Office Relocation Success
As companies prepare for the future, an office move is proving to be an effective strategy for getting into better, cheaper and more appropriate office space...
In today's environment - now more than ever - companies should be looking to extract every ounce of value they can from everything they do. An office relocation can be a critical area for review as businesses consolidate, reduce excessive expenditure and build a stronger platform on which to grow. An office move can get companies into better, cheaper and more appropriate space - which not only reduces overheads but also better positions them for the future.
Getting an office move right is a great opportunity to affect positive change management, improvement in business performance, increased morale and momentum - however, getting it wrong can have the opposite effect.
Unfortunately, the bad news is that many companies all too often make the same mistakes with their office move project. However, the good news is that all of these mistakes can be avoided.
The three most common pitfalls when moving office are businesses: underestimating what is involved with an office relocation, not starting the office move process early enough and having a misplaced belief that they can save money by not engaging the services of external professional help.
1) Underestimating what is involved with an office relocation
It's a process - and like any process it can be broken down into a series of simple tasks and checks. The intelligent use of project planning documents, spreadsheets and checklists will not only help with the planning of the office move, but also act as the road map to carry out the many tasks involved with the project. They should include all of the tasks that need to be completed (and the steps leading up to them), the individuals, teams and companies responsible for completing each task, and the deadlines. Companies shouldn't try and reinvent the wheel when they can use tried and tested moving office tools and guides. Getting an office move right is a great opportunity to affect positive change management
2) Not starting the office move process early enough
There's a lot to do, so the earlier companies start the greater the chance of achieving the smooth move the business expects. It's impossible to plan too far ahead. Once the Office Move Project Leader has been appointed work should start. All things being equal, best practice says that companies should start reviewing their options 9-18 months prior to lease expiration or break option, regardless of whether they are considering renewing, renegotiation or relocating. It is vital to allow enough lead-time to increase the amount of leverage and competition between the various options, which can result in substantial savings.
3) Going it alone and not engaging professional help
This is a false economy and, as a result, many office moves end up being a time-consuming and stressful job fraught with difficulty and expensive mistakes that could have been avoided. In today's environment - now more than ever - companies should be looking to extract every ounce of value they can from everything they do. For an office relocation, there is no question that this is best achieved through businesses combining their understanding of their own priorities with the expert advice and market knowledge of office move professionals. This not only ensures that they don't make any critical mistakes but also saves them money over the term of the lease.
