Moving workplaces-- much like moving your house-- is a big choice, loaded with mistakes and headaches that can sap the resources of even the most prepared business.
We must understand. Convene just recently moved our home office from 2 offices in Midtown Manhattan to a new flagship place in Lower Manhattan. It's a move of just four miles, but moving over 100 individuals, spread throughout several areas, is never ever a simple job.
To facilitate this move, and make sure a smooth transition, the group here at Convene designated a relocation committee: a team of specialists, picked for their particular knowledge around issues we understood would arise with the huge move. Consider them as our moving dream team-- the Workplace Move Avengers.
4 of these professionals were kind enough to share their ideas on the move-- what worked out, what didn't, and how other companies need to prepare to relocate. Find out from our successes-- and mistakes.
Start with "Why?".
The most crucial consideration our specialists shared was the importance of "Why?".
" Why are we moving workplaces?".
" Make sure everyone understands the 'why' of the move," states Slater. "People respect openness. You need to detail whether it's going to be better or worse for them.".
Let's face it, companies move for lots of factors-- often good and in some cases not-so-good. Even if you have to move for a negative reason, it's essential to transparently interact why the relocation is needed.
We moved into our old workplace back in 2010-- when the group was considerably smaller.
Naturally, lots of moves featured great deals of great news too-- growing groups, broadening revenue, and new chances. Even when things are looking sunny and bright for your company, don't take the 'why' for given. You're still asking individuals to alter their regimens, which in lots of methods is more tough in good times than bad.
" All communications regarding the move ought to always start and end with the key vision of why we're moving offices and why this is essential," says Wollemann. "Even when it's just an email about logistics and timeline, it is necessary to keep in mind the 'why' when you're asking people to change a huge part of their routine.".
" What's in It for Me?".
Even the most selfless team gamer will have one huge concern about any workplace moving: "What remains in it for me?".
Transitions and routine changes are tough for everyone, and some of the modifications may make life harder for a portion of your team (longer commute, less familiar neighborhood). While you shouldn't belittle or ignore those issues, make certain you're framing the relocation around the private benefits people can anticipate from the brand-new digs.
Moving offices is a big (and expensive) decision.
" If you're moving someplace with excellent features, it's a big message to individuals that our skill is the most essential for us and we're going to take care of you," states Slater. "Whatever the advantage of your brand-new space is, hype that up for the group: more area, better amenities, better area, anything that frames up the critical 'What's in it for me?'".
Choose Your Move Group Sensibly.
Moving offices is a big choice-- an extremely costly decision. Make certain you're selecting members of your move group carefully, and not just tossing any ready volunteer into the mix.
Our team was purposefully picked based on their skillsets-- interactions, modification knowledge, design, method, etc. Each person had a function to play, and that function was crucial to a successful relocation. "Plan people's functions ahead of time on the move group," says Vassallo. "Make sure you have your requirements covered.".
Regardless of the accrued skill, there were a few locations our team might've used some additional aid with (operations being a huge one). "Specific things I managed might have been much better handled by an operations specialist. For instance, hiring the mover, collaborating all the boxes, what groups need what, and what example they own.".
" Having the ideal team of individuals to coordinate the move and divvying up duty is truly crucial," says Christophe. "We had an actually good group, which made it much easier.".
Communicate Early and Frequently.
" Step one is creating a communications strategy, where you describe the in the past, during, and after the move, and make certain everyone has info about crucial dates," recommends Wollemann. The team set out a detailed timeline, with corresponding dates for when crucial items would need to be communicated to the business-- scrap cleansing days, last day to load your box, last day in the old office, first day in the brand-new workplace, and more.
When moving offices, make sure to thank those who made it occur!
Communicating early and often applies beyond just your own business too-- make sure to validate with outdoors suppliers like the moving company months in advance. "When I contacted the moving company, they thought I was insane.".
Many commercial office buildings aren't going to let movers mess up their nice elevators with moving carts and heavy furniture. "What time people can come, utilizing freight elevators, what time individuals can utilize the freight elevators, additional expense for moving after hours, then collaborating with the brand-new building to have that all occur on the exact same day.".
Know Your Workers ... and Their 'Stuff'.
Not all departments in your business are produced equal-- each group has their own requirements and equipment. The HR check here team requires a space with some privacy for interviews and other sensitive conferences. And the financing team needs filing cabinets for accounting documentation.
Besides understanding what they'll need in the new area, be prepared to manage equipment and other miscellaneous products that go unclaimed at the old office. "I discovered that a lot of things weren't declared by anybody, and someone needed to decide what to do with it. For example, all the workplace materials in the office that technically didn't come from any someone. Someone needed to choose what gets tossed and what needs to come with us.".
Nail Day One.
You never ever get a second opportunity to make an impression. The first day of a move will be stressful no matter what, but do whatever you can to make it a celebratory atmosphere and a smooth shift.
Producing a celebratory environment on day one was an important element of our workplace move.
" It's simple to get lost in the logistics but when it boils down to it, people appreciate a few things that will affect them on the very first day-- how do I get in the building and where am I sitting?" states Wollemann.
The moving committee created a welcome package that had instructions on all the fundamentals of arriving to work on the very first day and paired that packet with a live discussion a couple of weeks before the relocation letting individuals know what to anticipate-- where they would be sitting, how to get in and out, mass transit choices, and more.
" You require to instruct people on how to prepare, and how to be effective in the new environment-- how to set up their desk, their tech, their chair, whatever," states Slater. "Take time to resolve even the tiniest of issues and take care of the requirements (not the desires) of people, either through style, education, or technology.".
There were a few items the moving group, in retrospection, desires were managed in a different way. Moving to a new workplace, for us, meant lots of new IT systems to execute-- brand-new printers, brand-new docking stations for laptops, new building security, and more. The IT group set-up a war space where individuals might drop by for support on the spot, however lots of concerns could've been avoided by possibly a team-by-team technology orientation.
Despite that minor inconvenience, the team nailed the first day experience. "We had a really celebratory first day (and week) at the new office," says Wollemann.
The Lunch Crunch.
One of the most surprising elements of our move is simply how invested people would be in exploring the lunch spots in our new neighborhood. Of all the regimens being altered for the folks in our workplace, lunch unquestionably generated the a lot of enjoyment and distress.
" We assemble a truly good welcome packet that included information about the neighborhood, but I wish we included more alternatives for lunch," states Christophe. "The alternatives we put in there were more unique event type of places (i.e.-- more expensive), and not every day lunch options.".
Prepare individuals for their brand-new cooking surroundings. Scour Yelp for the best sandwiches, salads, tacos, and ramen, and make sure you interact that details to the group. Food is a big deal, and you 'd be well served to set minds at ease about where your team can consume in their brand-new digs.
This reaction did elicit a fun and read more imaginative option-- our team has now begun a shared spreadsheet where people can get in enjoyable, budget-friendly lunch areas they've discovered with a short evaluation that anybody on the group can search for some brand-new choices to try.
The Work's Not Done After The first day.
At 5PM on the first day, it's simple to breathe a sigh of relief and believe the move is over with.
Not so fast, states our relocation team.
" People forget that the relocation and change isn't over on day one," says Slater. You need to continuously iterate and resolve problems the first month as individuals get used to the area and make modifications so that the space works successfully.".
The day one breakfast spread. Stay alert, the work's not even close to finished!
" The greatest difficulty is getting individuals to change their habits," says Wollemann. "One method to motivate that is truly to focus the communications. Even if the sole function is to communicate the date of something or action they require to take, constantly bring that communication back to why this modification is going to be fantastic for the future.".
Do Not Forget to Make It Fun.
Do not kid yourself-- moving workplaces can be a big old pain-in-the-ass. Everyone knows it.
After spending years in one office, we had all built up a lot of things that clearly didn't require to move to the new space. Considering that no one actually likes cleaning, the team made it enjoyable.
Big garbage and recycling cans were generated and everybody in the company was motivated to let go of all the junk they've built up throughout the years. Old paperwork was shredded, conference boodle contributed, and drawers loaded with napkins and plastic spoons from lunches past were tossed away.
Throughout the very first week in the new office, special surprises were planned, like afternoon cookies or catered lunch, in addition to special welcome bags for every staff member including novelty chocolate business cards-- including the new address, naturally.