You’re starting the process of relocating offices. Maybe a lease end is upcoming, or you’ve outgrown your current space. Whatever the reason, there are many factors to consider, all of which contribute to the success and ease of your relocation.
Let’s break down these factors and discuss our office relocation tips to help ensure you find the perfect office space.
Why Is It Important To Choose The Right Office Space?
When starting the office relocation process, it’s vital that you choose the right space for your company and your requirements.
Your office space isn’t just a location, it’s a reflection of your business. It’s where employees spend a significant portion of their time, so it needs to positively impact employee productivity and company culture.
Assessing Your Needs
Before thinking about the physical office space you’re going to be moving into, you need to define your business goals and objectives.
Are you aiming for business growth and expansion or planning to maximise profits? Consider how your office space can support these objectives.
Then, you need to determine your budget. This is one of our first office relocation tips and is high on the priority list. It’s essential to have a comprehensive overview of all ongoing expenses. Make sure to factor in costs, such as; utilities, maintenance, insurance, property taxes, fit-out costs, moving services, etc.
It’s also a good idea to include a contingency fund in your budget to account for unexpected expenses. This safety net can provide peace of mind and prevent financial strain.
Next, it’s time to identify your space requirements.
- Are you aiming for rapid growth? If so, you’ll need a space that can accommodate an expanding workforce.
- Calculate the square footage required for your office space.
- Taking into account workstations, common areas, meeting rooms, kitchen facilities, and storage spaces.
- Consult with employees, providing valuable insights into their space requirements.
Checklist for Choosing The Right Space
The next of our office relocation tips is all about choosing the right physical space for your office.
Location Considerations
- Public transport – How near are the bus stations/stops, tube stations and train stations to the office? Is the office walking distance from the stations? How easy is it for your employees to commute via public transport?
- Airport transport – Do you have a global presence? Will your employees need to fly for business? Think about how far your new office is from the airport, to ensure travel is efficient and hassle-free.
- Food – Where can employees go during their lunch break? Are there lots of food options? Are there suitable places to host clients?
- Competitors – Will you be located near any of your competitors? Will this cause any issues?
- Clients – If you’re regularly visiting your clients’ offices, are they close to your new office or far away? If they’re too far away, employees may spend too much time travelling, rather than actually meeting with clients.
- Employee commute – Consider the impact on your employees for their new commute. Is the commute busy, stressful or long? What are the traffic patterns like? You don’t want employees to arrive in a negative mood, due to a stressful commute, and you must consider their wellbeing.
IT Infrastructure Considerations
- Data centre – Will you require a data centre in the office? Think about the size of the space if you need a comms room, and where the best place to position it will be.
- Internet connectivity – Practically all businesses nowadays require internet connection. How fast is the internet? What’s internet connectivity like?
Efficiency Considerations
- Energy efficient – How efficient is the building? This is a very important part of our office relocation tips, and should be taken into careful consideration.
- When selling/renting a building, the landlord must give you an EPC (Environmental Performance Certificate) which will give you an idea how energy efficient the space is. This is a legal requirement.
- Get an idea of energy costs from the landlord, or previous tenants
- Ensure the space has double glazing, to help you reduce the cost of your energy bills.
- Light – How much natural light is in the space? This can improve employee productivity and well-being, and also reduce energy costs.
The Building
- Disabled access – It’s a legal requirement that your space meets the current Disability Discrimination Act regulations. This Act was replaced in 2010 by the Equality Act, so make sure the space meets all of the latest requirements.
- Read more about the Equality Act
- Security – Is the building secure? Will you require extra security systems? How safe is the neighborhood? Staff need to feel safe and secure at all times.
- Parking – Are there enough parking spaces available for employees and visitors? If not on-site, is there sufficient off-site parking?
- Outside building condition – What does the external condition of the building say about your business? Is it well kept, or are upgrades required?
- Noise – Does the space echo? Is it located next to a train station or in an airport flight path? Noise can be very distracting for employees and reduce productivity. Acoustic treatment can be applied to reduce the effects of noise pollution, will this need to be included in the fit-out of the space?
Cost Considerations
- Fit-out costs/furniture costs – Does the space require a professional fit-out to upgrade, personalise or treat any issues? Will you move old furniture with you, or will you be purchasing new furniture to fit new company branding?
- Check out Oaktree’s Design and Build Services and get in touch to discuss what we can do for your business.
Moving services – How much will it cost to move furniture/storage/files/IT equipment to the new space?
Negotiations and Legal Considerations
- Lease terms – Ensure you negotiate lease terms, length and possible breaks through your agent and solicitor. They will be able to inform you what can be negotiated.
- Dilapidation costs – Upon moving out, your landlord will require you to return your space back to its original condition. Negotiating these costs when discussing the lease can save money in the future.
- Rent free periods – Negotiate rent free periods with the help of your solicitor.
How Do You Prepare Employees For An Office Move?
In this part of our office relocation checklist, we’ll discuss how to prepare employees for the transition to a new office.
- Allow your employees to familiarise themselves with the new space.
- Give them an induction to the new space and discuss new safety and security protocols.
- Schedule the move strategically and ensure it doesn’t clash with any important events or dates.
- Provide temporary workspace solutions, or ask employees to work from home for a period of time to minimise disruption to their working day and productivity, if there is lots of movement in the office.
How Do I Move Employees To A New Office?
Finally, we’ll look at our tips for moving employees to a new office and our checklist for an office relocation.
- Plan the transition to the new space. Prepare and provide a timeline of events and assemble a moving team to take charge of the move.
- Communicate with your employees – keep them informed at all times, and address any concerns or questions they may have.
- Ask for employee input – to make sure employees are being heard, ask for their input on the moving process.
- Employees need to be satisfied and comfortable to improve well-being and productivity
- Involving more people in the process will allow you to come up with innovative and more efficient solutions – two heads are better than one!
- Upon moving in, ensure you provide employees with a proper induction, and provide them with orientation assistance.
To Conclude
These office relocation tips will hopefully provide you with some assistance when choosing the perfect office space for your business when going through the relocation process.
It is critical to ensure you include employees throughout the process to make sure they feel heard and are having input on their new workspace. This will make the process much more seamless, as everyone will feel involved and give their support.
Save this office relocation guide and refer to it as you go through the relocation process.
Good luck with your office move! Alternatively, explore our office relocation services and trust our team of professionals to guide you through every step of the process.
To understand if an office relocation is right for you and your business, check out this blog post.