Your company might be going through headquarters relocation for a few different reasons:
- Your company is doing really well and is expanding to a new office
- Your company is not doing well, and relocation might be the best option to help it grow.
- There is a new geographic opportunity in a completely new region
- The building where your company rents office space increases the rent, which is a financial strain on your business.
No matter the reason for your corporate headquarters relocation, it is a good idea to follow a checklist to help you get through the move. A job relocation checklist helps ensure that your company will run smoothly during and after the move.
Headquarters Relocation Checklist
When preparing for headquarters relocation, it is essential to follow a job relocation checklist to ensure that everything runs smoothly during your company’s move.
1. Organize Business Operations
When preparing for your company to relocate, it is essential to organize your business operations. Business operations refer to the people involved with your move and the processes involved with relocating your company.
This is geared mainly toward high-up executives with your company and pertains to HR managers helping to organize the relocation. The business operations checklist is essential because it helps determine how quickly and efficiently your company will be able to handle headquarters relocation. When planning this checklist, you should include these tasks:
- Create a new seating chart and layout of the office
- Set a timeline for the relocation process
- Choose specific people for a relocation committee
- Have a protocol developed in place for moving any confidential or necessary paperwork or data
2. New Office Design
When your office is moving, it is good to have a plan in place for your new office space. In this plan, you should generally have an idea of how your new area will be set up.
Often, companies hire a designer to help make their new office space appear to be aesthetically pleasing. However, it is not necessary to hire a designer. When planning how to design your new office space, it is essential to consider these areas.
- Amount of furniture you need
- Whether or not you need new furniture
- If there are enough desks
- Amount of equipment your office needs
- The style and colors you want the office to be
- The organization of different departments of your office
- Common areas, break rooms, thinking rooms
3. Get Technology in Order
Getting your technology in order is possibly one of the most critical steps on this checklist. The possibility of having a security breach or losing any data can significantly impact your company if something goes wrong.
Your company needs to prepare the technology for your headquarters relocation as a team. When preparing your company technology, you should follow these guidelines:
- Back up any important files before the relocation
- Have a plan set in place for the new office
- Know what equipment you will need, like cables, power sources, servers, etc.
- Assess the whole IT base at the office before the move, including power sources, equipment, servers, and cables.
4. Communication with Employees
When you are preparing for your office to move, communication is essential. Your employees and coworkers need to be adequately informed about your company’s relocation. You might even consider hiring a relocation specialist to help your employees prepare for the move.
Communication is critical if your company is moving a long distance since you will need to communicate to your employees about severance packages, relocation gross-ups, or relocation offers. However, these are entirely different conversations you will need to have with your employees. To start, be sure to go over these tasks.
- Have instructions ready for the impacted employees with a moving timeline in place
- Prepare a relocation letter for the employees affected
- Prepare an internal announcement for your employees
- Send out layoff letters if necessary
- Prepare to send an external announcement to your clients, press, vendors, etc.
- Update your business’s information whenever it is listed with the new information
5. Close Out Old Office Space
It is easy to overlook what to do with your old office space when getting ready for a headquarters relocation. When you are getting ready to close the chapter of your old office, it is crucial to be sure everything is canceled; the office is completely cleaned and organized. Before you permanently close up your old office space, it is necessary to check these things.
- Check for any damage in the building.
- Take inventory of any furniture, cables, technology, etc.
- Hire a cleaning service to clean the space once everyone has moved out of their office space
- Cancel all utilities, like electricity and internet
- Remove any company signs
- Return all building keys or passwords to the new owner or landlord
6. Prepare for the New Office
An essential step in your job relocation checklist is to prepare your new office for the day of the move.
Besides decorating the office space and picking out desks and furniture, you will need to take steps to ensure everything goes well in your new location for both your employees and the movers. Before your new office opens up, you should check that these factors are taken care of so the first day goes well.
- Be sure you have high-speed internet operational for the first day
- If air conditioning is needed, ensure that it is functioning properly
- Have room in your budget for refreshments and lunch for your employees and movers
- Plan an office warming party after the move is completed
- Have emergency phone numbers on hand in case they are needed
7. Help Your Team Settle In
Once your corporate office relocation has been completed, you can relax a little. To get your company back into the swing of things, you should be sure that everything is running the way it should. Before you know it, your office will feel less confusing and more comfortable. To ensure your company is ready to get back to business, you should:
- Be sure your company’s insurance has been transferred
- Ensure that all areas in your office are labeled and clearly defined
- Create a new internal contact list if necessary
- Confirm that your old lease has ended
- Confirm that any deposits for your new office have been received
- Ensure your employees have new keycards, keys, or passcodes they need for the new office
- Check all payments and invoices
- Set up all computers, telephone lines, and systems
- Be sure your company’s contact information has been updated
- Make sure your employees feel welcome (leave a welcome note or give a small gift)
Conclusion
If your company is planning a corporate headquarters relocation, ARC Relocation can make the move less stressful. Whether your company is relocating near or far, ARC Relocation can help. Contact us today to discuss your company’s relocation needs.