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With all the complexity that an office move brings, it is necessary to manage large tasks into more manageable blocks.
Based on an ideal timeline of six months, here is an office move checklist detailing many important duties and considerations to make your office move as hassle-free as possible.
No doubt, you will not time to do even half the things listed on this office move checklist. This is why Cubicle World stands ready to help you with any and all line items listed below.
Three to six months before the move.
Find an appropriate new location for your business.
Hold a staff meeting regarding the office move.
Discuss the location of the new office and circumstances regarding parking and building access during the move.
Determine move date and build a time-frame and master schedule for the move.
Determine the scope of the office move.
Identify resources at your disposal for the move.
Establish a preliminary budget for moving.
Appoint a moving committee with various qualified staff representing various aspects and responsibilities of the moving process.
Determine who does what in each department of the moving process, and when.
Determine who is in charge of packing communal-space items and also belongings on behalf of absent coworkers.
Explain the importance of communication and coordination among all team members and the recognition of individuals’ responsibilities with a focus on efficiency.
Set how often staff will meet regarding the moving plan.
Discuss layout of the new office space based on actual measurements from a visit.
Determine what area of the new office space will be used for what.
Create a labeling system that links departments and items to locations in the new office, as well as assigns personal belongings to each staff member (using colors, numbers, letters, etc.).
Determine professional office-moving company and third-party move management consultant.
Arrange for any necessary interviews.
Collect estimates.
Request proof of insurance coverage.
Determine need for an interior designer.
Notify current landlord and/or building manager.
Create a list of people who need a change of address from you. This includes vendors, clients, suppliers, banks, creditors, the IRS, your insurance carrier, the Secretary of State, the Employment Development Department, and the Franchise Tax Board.
File a change of address with all necessary contacts and online or printed publicity media.
Ensure lists of employees, clients, and service providers are up-to-date.
Select a furniture company and consult with them regarding any new furniture which may be needed.
Create a list of existing furniture in the current office.
Determine what stays and what goes.
Determine what items that are staying are non-essential.
Determine what items that are going can be donated, sent to the landfill, or otherwise properly disposed of.
Determine proper locations for signage at the new location.
Hire a vendor to plan, get approval for, and install new signage.
Determine if any equipment requires moving through specialized or approved.
Conceive of a file mapping plan that all staff can follow.
Consider deciding on a date for a potential office-warming party.
Schedule elevator service in both locations.
Arrange for the continued operation of air conditions in both locations during move days.
Prepare for the possibility of damage of more valuable items, such as artwork and expensive electronics.
Obtain additional insurance.
Take photographs and other necessary documentation.
Arrange a tour of the new office space, taking not of any light bulbs, leaks, and other damage that must. be repaired before move-in.
Arrange for the distribution of pertinent access passes for key staff in the new office, including keys, tags, and parking permits.
Schedule dates for disassembling and reassembling office furniture.
Order and procure long-lead IT items, telephone/network circuits, and data/specialty circuits.
Order phone lines where they may be needed.
Confirm or change your long-distance carrier.
Plan phone and computer system design.
Arrange any possible storage facilities that may be required.
Schedule a cut-over date for your telecommunications/data provider.
Collaborate with IT to incorporate their needs into the move plan.
Determine what tech services will be required on the day of the move.
Coordinate moving of servers with IT.
Check existing lease for any necessary restoration work to return current space to the landlord.
Two months before the move.
Continue meeting regularly to review responsibilities and status of planning (weekly meetings are encouraged).
Move sequencing/timeline preparation as needed.
Assign new staff to new duties, as needed and as moving day approaches.
Rework moving time-frame and master schedule as needed.
Develop “punch list” of items to be completed by the contractors/suppliers.
Confirm Certificate of Occupancy and other permits that you’ve acquired.
Arrange breakfast or lunch on the day(s) of the move.
Conduct a final meeting with the supervisory team and vendors for preparation.
Coordinate the pickup and delivery of office plants.
Arrange for post-move cleaning of both office spaces.
Check with property management to ensure notification of the move to other tenants.
Confirm loading dock, elevators and building ingress/egress scheduled, with the help of property management.
Collect any final furniture layout plans from employees for their new spaces.
Continue planning for networking and telecommunications, such as ensuring Internet access at you’re the office location, getting new phone numbers, or move existing ones.
Schedule service for copiers and other equipment.
Schedule all utilities.
One month before the move.
Continue regular meetings for changes to and status of the move planning process.
Fine tune move schedule.
Create packing guidelines for individual staff members to follow.
Confirm all relevant details are covered.
Plan an employee orientation meeting.
Confirm any procedures for safety and security at both locations and procure any security services as needed.
Archive old files.
Obtain any necessary parking and/or moving permits.
Contact all suppliers and customers regarding your move.
Schedule for any office equipment to be serviced 2 or 3 days before moving day.
Create a public relations campaign with press releases regarding the new location.
Secure off-site storage location for old files.
Discuss and agree on move insurance needs with the company.
Modify new space to meet equipment demands as necessary (coordinate with users).
Add your listing to lobby directory at the new building site.
Place orders for new stationery and other materials related to business correspondence, with updated contact/address information.
Two to three weeks before the move.
Arrange for delivery of any packing materials or crates.
Continue regular meetings regarding the progress of moving planning process.
Finalize move time-frame and master schedule.
Schedule move day on-site help versus who stays at the old office.
Among weekly meetings, hold employee move orientation meeting.
Finalize plans with building managers at both locations.
Ensure the new office will be fully ready by the day of the move day (wiring and cabling, air-conditioning and heating systems, security systems, etc.).
Order keys and other building access materials for all staff.
Conduct a walkthrough with your moving company.
Confirm pickup date and time with your moving company.
Conduct a final walkthrough with the new building manager to address any issues that might negatively affect the building as not move-in ready (leaks, damage, burnt out light bulbs).
Confirm phone and computer installation plans.
Establish a Lost and Found center at both locations.
Establish a move command central for any mover and employee inquiries.
Employees may pack up non-essential items for the new office.
Back up and make copies of important company data and information, including insurance policies, legal documents, bank statements. Store it on external hard drive or the cloud.
Create a list of important contacts that includes your chosen office moving company, new building management, telecommunications.
Begin to clean up and pack communal spaces.
Start cleaning up and packing common areas.
One week before moving.
Have any necessary services performed on office equipment.
Ensure everyone takes home personal belongings like iPads or laptops.
Schedule training for all emergency procedures at the destination for staff.
If any additional packing materials and labels are needed, schedule their delivery.
Finish organizing, packing and labeling any non-essential equipment.
Distribute emergency/on-site/on-call lists to all involved in the move.
Make sure that everything is labeled properly in both locations and that all items are ready to be moved.
Put up helpful signs giving direction and location where you are and where, the office is along with, placards, workstation/office numbering and identification.
Put up any finalized plans of furniture where appropriate.
All keys to office items should be labeled and put somewhere safe. Make sure that you have masters and duplicates of the keys.
Distribute any remaining building access materials, like keys, access cards, etc.
Distribute any finalized layout plans for final unpacking and placing items where they belong per the labelling system.
To avoid damaging the new and old buildings, prepare both with corner guards, tarps, etc.
Change locks and access codes at the new office location (as late as possible before moving day)
Safely store all confidential records using tamper-evident security seals.
Disconnect and prepare major appliances and electronics, such as securing or removing loose parts, before relocating.
Moving day
Meet the moving crew and provide them with all necessary information they need to efficiently As soon as you can, make sure all printing, IT, and telecommunications equipment it set up, connected, and tested.
complete the move.
Make sure to stay around so that your relocation partners can get find you if there are questions they may have.
Create a standard process for dealing with issues such as help and lost items, etc.
Every day of the move, conduct a walk-through to assess alignment with schedule, level of completion, correct location and connection of equipment, any damage, etc.
Protect any building elements in both locations against moving damage, including elevator, lobbies, walls and floors.
Assign staff to give assistance to movers and vendors.
Check inventory as items are moved onto the trucks.
Collect building access materials, like keys and parking permits, and distribute new ones to staff.
Finalize installation computer and telephone installation.
Use the finalized layout plan and labeling system to unpack items and determine their proper locations and what other items they belong with.
Quickly return equipment or moving boxes that were used in the move in order to avoid the cost.
Prepare ‘honey-do’ lists for everyone involved in the move.
Make sure everyone keeps a printout of emergency numbers on hand.
Ensure the air conditioner is running, for comfort reasons.
In order to process any claims, indicate any damages on mover’s inventory before adding your signature to anything.
Ensure the presence of new signage.
Read the bill of lading carefully before signing it. Keep it in your possession until the entire moving process is complete.
After the move
Consider hiring a small support-service crew for hanging art, whiteboards, framed items, etc.
Perform a detailed check of both premises to ensure nothing has been left behind at either. Check spaces shared by multiple tenants, including elevator lobbies/cabs and hallways.
Prepare employee welcome packets outlining the various amenities and room locations. This can also include employee name, job title, and welcome note, and a snack or drink.
Ensure that calling your old phone number will inform you of your new, correct phone number.
Collect and old building-access items including security cards, keys and parking passes for the old office and confirm the return of deposits held by the landlord for items.
Post easy-to-see signs of the codes corresponding to your labeling system on equipment and office zones to help with locating and placing office items.
Ensure the availability of various building-access materials, tags, and security information.
Prepare and submit any reports regarding damage found in the new office.
Move central help center as needed to deal with inquiries, lost & found, and honey-do lists from all applicable departments and trades in order to successfully go live.
For each employee, provide a new phone list and department location map.
Make sure that you have fulfilled end-of-lease obligations with the old office location.
Complete and file information on new furniture and equipment warranties.
Check for proper completion, delivery, and installation of items against the vendor punch list, coordinated with vendors.
Ensure the transfer of your insurance and that old leases have been taken care of.
Issue a client announcement or a press release about the move.
Have an office-warming party for staff.
Audit final invoices against contracts, pay retention, and progress payments.
Update a fixed asset accounting system to address any purchase of new furniture or equipment and any that have been disposed of.
Again, we know that running your business takes priority over any individual line item on this office move checklist. Please do not compromise your process flow trying to do everything yourself.
Let Jerry help you. Call Cubicle World now to finish your office move checklist and experience a smooth, affordable, and truly professional office move.