By Julie DeLong, A-1 Freeman Moving Group
Sooner or later in the life cycle of your business you are going to move your office. A commercial relocation is commonly as stressful for you and also your employees as a household goods move, only much more for you since you are accountable for your crew's well-being, also. The following are half a dozen strategies to keep your staff motivated and involved during your office move to Denver.Open Discussion
Be as straightforward and clear as possible with your personnel. Tell them the causes for the move--growth, more affordable office space, or even the need to be nearer to infrastructure like rail terminals or airports--and furthermore, make the move public as soon as possible. If your move is a result of downsizing, assure your remaining staff that the move is part of a positive restructuring. Send out a pre-move schedule that includes vital dates--any project deadlines, the days you're going to be moving, the days that you'll be packing and loading. The more details you supply, the better your crew will be able to coordinate their responsibilities through to the move date. In the event that something varies in your schedule, spread the word.
Call for Input
Once you've opted to make a move, gather feedback from your team--a wish list, if you will--about the area and the type of office they'd prefer. Whenever possible, include your staff in the decision making--these are the individuals who got you where you are, hence their feedback and ideas should matter.
Deal with Commute Times, Transportation, and Parking
Each company is different, however there are several constants overall such as--everybody will have to commute to work. If you are in a small community, a move isn't such a big problem relating to stuff like parking garages, public transportation, and traffic patterns as they normally aren't a difficulty. If those are factors for your workers, you will need to think about how they impact their ability to get to and from the new location in a practical time, and how and where they park if you're in an urban space where parking is a premium. Map out everyone's new travel and time, and if it's possible, offer to assist with bus or subway fare or parking fees. Be receptive to flexible hours or work-from-home days for any staff who are up against extended driving times.
Offer Information on Day Care in Denver
Research day care and after school care around the new location and offer to help cover the application charges for team members who will need to make a change in child care.
Determine Requirements, But Have Some Fun
It's easy to get stuck in the nervousness and adrenaline rush--to the point that almost no work gets completed in the days preceeding the office move to Denver. Especially if your move is interstate, it is easy to forget the jobs at hand when you are searching for a new house and marketing your old house and researching school choices and uprooting families. There could be frustration and concern, hence allow your team some flexibility--but be ready to delicately guide any strays back on track in case they start to slip.
Human nature being what it is, you might have a tad of low morale and stress within the days approaching the move. Once more, if your move is interstate this is likely to be much more apparent, so offer rewards for staying focused and efficient. Plan packing gatherings or get-togethers for families on the weekends.
Supply an Information Packet on Denver
Even in this online age, an info packet is a marvellous thing to get. The depth of this packet depends on the scale of the move--if it happens to be across town then chances are you wouldn't have to research schools and local communities. For a move that involves moving homes in addition to the office, there will be the things you will need to discuss, for instance: local communities, school districts, daycare, places of worship, hospitals/health care, nearby shops (grocery store, local pharmacy, shopping), places to eat, vets, fitness centers and after school programs.
Similar to any move, a commercial relocation to Denver is going to be stressful. By using these simple tips, you can easily alleviate a part of that tension and ensure it's a positive experience that leads to increased personnel retention, so that you hit the ground running your first day in the new office.
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