An office relocation is a significant undertaking for any company. But, at the end of the journey comes the rewards; growth, innovation, opportunity, and ideally increased productivity. However, there are a number of significant challenges that companies face every time they relocate their business to a new office.
These challenges include planning processes, keeping up employee morale, making sure everything runs on schedule, and more. At Niche Tenant Advisory, we have seen numerous companies make these mistakes over and over, particularly when we’ve been called in to help. We completely understand that sometimes, mistakes happen.Â
The truth is, most of them can be avoided.
In this article, we’ll delve into seven common mistakes that companies make when they relocate their business to a new office in Sydney. We’ll use all of our experience and expertise in office relocations to explain how these mistakes occur, and how you can comfortably avoid them.
Click here if you’re looking for a quote for an office relocation in Sydney.
Insufficient or poor planning
The most common mistake we see is a failure to plan properly. This is a mistake in itself, but it also leads to many other mistakes. Essentially, poor planning can completely derail an entire office relocation operation! And in the end, that leads to a much more expensive project, and perhaps missed project deadlines.
The planning stage absolutely must be thorough. You will need to consider a number of aspects, including:
- Expected timeframes
- Logistics for transporting items
- Technology and connectivity
- Packing and unpacking
- Dissembling and assembling furniture
- Employee well-being and morale
- and much more.
The best way to ensure that your relocation is well thought out and the plan itself is sound, is to hire an expert office relocation company. At Niche, we have a huge wealth of experience in relocating businesses to new offices. If this isn’t in the budget, setting up a dedicated team for the relocation is a must.
Neglecting employee involvement
Moving your base of operations to a new office may not be up to your employees. However, it’s a decision that will affect them in a number of ways, ideally for the better. Therefore, it’s important that your people feel involved during the relocation process. Their needs should be taken into consideration, and feedback should be sought wherever possible.
If you fail to consider the needs of your staff, they may become disengaged from work. That can lead to decreased morale, a drop in productivity, impacted working relationships, and even resignations. Therefore, ensure you involve your employees early on in the process, seek their input, and make sure any concerns are addressed right away.
This will go a long way toward ensuring a successful office move.
Underestimating IT infrastructure
Underestimate IT infrastructure at your peril!
There’s no doubt that your business relies heavily on technology, both hardware and software. When shifting offices, it’s absolutely critical that you seamlessly transition your IT infrastructure. If you don’t plan and execute this step properly, you could be in for a world of pain.
These systems are complex, and if they aren’t set up properly, employees won’t be able to do their work and you may well lose important information. What’s more, networks may not work, and you may even be opening yourself up to security breaches or a leak of sensitive information. That must be avoided at all costs.
It’s best to allow as much time as possible for your IT team, whether internal or external, to plan and execute a seamless transition.
Overlooking space planning
Space planning is critical when it comes to designing an office. And the same goes for when you start planning out your new space before the move. Moving to a new workplace offers a fantastic opportunity to optimise your space and really nail your layout. This is especially the case if you decide to hire an expert office design firm to plan your space.
However, many businesses fail to keep this in mind. As a result, their new office space is poorly planned. This can then hinder collaboration, create discontent among employees, affect their work, and really impact workflow. You’ll probably also spend a lot more time then tweaking your layout and shifting desks… which is essentially lost productivity!
Poor communication… or ignoring it altogether!
Effective communication is essential during an office move. This includes communication within your company, between management and employees. It also includes external communication, such as with moving teams, IT contractors, the facilities management team at your new and old building, landlords, agents, and more.
Failing to communicate effectively can result in so many problems. Poor communication can impact your schedule, create confusion between parties that are supposed to be communicating and can make staff feel left out. Ensure you maintain open and continuous lines of communication before and throughout your move. Your business will thank you for it!
Being too loose with your budget
A budget is there for a reason, and it’s important that you stick to it. Too many businesses go well over their budget during an office relocation project. Unfortunately, this can have long-lasting effects and impact other areas of their business. All because they simply did not stick to their budget, or their initial budget was completely wrong.
At Niche, we help businesses stick to their budget during their office move. We can even help clients create a comprehensive budget beforehand, and ensure they stay on track throughout the project. Our services are always affordable and consistent, and we can tailor the perfect package to suit your needs.
Neglecting culture and branding
It’s important that your new office reflects your company culture. You should also make sure that the branding within the office is consistent with your existing branding. Failing to do this can be confusing for your clients and your employees, and creates a kind of disconnect. A lack of brand consistency can be avoided by making sure your new office fit-out is tailored to your requirements, and that the right colours and aesthetics are used.
Expert office relocation services in Sydney
Moving your business to a new office is an exciting time. But the move itself must run smoothly, or else you will run into all sorts of problems. The best way to ensure a successful move is to hire an expert office relocation consultant in Sydney.
At Niche, we’re ready to help.
