Roll Out Time- The Big Move

Okay so I guess it’s no longer news. Or maybe it still is for some. We are moving. Landwey is moving to it‘s headquarter building. Can you tell that we’re uber-excited? Absolutely, and for many reasons. There’s nothing as exciting as a new start, fresh beginnings, the smell of brand new, and all the amazing opportunities it presents to do-over, to re-brand, to revamp, and pick up where you’ve left off, albeit even better.

And so, we thought to share our successful moving tips. It’s no mean feat, moving especially to a bigger monumental space like headquarters, but it’s totally do-able.

The reasons for moving office are many and varied. Moving office is a fantastic opportunity to look inwards and determine whether your current offices are fit for purpose, it can cater for any anticipated/future growth or if it adaptable to changing work practices. Moving office presents an opportunity for companies to consider exciting changes like:

Working practices: investigating new ways of working

Workplace culture: any changes will have an impact on culture, which will need to be proactively managed

Brand identity: a move can be a good time to look at changes to your brand identity, with many companies opting to reenergise their corporate identity alongside a move.

All of this can have a huge impact on…

Staff motivation and productivity

Staff retention and attracting the best talent

Improved internal communications and collaboration

Where to commence, how to proceed?

The first step is an obvious one: you need to form an internal team from across different disciplines who will bring their various flairs and skills to the group and who will be responsible for delivering the project. Most importantly, you need to identify and designate your Senior Mission Champion.

This should be a proficient and senior individual who commands the authority to make decisions and will drive the project forward. A strong, senior project leader will keep everything – and everyone – on target, minimise delays and inaction, and ensure that the resulting office space closely reflects the initial brief, the company’s brand and any key objectives set out at the beginning.

The next step is to employ a robust and varied internal team to balance and support the project lead. This team of experts should consist of specialists in multiple disciplines from across the business including IT, marketing and HR. Their expertise and input when it comes to things like IT systems, branding, and staff engagement is invaluable.

 

Decide on what you want to achieve

Moving office is a fine time to greatly improve how your company works. Once your team is amassed, the next step is to establish some definites:

What kind of space do you want to create?

What is most important to your organisation?

How do your two answers translate into the perfect office design?

 

Finding answers to these questions will have the most impact on your budget, as well as any project timescales. Because of this, it is critical to be as realistic as possible with your answers. Both your new office building and its location need to be put through their paces to ensure they deliver everything your company needs.

You can only examine and reviewa potential workspace if you know what you need from it and already have set expectations. This can include…

Shuttle times

Employee parking

Public transport

Accessibility

Local amenities

Rent costs

IT/mobile coverage

 

Approach the right commercial property expert

Now, it’s time to research and approach the right commercial property agent to complete your office relocation line-up. Using a reputable agent can make the process – and the lives of your project team – considerably easier.

Set aside some time to research and shortlist different options.

Ask colleagues and clients for recommendations

Ask for references and testimonials from past clients

Determine whether they have a good knowledge of the area you are searching in

Do some online research

Ensure they have a good grasp of the technical side of commercial property.

The right commercial property expert should support your project team, ensuring the project is made as effortless as possible.

5. Select your design and build partner

Having selected a new space, the next phase is finding a design and build partner. Consider your potential partner as an extension of your project team, a specialist capable of designing and delivering to your exacting, detailed standards. They will need to understand your brief, provide the enthusiasm to drive the project forward and possess the expertise to swiftly deal with any challenges your office move may encounter.

Don’t accept a company that cannot work to your vision, as this relationship is absolutely crucial to the success of any office relocation and fit out.

 

6. Consult, collaborate, and listen

Now is the time to get staff involved and to host workshops with your chosen Design & Build partner and their workplace team so they can determine how your business operates, gain a greater understanding of your business, and set opinions from across the entire business about what kind of office would work best.

Creating a culture of ‘no surprises’ from the beginning of the project can help reduce resistance to change, and create a positive buzz around the project. Engage with staff in the preliminary stages, keep them informed, and present them with opportunities to be part of the process through brainstorming sessions and/or workshops.

 

Finalise the project plan

It’s time to create and agree on a detailed project plan. This needs to include everything, the big and the small: from IT servers, furniture, and all else. This will allow you and your team to plan when all of the many tasks need to be completed, and ensure everything happens in a timely fashion.

It is important to include major milestones in this schedule such as moving IT servers or delivery and installation of new furniture.

Sticking to the plan and its deadlines takes effort from everyone on the project team so it is critical that you make sure timings are realistic, lines of communication are kept open and that you meet and check in with one another regularly. This should include regular site visits to assess progress.

Planning the move

Now it’s time to look at planning the move and working with your project team to ensure it’s a smooth transition.

There is a lot to consider, including: Will there be a phased move or will everyone move on the same date?

Where will staff and different teams be located and seated within the new office?

How do you make sure the IT systems and internet are up and running on day one?

Do staff need cards or keys to access the new building in advance? It is also important to keep staff informed, so look into sending regular email updates,

Move in day

It is important to proactively manage change by having a go-to person for staff to direct questions to about the new office.

Host a welcome breakfast or lunch to ‘introduce’ the new office and look at planning sessions with staff to gather feedback.

It is worth remembering that moving office is a major change and managing this change doesn’t end on move in day. We always recommend working with your partner to ensure that the office continues to work for your organisation and any tweaks are ironed out.

If you get this point, well done!!! Office move successfully completed!