Moving can be stressful in our home lives but when you’re moving business premises there’s even more to think about.
This means the whole process can be a minefield without pre-planning.
It sounds pretty simple – you’re just moving your business from one location to another, the path to moving successfully is littered with different things you’ll need to think about. In this article we’re going to go through things you should pre-plan for to ensure that your business move isn’t a stressful (or just less stressful at the very least)
Time
We know the old adage that ‘time is money’ and when moving business premises this cannot be more true. How long will it take to setup your new office? Do you need furniture or is it already furnished? How long will your downtime be?
Considering how long the move will take should be high on your priority list. When your business isn’t operating, you’re not earning money – and that’s a real issue if your planned move will take time.
Naturally the above depends on the size of your business and if you need any construction or design work on your new business premises.
You need to find timescales out from everybody involved whether it be removals and storage in London or finding out from a construction company how long it’ll take for the premises to be ready.
Make sure you have your timescales sorted – this is extremely important.
Health and Safety
Before you put employees in your new premises or indeed customers, you will need to ensure that you do a risk assessment. The health and safety work act of 1974 dictates that business owners have due care to ensure that the new premises are up to health and safety standards.
Inspect your new office premises for any potential hazards and put steps in place to ensure your employees and customers aren’t at risk. Along with this you’ll need to ensure that there are clear health and safety signs such as fire exits installed – as these are required by law.
IT Setup
Almost every business on the planet utilises some form of computing – whether it be keeping customer records and invoicing or whether it’s just simple word processing. One of the most common things that businesses do in the London area is move without having the relevant internet infrastructure set up which can be devastating to any business.
Ensure you’ve got a plan to move your tech and also ensure that you have services readily installed at your new premises to avoid delays in your computer operation.
Security
This is a big one for any business. Make sure you have all security measures in place to ensure the protection of your employees, customers and equipment. This would include having things like CCTV installations, security bars and adequate alarms.
Have a security specialist come to visit your new premises to do an audit on safety. It’ll be money extremely well invested to ensure your business is safeguarded for the future at its new premises.
Design
The fun bit! Have a look at how you want your new business premises to look. This can be seating plans, buying sofas, desks, chairs and various other bits of furniture. There are hundreds of interior designers in the London are that can help you plan – do your own research to find a reputable one online and ask them to help.
Maybe though you fancy yourself as a bit of an interior design genius – in which case – go nuts and design your own new office or make it a fun exercise and get your employees involved, it’s a great team building activity.
Happy moving.
