Top Ten Tips for businesses moving premises
There’s a reason moving home is said to be one of the most stressful life events you can go through. If you’re moving business premises, there’s even more to consider. Here are McCarthy’s top 10 tips if you’re planning a business move:
- Ideally give yourself three months to plan the move and hire a removal company you trust, which is BAR accredited, with a designated manager for your project. You don’t want to spend your time micro-managing the move.
- However you manage the move, downtime is inevitable. But there will be ways to minimise it. Can any of the move take place outside of working hours? Can staff work from home or other premises? Let customers and clients know what will happen well in advance.
- This is a great excuse to declutter. There’s no point paying to transport things you don’t need. If in doubt, consider asking your removal company to store it for six months – if you don’t miss it, you’re probably ok to ditch it for good.
- Carefully consider anything of a confidential nature. Could you store confidential documents securely off site temporarily, or even permanently, for peace of mind and to free up space? If you’re getting rid of confidential information stored on paper or electronically make sure you do so appropriately.
- Ask your employees to pack up their own desk and anything they have direct responsibility for. For wider office belongings, consider getting the removal firm to pack them, this will save a huge amount of time.
- Your removal company should advise on processes to enable a smooth move, for example sequential packing of files and stock, labelling systems and room planners for the accurate relocation of documents and furniture.
- Use the move as a good reason to review all of your business suppliers, such as phone, energy, I.T. etc.
- If you’re getting rid of office furniture or I.T. equipment, remember your legal and environmental responsibilities. We help businesses with staff sales, charitable donations and resale and make sure nothing ends up in landfill.
- Your removal firm should look into parking at both premises, along with elements such as security and insurance.
- I.T. can be the biggest headache when it comes to office moves, make sure your removal firm gives it the attention it deserves. Individual component parts should be carefully labelled and packaged, and transported with maximum protection. On arrival at your new site, getting I.T. reconnected and tested should be the number one priority.
