Since the pandemic started, people have been working from home in their millions. Companies have realised that they can still manage productivity and IT whilst people are not in the office. In fact, due to this, it is reported that over 75% of mid-large sized businesses are considering downsizing their office space. This is especially true for London office relocations, where companies are saving a lot of money every year by renting less office pace.
One thing holding companies back from relocating is the stresses involved in moving. However, it doesn’t have to be much hassle at all. Working with companies like Nutbourne, a London Managed Service Provider, can sort out all of your requirements. We offer a full design and build service, covering anything you might need.
There are a few stages to an office move where it is important to have a plan in place, ensuring the process isn’t overwhelming. We’ll list the stages here, along with what should be considered at each point of the process. Simply cross everything off as you go along and you can be sure you’re on top of everything!
Planning for London office relocations
In the planning phase there are a few points to cover for general moving, but also specifically for IT requirements. Essentially, this step will make the rest of the move easier, reducing the amount of potential pain points on the day.
☐ Create a moving schedule – this includes removals from your current office and also setting up the new office. If a move can be facilitated over a weekend, this may help alleviate stress by ensuring IT is set up before employees arrive on the Monday.
☐ Hire a removal company. Ensure they have the expertise needed to handle your tech and any specialist equipment you need to take with you.
☐ Schedule site visits with the removal company to both your current office space and the new one. This is so they can assess any special requirements for the move.
☐ Plan the new office space.
- How many people are going to be in the office? Ensure the layout is designed with this in mind, as well as the size of different teams. Is it open plan or will you need to add partition walls?
- Also think about the aesthetics of the office here. What can you do to ensure the space is fit for purpose and suits your company’s culture? Are you keeping the same furniture or procuring something new for a fresh office?
- Facilities should also be included in this plan. Plumbing, electrics, lights, etc. – are they all sorted already? Do you have any special requirements here?
☐ Finally, inform staff of the schedule and ensure they have all the necessary details well in advance. Don’t be afraid to open up the conversation at this point. It’s a great time to make changes and staff may have some important input here.
Planning for IT
☐ Schedule a site visit to the new site with your IT team (Or MSP, like Nutbourne). Here, they can check requirements for IT equipment, such as network cabling, points for phone lines, power outlet locations, etc. They can help suggest the best locations for workstations and other equipment such as printers.
☐ This is a good time to evaluate and catalogue your current IT & communications equipment. Does anything need upgrading or disposing?
☐ Plan to create a full system data backup to ensure you don’t lose anything in the move. Make several copies in different locations, just in case! Hope for the best and plan for the worst. We recommend you make a minimum of three copies, one of which should be stored in the cloud. The other two can be on physical drives in different locations.
☐ Contact utility providers – Will you stay with the same ones when you move? Ensure they know your moving dates to make the transition as smooth as possible. Obviously, if you need to cancel any, let them know your end date and make sure the new ones know when to start too.
Move Day
By now, you should have everything planned and everyone will be looking forward to getting in the new office, right? Well, it can be tough to get everything sorted with a quick turnaround, but with a well thought out plan, you should be able to minimise the move time and your stress levels at the same time!
☐ The first thing you should do on move day is have two site supervisors. One person at the old office and one at the new. Both should have a good understanding of the schedule to help anyone at either site with any questions.
☐ Ensure employees understand the layout of the office, fire safety routes are explained and health and safety information is covered. If it is a large office or has multiple floors then a map may be required.
☐ The old office should have a final clean and any dilapidations from the original lease should be sorted, ready for a landlord inspection.
☐ Transport one of your data backup copies to the new office, in case you need to restore any data.
☐ All tech needs to be set up and tested. Your IT provider should be available throughout the day to help facilitate the move and alleviate any issues employees may have, such as connectivity problems, phones not working, etc.
☐ Update your website to include any new address/contact details and inform your customers that you’ve moved.
☐ Celebrate getting through a London office relocation!
Contact Us
Moving offices can be stressful, even if you plan ahead. Nutbourne have years of experience outfitting new offices and managing large projects, especially for London office relocations. We can deal with anything and are your one-stop shop for moving offices.
So, if you’d like to find out more about our services for London office relocations or our managed IT services in London, then get in touch! Contact Nutbourne today on +44 (0) 137 7273 or by filling out one of our online enquiry forms. Alternatively, you can message us via our Live Chat option; one of our team members will get back to you as quickly as possible. However you wish to get in touch, we look forward to hearing from you!