Office Moving Checklist
Moving an office is a challenge that starts months before the move and does not end after the move. It is a process that takes dedication, careful planning, and an honest effort from all of your employees. This might seem like a tough task, but with a comprehensive office moving checklist to guide your actions, and ensure you are on the right track before the move, you will be well on your way to a smooth and effective office relocation.
Make sure to have your office checklist at the ready throughout the move to consult and guide your actions throughout the process, and your office relocation will be fast and efficient!
Preliminary
- Finalise the new lease, or real estate agreement
- Notify your landlord or building manager of the termination of your lease, if applicable
- Advise your senior management of the date and location of the move
- Create a master change-of-address list including clients, vendors, and contacts
3-6 Months Before Office Move
- Create a moving tiger team to assign responsibilities around the office to prepare for the move
- Start to catalogue all electronics, and company property around the office
- Start to plot the move to the new space with a colour coded floorplan with the moving tiger team
- Engage a designer for your new space, if applicable
2 Months Before Moving Day
- Research and select a local Calgary office moving company
- Check insurance for the move
- Order new stationery with the new address
- Decide on security procedures for the move
- Start to procure new furniture for the new space and complete an inventory of all furniture that will be transferred
1 Month Before the Move Date
- Identify new locations for printers, and other network devices on the colour coded floorplan
- Schedule public relation efforts, including writing press releases and an ‘office-warming’ party
- Contact the Post Office and set up an auto-forwarding and file a change of address form
- Notify important persons and organisations of the upcoming move including but not limited to:
- Banks and Financial Institutions
- Credit Card and other Credit Accounts
- Accounts Receivable and Payable
- Professional Organizations
- Clients and Customers
- Insurance Company
- Newspaper, Magazine and other Subscriptions
- Telephone Company and Internet Provider
- Prospects and Special Services
- Arrange for post-move cleaning at your old location
2 Weeks Before Moving Day
- Distribute Access Codes and IDs for the new space to employees
- Arrange for staff to visit the new location
- Provide staff with the moving day details, including schedule and expected duties for each employee
- Change address on the website, and official letterhead
- Liaise with moving company to go over moving plan, and moving day schedule
- Book elevators and loading docks for your moving day for both the new location and the old location
- Schedule staff to ensure you have unpackers at the new location for common areas
- Arrange for new lobby listing in your new space
Office Move Week
- Prepare emergency contact list with all applicable vendors
- Provide packing supplies to your teams
- Provide recycling bins and garbage bins for employees to purge their desks and filing cabinets of things they do not need
- Begin Packing
- Ensure all boxes and electronics are appropriately labelled to ensure they are moved to the right location
- Confirm all vendors and times for the move
- Change locks, and access codes to secure the new building before the move-in
Moving Day
- Unplug and disconnect computer equipment and phone system at your old location before movers arrive
- Turn on the air conditioning, or heating, in your new location
- Test new phone system
- Test new internet
- Install and set up printers and other network-based devices including work stations
- Start to unpack central and common office locations, and employees unpack their personal office spaces and start to set up their workstations
After the Move
- Distribute new phone list and a map of each division or team’s new location
- Have your staff complete an in-depth walkthrough of the location to check for any damage to furniture or equipment
- Complete a walkthrough of the old location with the building superintendent or manager to ensure you are not charged for damages or other after moving out fees
- Remove excess furniture from both sites
- Have your IT team complete a final IT check for all systems and servers
- Hang all whiteboards, connect smartboards, and install corkboards
- Hang and install office décor
- Audit the final invoices for the move
- Transfer your insurance, and ensure you are provided with the new certificates of insurance from your insurance company
- Confirm the change-of-address corrections are made
- Schedule a press release and client announcement
Whether you are relocating to a more central location or moving into a larger facility, a company’s move into a new office marks the beginning of a new stage in a business's evolution. This is why a smooth and efficient office relocation is critical to the transition and initial success for a company’s new space.
However, moving offices is a challenging project that requires careful planning, and organisation by senior management and throughout the company ranks. Ideally, transition times are kept to a minimum and business transactions, and the flow of commerce is minimally disrupted, even with the move to the new location. This takes due care and attention, and to achieve this; you need to prepare.
Our office moving checklist is an essential tool that will ensure you do not overlook or forget a small detail that could derail the whole operation.
Download our moving checklist or call our experts to get professional full-service moving assistance for your upcoming relocation.