Moving office is something most of us will experience sooner or later, whether as proprietor of a business or employee. If your office is moving to bigger, better and newer pastures, there’s a lot to consider. We’ve been offering commercial relocation for many years, which is why we’ve seen some of the common mistakes people make. Even when the company is a small one, the mistakes can be large in terms of consequences. Whether you’re moving offices using a man-and-van-type service or a larger-scale office removals service involving lorries, the same mistakes can bedevil the process. Here are some of the recurring pitfalls to avoid.
- Not backing up. It’s vital to back up to off-site storage, using either physical data-storage or cloud-based. The likelihood of damage to hard drives and external storage devices during a move is probably small but it’s an important one to guard against.
- Not planning. Office moves should be planned and strategised well in advance. You don’t want to find out too far down the line that you’re subject to certain lease restrictions or other obstacles. Better to allow lots of time for ironing out such problems.
- Not being sufficiently insured. Given that some of your goods may be damaged either in moving vehicles or while being carried down or up stairs, it’s worth seeing what your existing policy covers and, if necessary, getting additional short-term insurance.
- Not keeping everyone apprised. It’s important that your team feel involved in the move, rather than being just passively swept up in it. Your moving company may have a process by which they keep your staff informed, holding meetings and making sure everyone is on the same page.
- Not checking if old furniture works in new office. It’s easy to assume you’ll be fine just taking all your old furniture to your new premises. This assumption is a dangerous one. Far better to check it out properly in advance. What if it doesn’t fit? What if it needs reconfiguring or assembling slightly differently? What if you need new pieces of furniture but only make this discovery on the day of your move?
