Compromising office hours, carrying bulk equipment, moving sensitive files — office relocation is no cakewalk.

There is so much to do when you want to relocate your office. Aside from the major task of actually searching and finding the suitable office space to move in, there are so many tasks when it comes to the actual relocation.

And it’s natural to feel overwhelmed and confused about the right place to start and plan the office.

This is why we’ve created this simple guide to help you plan your office relocation.

7-Step Guide to Move Your Office

Step 1: Evaluate the Amount of Work & Time

The very first thing you need to plan the office move is to consider the amount of time you have and the amount of work that needs to be done.

Don’t go for an estimate. You need to precisely clear about all the tasks that need to be done, including the tiny ones. And that is easier said than done. You may have to spend a day or two talking to your employees, getting inputs and noting down all the tasks you will need at the micro-level.

Step 2: Split the Time Available Into Working Sections

Once you have the to-do list ready, now we’ll be getting into some in-depth planning.

First, you should be clear on the number of days or weeks you have until the day of the move. Now, sort the to-do list in the order of priority of packing and planning.

Usually, the things you need to use until the last day of the move would be at the bottom of the list and the things that you wouldn’t miss can be packed sooner than that. Similarly, you’ll also sort out the order of all other relocation things you need to do before the moving day, like facilitating the internet connection, transferring the critical files, securing the hard drives, etc.

Based on the sorted list, you allocate the time frames before you need them to be completed. Always have a few employees who’ll be doing the groundwork with you during the planning phase. They’ll know the volume of work involved in each of the tasks, which will give you a good idea of providing sufficient time for them to complete the task.

Step 3: Assign Designated Managers for the Individual Tasks

By individual tasks, we don’t mean the tiny ones that can be done in a jiffy. As you split the duties, you can see the various branches of the moving jobs. Assign managers for particular sections of the moving tasks.

From now on, these managers will be the people who you’ll be talking to often. They will oversee the other employees executing the task and getting the moving tasks completed on time. You can also give the managers a free hand to be flexible with the working hours and assign responsibilities to different team members to get the job done.

Step 4: Plan Your IT Relocation

During any office move, planning the relocation of your IT infrastructure is the biggest job of all. You’ll have a dozen or more computers to move, printers, servers and other hardware equipment. And all of these should be relocated safely without a scratch.

But the hook here is that you cannot start the packing and relocation of the IT infrastructure until the last working day. People need computers to work and the IT team needs their hardware to maintain your online space up-to-date and healthy.

Even when you can’t actually start packing the IT stuff, it’s best to plan the relocation. By planning, we mean considering the amount of packaging and boxes you’ll need, how you can effectively pack all things securely and when you need to take the backups.

Think about every detail of the IT relocation and ask the manager to plan this out in paper and get the whole IT team to work for it on the days leading to the move.

Step 5: Create a System for Labelling Boxes

While it may seem like a small job, this is often one of the most neglected ones.

The labels on the boxes can save you a lot of time when unpacking. So create a uniform system of labelling that everyone should follow in the office. Assign colour codes, acronyms and symbols that indicate the fragility and importance of the things inside.

Also, make sure to specify the department from which the box came. This will help the department employees to take their stuff, unpack and get started on the work soon.

Step 6: Inform Everyone About the Change of Address

You may have clients visiting you, suppliers who deliver stuff and other shareholders who are dependent on your office location one way or the other.

Make sure to inform them about the change of address at least a few weeks before the move. This ensures that all your delivery packages and supplies are directed to the new office.

Step 7: Find Reliable Office Movers

Office relocation is challenging, especially when you don’t have any help. It’s always best to outsource your move to the expert office removals in Melbourne or in any other city you’re in.

The office movers will have all the sufficient equipment, expertise and working knowledge of safely relocating the office. The best part is that the office movers will be quite faster than your employees due to their years of experience doing the same thing every day!