Moving offices is not just a stressful process for business owners it can also be a time of anxiety for staff. With office relocations meaning change, it’s important that we keep our staff informed of the details of an office move and that we provide support in the areas that staff are concerned about. Here are our top tips on how to prepare your staff for an office relocation and how to make sure they are feeling positive, confident and on-board with the move.
Don’t Overwhelm
It’s important that you don’t pass on any stress or anxiety that you are experiencing regarding the move. If you are feeling uncertain about the move yourself make sure that this is not something that you are transmitting to your staff. It’s also equally as important that you assure your staff that the move will be as stress-free and simple for them as possible. Tell them that you are hiring professional office movers to take care of all the hard work so they are not worried about what their responsibilities will be.
Enthusiasm is Contagious
On the flip side of the coin, this should be an exciting time for your company and one that should be celebrated. Showing how enthusiastic and excited you are about the move will, in turn, make them feel much more confident and positive about it. Why not throw a ‘New Office’ party to get your team really on board with the move and feeling that it’s something to celebrate.
Define a Message Surrounding the Move
Like with everything in business any new developments or times of change need to have a message so that people can understand it. Make sure the message surrounding your office move is one of development and growth. A new chapter for the company, heading into the future in a stronger and more powerful position than ever. Not only will this help your workforce to feel good about the move it will also ensure they are communicating this message of positivity to all their clients.
Listen to Concerns
New office locations can bring about a whole range of problems to employees. They may incur a longer commute, they may be the other side of town to the daycare centre where they need to drop off and pick up their children. The new area may not be as appealing as the old location in terms of restaurants, shops and public transport links, so all these issues need to be addressed.
Make sure you are really open with your staff about any concerns that they have and listen to how the move may impact their day to day lives in a negative way. Try to be flexible with staff in order to find solutions to individual problems and look into ways that the new location of your office can bring benefits to their working life.
Balancing positivity and enthusiasm with the sensitivity needed to deal with staff concerns is not easy. But with the above points in mind, you should be able to keep your staff educated about the new move and prepared for the subsequent changes it will bring.
