Moving offices-- similar to moving your house-- is a big decision, replete with risks and headaches that can sap the resources of even the most ready company.
We should understand. Convene recently moved our business headquarters from two workplaces in Midtown Manhattan to a new flagship location in Lower Manhattan. It's a relocation of only 4 miles, however moving over 100 people, spread out across multiple areas, is never a basic job.
To facilitate this move, and make sure a smooth transition, the group here at Convene designated a move committee: a group of professionals, picked for their particular knowledge around issues we understood would emerge with the huge move. Think about them as our moving all-star team-- the Workplace Move Avengers.
Four of these specialists were kind sufficient to share their ideas on the move-- what worked out, what didn't, and how other companies need to prepare to move. Learn from our successes-- and errors.
Start with "Why?".
The most important factor to consider our experts shared was the value of "Why?".
" Why are we moving offices?".
" Ensure everyone knows the 'why' of the relocation," says Slater. "Individuals respect openness. You need to outline whether it's going to be better or even worse for them.".
Let's face it, companies move for great deals of factors-- in some cases excellent and sometimes not-so-good. Those not-so-good factors (scaling down, decreasing realty expenses) can be tough to browse, however Slater stresses that openness is crucial. "Ultimately, you're transferring because you want the experience to be much better for everybody at the other end. Even if you have to move for an unfavorable factor, it's important to transparently interact why the move is required. Cutting expenses can be hard, but ultimately it's for the very best.".
We moved into our old workplace back in 2010-- when the group was significantly smaller.
Obviously, a lot of relocations come with lots of good news too-- growing teams, broadening earnings, and brand-new opportunities. Even when things are looking bright and intense 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 challenging in good times than bad.
" All communications concerning the relocation needs to constantly begin and end with the key vision of why we're moving offices and why this is very important," says Wollemann. "Even when it's just an email about logistics and timeline, it is essential to bear in mind the 'why' when you're asking individuals to alter a significant part of their regimen.".
" What remains in It for Me?".
Even the most selfless group player will have one huge concern about any workplace relocation: "What remains in it for me?".
Transitions and regular changes are tough for everybody, and some of the modifications might make life more difficult for a part of your group (longer commute, less familiar area). While you should not belittle or neglect those concerns, ensure you're framing the walk around the individual advantages individuals can anticipate from the new digs.
Moving offices is a big (and expensive) decision.
" If you're moving someplace with leading notch amenities, it's a huge message to individuals that our talent is the most important for us and we're going to look after you," states Slater. "Whatever the advantage of your brand-new space is, hype that up for the group: more area, much better amenities, much better community, anything that frames up the all-important 'What's in it for me?'".
Choose Your Move Team Sensibly.
Moving workplaces is a big decision-- an extremely expensive choice. Make sure you're selecting members of your relocation group wisely, and not just tossing any willing volunteer into the mix.
Our team was actively chosen based upon their skillsets-- communications, modification know-how, design, method, and so on. Each individual had a function to play, which function was vital to a successful relocation. "Strategy people's roles ahead of time on the relocation team," says Vassallo. "Ensure you have your requirements covered.".
Despite the accumulated skill, there were a couple of locations our team could've used some extra assist with (operations being a huge one). "Particular things I handled might have been much better managed by an operations specialist. For example, hiring the mover, coordinating all packages, what groups require what, and what kind of things they own.".
" Having the right team of people to coordinate the relocation and divvying up obligation is really important," states Christophe. "We had an actually excellent group, that made it much easier.".
Interact Early and Frequently.
" Step one is developing an interactions strategy, where you detail the before, throughout, and after the move, and make sure everybody has info about essential dates," suggests Wollemann. The team set out an in-depth timeline, with matching dates for when essential items would require to be communicated to the business-- junk cleansing days, last day to pack your box, last day in the old workplace, very first day in the new office, and more.
When moving workplaces, make certain to thank those who made it occur!
Communicating early and typically applies beyond simply your own company too-- make sure to validate with outside suppliers like the moving company months in advance. "When I called the moving company, they believed I was insane.".
The majority of business workplace structures aren't going to let movers mess up their great elevators with moving carts and heavy furniture. "What time people can come, using freight elevators, what time individuals can utilize the freight elevators, additional expense for moving after hours, then coordinating with the new building to have that all happen on the same day.".
Know Your Employees ... and Their 'Things'.
Not all departments in your business are produced equivalent-- each group has their own requirements and equipment. The HR team requires a space with some privacy for interviews and other sensitive conferences. And the financing group needs filing cabinets for accounting paperwork.
Understanding what they'll need in the brand-new location, be prepared to deal with devices and other various items that go unclaimed at the old office. "I discovered that a lot of things weren't declared by anyone, and someone needed to decide what to do with it. For example, all the workplace products in the office that technically didn't come from any someone. Someone had to decide what gets tossed and what needs to come with us.".
Nail The First Day.
You never ever get a second opportunity to make an impression. Day one of a move will be chaotic no matter what, but do everything you can here to make it a celebratory environment and a smooth transition.
Developing a celebratory atmosphere on day one was a vital part of our office move.
" It's easy to get lost in the logistics but when it boils down to it, individuals appreciate a couple of things that will affect them on the first day-- how do I get in the structure and where am I sitting?" states Wollemann.
The moving committee created a welcome packet that had instructions on all the fundamentals of getting here to deal with the very first day and paired that package with a live presentation a couple of weeks before the relocation letting people understand what to expect-- where they would be sitting, how to get in and out, public transport choices, and more.
" You need to advise people on how to prepare, and how to be successful in the brand-new environment-- how to establish their desk, their tech, their chair, whatever," states Slater. "Require time to resolve even the tiniest of issues and take care of the requirements (not the desires) of people, either through technology, education, or design.".
There were a few items the moving team, in retrospection, desires were dealt with differently. Transferring to a new workplace, for us, suggested lots of new IT systems to implement-- brand-new printers, new docking stations for laptop computers, new structure security, and more. The IT group set-up a war room where individuals could come by for support on the spot, however lots of issues could've been prevented by possibly a team-by-team technology orientation.
Despite that small inconvenience, the team nailed the very first day experience. "We had an actually celebratory very first day (and week) at the new office," states Wollemann. "There were swag bags, balloons, unique treats, and more. Making individuals feel really special was a top priority.".
The Lunch Crunch.
One of the most surprising elements of our move is simply how invested individuals would remain in exploring the lunch areas in our brand-new neighborhood. Of all the routines being changed for the folks in our workplace, lunch unquestionably elicited the a lot of enjoyment and suffering.
" We create a really good welcome packet that included information about the neighborhood, but I wish we included more alternatives for lunch," states Christophe. "The options we put in there were more unique celebration kind of locations (i.e.-- more costly), and not every day lunch choices.".
Prepare people for their new cooking environments. Scour Yelp for the very best sandwiches, salads, tacos, and ramen, and make sure you interact that info to the team. Food is a huge offer, and you 'd be well served to set minds at ease about where your team can consume in their brand-new digs.
This action did generate a fun and imaginative option-- our team has now begun a shared spreadsheet where people can enter enjoyable, economical lunch spots they have actually discovered with a brief review that anyone on the group can browse read more for some brand-new options to attempt.
The Work's Not Done After The first day.
At 5PM on day one, it's easy to breathe a sigh of relief and believe the move is over with.
Not so quickly, states our move team.
" Individuals forget that the move and modification isn't over on day one," says Slater. You require to continuously iterate and resolve issues the very first month as people get utilized to the space and make changes so that the area works effectively.".
The the first day breakfast spread. Stay alert, the work's not even close to finished!
" The greatest difficulty is getting people to alter their behavior," states Wollemann. "One way to motivate that is really to focus the interactions. Even if the sole purpose is to interact the date of something or action they require to take, always bring that interaction back to why this change is going to be excellent for the future.".
Don't Forget to Make It Enjoyable.
Don't kid yourself-- moving workplaces can be a big old pain-in-the-ass. Everyone knows it.
After spending years in one workplace, we had actually all accumulated a lot of things that plainly didn't need to move to the new area. Given that no one really likes cleaning, the group made it enjoyable.
Large trash and recycling cans were generated and everybody in the business was encouraged to let go of all the junk they have actually collected over the years. Old documents was shredded, conference boodle contributed, and drawers full of napkins and plastic spoons from lunches past were discarded.
Throughout the very first week in the brand-new workplace, special surprises were planned, like afternoon cookies or catered lunch, together with unique welcome bags for website every single employee containing novelty chocolate service cards-- including the brand-new address, naturally.