An office move starts with a plan, not with boxes
Moving an office differs from moving a flat in one way: every hour without operations costs something. So the aim isn't to move quickly, but to move in such a way that people can work normally the next day. The order of all the steps is subordinate to that.
Measure up the new premises and make a layout plan
Draw a floor plan and place the desks in it before the move. Each workstation gets a number. You then stick the same number on that person's desk, chair, monitor and boxes. The movers don't have to work anything out; they just look for the number on the door and at the spot.
Check the sockets and data points. The most common snag isn't the furniture, but the fact that the new premises lack a socket where a desk is meant to go. Finding out a week in advance means time for an electrician; finding out on moving day means extension leads across the whole room.
Sort out connectivity first
Order the internet well in advance. Setting up a line tends to be the longest item in the whole project and can't be sped up on moving day. Ideally, have the line working before you move in.
Divert phones and update your details. Change the address on your website, in your company profile on maps, in email signatures and on invoices. Inform your accountant, bank, suppliers and key clients.
Build a timeline
Work backwards from the key handover date and write out the deadlines. Three months ahead, deal with the lease and building works; a month ahead, connectivity, furniture and cleaning; two weeks ahead, packaging and labels. In the last week you just pack and check.
Write a name next to each deadline. A task without a specific person gets lost in the team. A simple shared spreadsheet that everyone can see, showing what's done, is enough.
Get rid of what you won't be taking
An inventory before the move saves both work and space. Broken equipment, old files past their retention period and broken chairs are an unnecessary load. Electrical waste goes to a collection point, documents to shredding.
Assign roles by name. One person is responsible for equipment, one for furniture, one for documents and one stays at the old address as the final check. Without names, responsibility evaporates.
How to handle the office move itself
Timing
Move over a weekend or a public holiday. You'll gain two extra days to get the equipment up and running, and nobody loses working time. Our vans are available around the clock, so you can set off early on a Saturday morning or on a Sunday evening.
Drive outside the rush hour. In Prague the difference between seven in the morning and four in the afternoon can easily be an hour on the road. Check in advance where you're allowed to stop and for how long, and arrange lift access with the managers of both buildings.
Equipment and data
Back up everything the day before. Keep the backup separate from the equipment being moved, i.e. in the cloud or on a drive that someone carries in a backpack. It's the cheapest insurance for the whole project.
Photograph the cables before disconnecting them. A photo of the back of the server or network cabinet saves hours of guesswork. Put the cables from each device in a bag and tape it to the device.
Transport computers and monitors in their original boxes, if you have them. Otherwise stand monitors on their edge between soft items, never flat on top of each other.
Documents
Transport files in small boxes. Paper is extremely heavy; a full large box can't be lifted and will tear. Tape up boxes containing personal or sensitive data and entrust them to a specific person.
Keys, fobs and security
Sort out access before furniture. Have new fobs, cards and alarm codes handed out in advance, otherwise the first person to arrive on Saturday morning is standing in front of a locked door. Collect all the keys back from the old address and keep a list of who you've given what to.
Notify the building manager of the move. Switching off the alarm, booking the lift and access to the courtyard often have to be arranged a few days in advance.
The first day in the new premises
Get the workstations up and running first, and only then deal with the look of the place. A working network, monitors, chairs and lighting take priority over pictures and plants.
Walk through the old office one last time. Desk drawers, the kitchenette, the fridge, the cellar and the letterbox. Hand over the keys and record the meter readings.
Choose the van by volume, not by the number of people. Office furniture is bulky but light, so what matters is load length and height. You'll find our range in our fleet, and the terms for businesses in the PROFI programme.
