As often happens in the life of a business there will come a time when the enterprise grows too large for its existing space and an office relocation becomes a necessity. An office relocation can come with mixed feelings. Yes, it means that your firm is doing so well that it can afford to expand, but it also means that you are now faced with having to plan and execute a removal with the least amount of disruption to your business, your employees and your customers.

An office relocation requires more time for planning than a regular domestic removal due to the number of people involved, the quantity of furniture and other items that need to be moved and the sheer scope of the logistics required to keep everything running smoothly. While relocation companies are a necessity for your office relocation, office movers ca be useful, if you do not already have the infrastructure and/or resources to plan the removal yourself.

The difference between relocation companies and office movers is this: the former merely takes care of moving your furniture, office supplies and equipment and setting it up as indicated at your new premises, the latter will actually plan your move for you – down to the tiniest details. While they both have their merits, the type of mover you hire for your office relocation will depend on several things including: how much time you have to dedicate to planning your move, the size of your business, the number of employees involved and your budget. Naturally the full-service office movers will cost more than any relocation companies that you look at, but they also take care of everything for you.

When you are planning an office relocation, it is best to plan the move for your business’ slow period. If there is a time in the year when your business is not as busy as usual, that is the best time to organise a removal as it will cause the least amount of disruption for everyone involved. It is also a good idea to schedule moves for a Thursday or Friday afternoon when employees are typically winding up their week.

Once you have your removal date ready it will be time to begin preparing your relocation. Advise your employees early on that you will be moving – this is especially important if the company will be moving to another municipality or city altogether as it will impact travel time and convenience. Some employees might not feel that they can follow the company to its new location based on such parameters and you may find yourself having to hire new staff as well as settle into new offices.

After your employees are informed, it is time to get the department managers involved in the removal process. Have them make an inventory of all the equipment and supplies in their departments. Now is the time to weed through old equipment and decide whether or not you will be keeping it or replacing it. Get each department to produce a detailed list of all their equipment and supplies so that you get an accurate account of what needs to be moved.

Next you will have to arrange with the IT department to back up all of the computers, plan for them to be removed and installed immediately after the furniture has been shipped and properly set-up, so that when the employees begin their day, they are ready to work.

As the relocation day arrives, get employees to pack their own desks and to name their boxes clearly to avoid confusion. Verify that the floor plan for the new office is ready so that the office movers will know exactly where to place every item as they unload it from their truck.

No matter how well you plan your office relocation, there is bound to be small hold-ups here-and-there, however, you can eliminate major gaffes by being prepared.