Whether you’re moving offices as an employee, employer, or both, the process is undoubtedly going to be a bit frustrating. Taking up all your belongings and having to relocate them to a new place, set it all up, and get your new environment situated in a suitable manner isn’t most people’s idea of fun.
It’s often made much worse when you realize you’ve forgotten or misplaced something, especially if it’s essential to your work. This should be avoided at all costs, not only to avoid the nuisance but also the potential excess hit to your wallet as well.
It’s important to take the time to prepare these essential items beforehand, and perhaps even taking it upon yourself to move them instead of allowing a third party to do it, if feasible. Nevertheless, making it a priority to organize and prepare these items before the big move can save you a lot of time and money in the long-run. Here are three of the most essential items to prepare before the move:
1) Your Technology
There’s no way around it – your computer is probably an essential part of your job, especially if you’re working in an office environment. This is your connection to clients, the company databases, social media, emails, sometimes even phone numbers, and, of course, important documents too.
While you may have a company computer, it’s still important to go through it beforehand to ensure everything is in its place and back up the content into a cloud service just in case.
You may also use other technology depending upon the business and its needs. Whether it be tablets, phones, scanners, or any other kind of uniquely designed software put in place for your business and its clients, you’ll want to make sure all of this is prepared to move, and move safely.
2) Your Physical Documents Too
Although most documents are kept online, on desktops, and in cloud storage, this isn’t always the case. Even when a document is stored digitally, many people also like to keep a physical copy of it in their office as well for legal purposes or just insurance. This is especially true for small businesses who are in the startup process or are expanding quickly.
Some documents require a physical presence too, especially those that may at times need to be presented for legal matters or moments of verifying identity or ownership. So, not everything can be stored online and, in some cases, it may not even be safe to do so.
That being said, prioritize your physical documents’ organization into a manner that makes sense to you before moving, if they aren’t already.
Everyone organizes documents differently in a way that resonates with their mind, so make sure to personalize yours in a way that suits you. Then, place them in a secure means of transporting them to ensure they aren’t strewn about upon arrival at your new location, as this is the last thing you’d want to deal with after moving.
3) Your Personal Items
Although you may only be moving offices and not moving homes, it’s more likely than not that you’ve got some personal items lying around your workplace too, no? An office is somewhere employees, and sometimes managers or owners too, spend a great deal of time, so keeping personal necessities and luxuries on hand can make an office a home away from home.
Depending upon the item itself and its value, you may want to use this opportunity to replace the old and bring in the new, especially in the case that your employer is giving you some sort of moving stipend for furnishings.
Not all items can – or should – ever be replaced though, and these should be carefully put away before the moving truck drives off with them. In fact, many employees may want to simply relocate their personal items on their own, and that may be the best route to go anyway.
Organize them into a box or two, preferably consolidating the items as much as possible to make it easier on yourself, and do so in a way that will be easy to unpack. You don’t want to have to go digging through piles of stuff to set up after moving into a new office environment.
Organization and Preparedness Is Key
Organization and being prepared are the two main factors in helping the move to a new office go over smoothly. Taking the time to do these two things will save you, or you and your employees, a lot of time and frustration throughout the process.
