Volume 7, Issue 4
Reduce the Stress of an Office Move
Cathy Sexton – Productivity Strategist and Coach, Personal Assistance Services
Whether you are moving across the hall, across town, or
across the country, a smooth office move requires
plenty of planning. The key is to start early, be
organized and keep detailed to-do lists to minimize
stress for yourself and your co-workers.
In an office move, it is all about the advanced planning.
Appoint one person to act as the overall logistics
coordinator to organize and oversee the office move
from beginning to end. This coordinator will handle all
communications with staff, landlords, movers, etc. The
logisitics coordinator should designate a team to
coordinate and manage specific jobs such as relocating
computers, servers, security systems, telephones,
utilities, and furniture, as well as coordinate moving
company services and disposing of furniture and
equipment that are no longer needed.

Decide whether you will be using existing or
new furniture and equipment, or a combination,
at the new location. Develop a specific plan to
dispose of supplies, furniture and equipment
that are no longer needed. Consider donating
unneeded items to a local non-profit agency or
offering them for sale to organizations in the
community.

Create a floor plan. Take measurements of the
new space and draw a location layout of
furniture and equipment including electrical
and data outlets, HVAC vents, doors and
windows.

Schedule office/file clean-out days prior to the
move to save precious room and avoid moving
unnecessary items. This is a great time to use
PAS’ Getting Organized service to educate
employees on how to become better organized
and to provide professional consultation around
downsizing their “stuff” and organizing their
space.

Have periodic planning meetings to keep
everyone informed about the moving plan,
logistics, and status.

Create guidelines and procedures for each staff
member to follow prior, during and after the
move. Create a timetable so everyone knows
what needs to be done and when.
Here are some ideas to help plan the move:
Early Stage Planning

Preparing for a move is a great time to
strengthen your organization’s paper reduction
practices. Well in advance of the move, go
paperless by scanning as many documents as
possible for electronic storage and then shred
the unnecessary paper copies.

Select a moving company. In addition to cost
and capacity considerations, choose a moving
company that provides boxes, moving
containers and checklists to help organize the
move.
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Reduce the Stress of an Office Move (continued)
Final Preparation

Schedule your move to occur on a Thursday or
Friday. Consider giving flextime to employees to
encourage them to use the weekend to settle
into their new space.

Watch inventory levels leading up to the move;
you don’t want to move more than needed.

Apply for and obtain needed final inspections,
occupancy permits, and insurance coverage.

Order any new furniture or equipment in plenty
of time for delivery (at least 10-12 weeks in
advance).

Order phone, internet and security services in
advance and confirm installation two weeks
prior to installation date. Test the services prior
to the move.

Order letterhead, business cards, brochures,
change of address cards.

Update the company website with your new
contact information.

File cabinets should either be emptied or locked
and secured prior to moving.

Add fun and lightheartedness in the process
whenever possible to keep stress levels
reduced.
Having contingency plans and being prepared for the
worst-case scenario can reduce the stress of last minute
glitches. The more organized the plan, the smoother the
process will turn out. Don’t forget to acknowledge the
effort and hard work of the individuals involved;
appreciation goes a long way.
About PAS’ Getting Organized Service
For those wanting to become more organized but
feeling overwhelmed by too much to do in too little time
or too much clutter in too little space, PAS can help
simplify life, whether at work or at home. PAS
professional organizers help employees to:
Design a system to:




Manage time
Prioritize tasks
Minimize procrastination
Accomplish more with less stress
Learn techniques to improve:



Executing the Move

Each employee should be responsible for
packing his or her own office/workstation.

Provide employees with boxes and packing
materials well in advance so they can start
packing items that are not currently being used.

Visibly label every item using a floor plan coding
system to aid the movers in placing items
properly in the new space.
Planning & scheduling
Work flow processes
Staying focused
Develop strategies to:



Reduce clutter
Organize your work space
Set up a filing system
For more information, please contact PAS
Client Services Department at
(800) 356-0845
www.paseap.com
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This article is not intended to be construed as legal advice, but is provided as an overview of good business practices.
PAS-It-On © 2011 by PAS and HRS, Inc. 9735 Landmark Pkwy., Ste. 17, St. Louis, MO 63127-9968
(800) 356-0845
Material may not be reproduced without written permission.