to pack their own items. Ensure these bins are labeled so they end up in the right destinations.

Encourage your employees to tape and secure their desk drawers before the move. You might even want employees to help clean up their office space. You can send out a checklist to all employees of things they should do before the move.

5. Offer Relocation Support

If you are planning a move that requires employees to relocate, an employee relocation package is crucial to keeping them happy and engaged. It provides your teams with the compensation they need to sell their current home, purchase a new home, hire a moving company and manage the additional expenses that come with a long-distance move.

When your employees feel well-cared for, they can focus on performing their job.

6. Establish Flexible Work Arrangements

During the chaotic moving process, the noise and activity may prevent employees from maintaining business as usual. As equipment is packed and moved, they may not have access to the resources they need to do their jobs effectively.

One way to solve this problem is to suggest a remote work schedule during the final days before the move. This might include reduced or flexible working hours that align employees with shifting capabilities. Some companies set up a temporary workspace to address this problem.

Additionally, ensuring that IT infrastructure is promptly set up in the new location will prevent technical issues that could hinder productivity in-office or remotely.

7. Hire an Experienced Office Moving Company

Man writing on boxes.

Choosing the right moving company is crucial to an efficient and stress-free move. Working with an experienced corporate moving company allows you to maintain an engaged workforce without severely disrupting employee performance. A moving company will handle the planning and safely move your valuable furniture and equipment to the correct location as needed.

Before you choose a moving company, vet several options. Ask tough questions about how they would handle the move and how long it will take. Be sure to get a detailed cost estimate that considers every aspect of your move. If a company provides a significantly low estimate, it may be a sign of a rogue moving company. Get references and choose a well-established company with proven experience.

Maintain a Positive Work Environment During Relocation

Follow these tips for a successful corporate move that doesn’t negatively affect your bottom line or your employees’ productivity. Contact Wheaton World Wide today to talk to a corporate moving specialist and get a free estimate on your company’s relocation. We’ll make sure your employees focus on their jobs while we focus on your move.

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