Company office relocation usually comes with some hassle that is impossible to avoid. That little annoyance, however, may soon escalate into a significant problem if any of the many critical parts of the new building are not functioning properly, particularly when it comes to IT performance. The same may happen if a part of the equipment is either lost or damaged during the relocation.
The good news here is that the latter problem can be easily prevented by turning to Elate Moving for help. Thus, you can be sure that all the office equipment, hardware, and fragile items are packed properly and will be safely delivered to the new place. When it comes to the former issue, we will address it further in this post.
What Can Go Wrong?
IT mistakes when planning an office move can cause a lot of risks and issues to the entire organization. When leaving the IT department out of the loop during a relocation, a company may be faced with the following:
- Decreased productivity — The IT systems and infrastructure at the new office may not be properly set up, leading to delays and reduced efficiency in work processes.
- Data security breaches — During the relocation process, data can be lost or compromised, which can have a significant impact on the business and its reputation.
- Downtime — The IT systems will be offline during the relocation process, which can result in lost revenue and productivity.
- Increased stress on employees — Relocating an office can be a stressful and disruptive experience for employees. Without proper planning and involvement of the IT department, employees may feel unprepared and overwhelmed, leading to decreased morale and performance.
- Inadequate assessment of IT needs — Managers may forget to keep the IT needs of the new office in mind, potentially leading to misplaced equipment and disruptions in setting up IT infrastructure at the new office.
To mitigate these risks, it’s crucial to involve the IT department in the planning and execution of the office move, ensuring clear communication and collaboration throughout the process. If anything is missing or insufficient concerning the new office infrastructure, your company may remain down for much longer than expected. To get ready — here are some of the most typical IT blunders to avoid while relocating to a new workplace.
Assuming a Smooth Transition of Phone and Internet Service
Few things interrupt a work atmosphere more than not having phone or internet connectivity, even for a few hours throughout the workday. Assuming you’ve retained the same internet provider from your previous site, make sure you agree on the relocation plan with them so they know how many users will want service and what access speed will be required at the new facility.
The same may be said for your phone service. If you have the same provider, go over precisely which phone services you’ll want, as well as how many customers will be on the network.
Leaving Your IT Department out of the Loop
Inadequate involvement of the IT department or provider in the relocation process can lead to misplaced equipment and disruptions in setting up IT infrastructure at the new office.
It’s essential to involve the IT staff in the planning and execution of the move to ensure a seamless transition. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that you inform the IT department about the move, discuss the IT needs of the new office, and coordinate the relocation of IT equipment and infrastructure.
Clear communication and collaboration with the IT team are crucial to avoid potential IT-related disruptions and to ensure that the new office is properly equipped with the necessary hardware.
Failure to Provide After-Hours/Weekend IT Support
If anything, you should anticipate that after-hours and weekend IT help will be required throughout the migration and for some time thereafter to ensure a smooth transition.
There are always bugs and things that go wrong, and they don’t always happen at the most opportune moments. It’s advisable to have at least part of your IT staff on standby during and after the transfer. Furthermore, completing IT changes outside of business hours implies less downtime for the rest of your team.
Failing to Reassess Phone, Connectivity, and Support Needs
There’s no better moment to review your business’s phone, connection, and support requirements than when you’re starting over in a new location.
If you have to add or improve any of those features after the transfer, it will most likely be far more difficult to execute and will prolong the disturbance to the workplace.
Make all of those modifications throughout the relocation and start with a setup you can live with for a while.
Overlooking the Chance of Remote Working for Employees
Consider having at least some of your critical employees work directly from home, rather than being less effective or productive in either your present or future workplace, both of which are likely in flux.
What you should strive for when transferring key workers is a minimum loss in productivity so that your organization is impacted as little as possible during the relocation time. Until everything at the new site is properly installed and set up, the best answer may be to promote working from home and employing remote access to your network, particularly if your firm is cloud-based.
Ignoring the Chance to Consider Additional Digital Transformation
If you must undertake this huge relocation, why not start anew at the new facility? This is an excellent moment to execute that paperless office effort you’ve been working on for the last two years. It’s also an excellent time to encourage your office people to become more mobile by offering gadgets that enable them to access your company from wherever they happen to be.
It’s usually more difficult to implement a major change in the workplace after the relocation has been completed and everyone has settled in since you’re battling the inherent inertia of the status quo. When the dust settles, you may have a highly productive workforce and a solid platform for future corporate success.
Plan Your Office Move Properly
Planning an office move is tricky as there are so many things to consider. Otherwise, a single mistake can cost too much to your company and business. That’s why it is always a good idea to entrust your company relocation to professionals who know all the ins and outs of the process.
