How to Move on a Tight Deadline Without Losing Sanity
Office moves with tight deadlines are hectic, to say the least.
You’ve got packing up major equipment to coordinate, keeping employees on task, and avoiding downtime at all costs… Multiply that by every person in your business and it’s easy to see how stress levels skyrocket. It’s no wonder that 82% of Americans surveyed said moving was a stressful process.
Add an office full of employees into the mix and you’re asking for trouble.
Or are you?
While rushing an office move will always be challenging, businesses who have mastered it swear that with enough planning and the right full service movers it can actually be pretty smooth. Bringing in professionals to do the heavy lifting allows you and your team to keep the focus on what’s truly important… Making sure your operations continue to run.
Ready to learn how?
Table of Contents
- Why Office Moves Are So Stressful on Short Notice
- The Step-By-Step Plan For Moving An Office FAST
- How To Choose the Right Moving Team
- Mistakes That Will Slow You Down
Why Office Moves Are So Stressful on Short Notice
Okay let’s cut to the chase…
Office moves are rough because there’s so much going on at once. Furniture. Computers. Break room supplies. Sensitive Documents. Employees.
Employees need to show up at the new office on time. Computers can’t be offline longer than a few hours. Furniture and sensitive information needs to arrive in one piece.
When you’re crunched for time everything has to be perfect and happen FAST. The timeline for mistakes shrinks and one small box getting crushed can mean hours of downtime while you replace it.
That’s why moving to an office with little to no notice is like taking the stress of a normal move and turning it up to 11.
It can absolutely be done without losing your mind but it helps to have a plan BEFORE packing up the first box.
The Step-By-Step Plan For Moving An Office FAST
If there’s one thing businesses tend to do wrong when moving it’s this…
They jump into packing mode without having a plan laid out first. Bad idea.
Here’s what should be done instead:
Make a Moving Timeline
Even if the move is happening with almost no notice, putting together a simple moving timeline is an absolute must. Write down EVERYTHING that needs to get done and assign a deadline to each task. Include things like:
- Informing vendors and clients of address change
- Scheduling IT professionals to disconnect and reconnect services
- Labeling equipment/furniture with proper rooms
- Assign packing duties to each department/division
Got it all written down? Good.
Slap it into a spreadsheet and there’s a moving timeline ready to go. Sure it’ll be hectic, but at least everything that needs to get done is accounted for.
Prioritise Packing Order
Remember, not everything in the office is created equal.
When you’re in crunch time, you don’t have the luxury of taking everything down piecemeal. Critical assets like servers, phones, important client files… These need to be moved first and with the greatest care.
Everything else can wait.
A good rule of thumb? If the business cannot function without it, pack and move it first.
Communicate the Plan
Alright, the moving timeline is created. Packing priorities are set. Now it’s time to tell everyone what’s going on.
During a fast-paced office move, poor communication is the number one reason things fall apart. Everyone needs to be onboard and aware of their responsibilities BEFORE the move begins.
Send out a copy of the plan to all team members AND let any clients or vendors know they may experience minor disruptions during the move.
How To Choose the Right Moving Team
The fun part.
Bringing in office movers to handle the heavy lifting is the single most important decision when it comes to pulling off a successful move with almost no notice. But how do you know which movers to hire?
Here are some traits to look for when researching commercial movers:
- Has experience in office moves specifically. Not all movers specialise in commercial moves. Ask for references of other businesses they’ve worked with.
- Can handle IT equipment. Servers, computer monitors, cables… office moves require meticulous care when packing and transporting electronics. Make sure the movers know how to handle this equipment.
- Offers flexible scheduling. Last minute moves almost always require moving outside of normal business hours. Whether that’s after hours or on the weekend, the movers should be able to accommodate the schedule.
- Is properly insured. Accidents happen. Make sure that the movers are insured enough to cover any damages that may occur during transportation.
The first instinct will be to go with the cheapest quote. DON’T DO IT. Take the time to do the research and you’ll be thankful later.
Mistakes That Will Cost You
During any rushed office move there’s always something that can go wrong. But part of being prepared is knowing what those things might be so they can be avoided altogether. Let’s go over some common mistakes businesses make when moving on little to no notice:
Not Backing Up Data Beforehand
Did you know that computers can crash and monitors can break during a move? Yea, it happens.
But don’t fret! As long as EVERYTHING is backed up beforehand no data should be lost. Make sure ALL computers are backed up to the cloud or an external hard drive before any equipment gets touched.
Not Planning For The New Office Layout
Imagine showing up to a new office space… Only to find there’s no idea where every desk, server rack, and printer goes.
Without spending some time planning out the layout of the new space, the team is basically rearranging furniture again ON moving day. Take the time to measure current furniture/setup and visually plot where everything will go in the new space.
Not Hiring Professional Movers
Listen up…
Yes, moving to an office is a lot of work. And yes the team is capable of handling parts of the move on their own. But when you’re crunched for time DIY-ing an entire office move is a guaranteed recipe for disaster.
92% of Americans ran into issues during their last move. Professional movers are a thing for a reason. Save the headache and hire a team that does this stuff every day.
Forget About “Move In” Setup
Did you know the move isn’t over when the last box lands in the new office?
Once the movers are gone there’s still IT setup, furniture assembly, phone configuration, and more before the team can actually start working.
Build time into the moving schedule for the “Move In” setup. It’s just as important.
Key Takeaways
Moving an office with very little time to plan might sound daunting, but it’s far from impossible. If there’s one thing businesses who’ve done it successfully will say it’s that with the right amount of planning and communication the move will be just another day at the office.
Here’s a quick checklist…
- Create a timeline. Yes, even if it’s short there needs to be a plan.
- Communicate the plan to EVERYONE. Employees, vendors, clients… anyone who has to be in the loop needs to know what’s going on.
- Hire professionals to do the heavy lifting. Moving an office is no walk in the park. Let a team of experts handle it.
- Don’t forget about the move in setup. Moving day isn’t over until the team is up and running again.
It will take some effort to pull off, sure. But with the proper preparation and office movers to take care of logistics, moving on short notice is just another challenge the business will overcome.
