Moving is often an inevitable part of doing business. As you grow as a company, so too do your physical constraints. Whether because you found cheaper real estate elsewhere, or you’re expanding or downsizing, you should take your employees into consideration when planning a commercial move. Keeping them informed throughout all steps will make them feel as though they’re part of the move.
This involves openly communicating with them and considering the impact of each aspect of the move on your employees. Be sure to ask for input about the move from your staff. Here are some more ways to keep your employees engaged when moving offices.
Address Transportation
A move will likely translate to a change in your employees’ commutes. Take a moment to consider the new business location in relation to the existing location, looking at all the logistical changes this move will incur. Utilize your employee database to find out which employees will have to begin commuting significantly farther post-move. If you have employees that come to work via public transportation, determine whether transit modes will be accessible in the new location.
If you find there are logistical issues that come up, meet with the affected employees and notify them of their options. Perhaps you could offer to pay for transit fees or parking spaces, or give them enough time in advance to look for other work if the commute is too much. Perhaps you could offer an incentive, such as working from home one day a week, to ease their commute. Or maybe they could come in earlier or later depending on traffic patterns.
Keep Lines of Communication Open
It’s important to communicate with employees on a regular basis to keep them in the loop, and give them opportunities to ask questions about the impending move. Make sure they know about the moving date as soon as you can. This way, they can start telling their customers, clients, and vendors, and generally prepare for their specific part of the move. Give them a timeline of the move and let them know what their roles are.
Create an Information Packet
Particularly if your company has been in the same location for a number of years, it stands to reason your employees will have long established their favorite places to eat, grab a coffee, hit the gym during lunch, etc. To ease the transition to the new location, come up with a list of local businesses located in the new neighborhood, including cafes, gyms, restaurants, day care centers, grocery stores and dry cleaners.
Contact Around the Clock Moving & Storage
To learn more about our commercial moves and how we can make the transition for you and your employees easier, contact us at 469-853-0045 for a free quote.
