Relocating your business can be a trying time, and this is equally true for the staff as it is for owners and management. In fact, one of the only major differences is that staff usually don’t have control over the process. This means that the whole ordeal can often be even more stressful for the members of your staff. Every manager or owner should know the difference that having a happy staff can make. Therefore, it is a good idea to follow these tips in an effort to reduce any potential impact could have on staff morale.
Have a Reasonable Plan and Timeline
Moving to a new location always causes some headaches. Still, one of the worst things you can do is to leave your staff in the dark. Not knowing exactly when things will happen or what is expected of the staff only leads to questions and uncertainty. This means your staff might end up spending their work time worrying about the move instead of being focused solely on their jobs. For this reason, it is vital that you keep your staff informed about exactly when and how the move will happen and what they need to do to help facilitate it.
Don’t Make Your Staff Do the Heavy Lifting
Hiring corporate movers almost always makes sense. Your staff was hired to perform specific tasks, and the more time they have to spend doing other things means the less time they have to spend on their actual job. Not only that, but you will probably find that a lot of your employees are none too pleased should you inform them that they now have to help with the moving and heavy lifting. There is usually nothing wrong with asking staff to pack up their own personal items and workstation, but asking them to actually help with the moving is usually a step too far.
Ensure Everything is Ready When Your Staff Moves in
Another simple way to make your relocation run more smoothly is to make sure that your staff is fully able to do their jobs as soon as they move into their new workspace. Making sure that your phones, internet, computers, and other essentials are in working order is obviously important. In some situations, this may mean packing up and moving everything in the evening or over the weekend. Some companies even resort to giving their employees a few days off or having them work from home to allow time for the new space to be properly set up. In this way, the staff has a few days to rest and recharge, and the company doesn’t have to pay for everyone to be in an office where they can’t properly do their work.
No matter what your reasons are for relocating your company, there are a number of small steps you can take to simplify the process. The last thing you want to do is make your move any more stressful on the staff than it probably already is since this could directly impact your bottom line. Therefore, it is well worth your time and money to make sure your staff stays happy during the move.
Brooke Chaplan is a freelance writer and blogger. She lives and works out of her home in Los Lunas, New Mexico. She loves the outdoors and spends most of her time hiking, biking, and gardening. For more information, contact Brooke via Facebook at facebook.com/brooke.chaplan or Twitter @BrookeChaplan
