By Julie DeLong, A-1 Freeman Moving Group
Someday in the life cycle of your business you're going to move your office. A commercial relocation is commonly as hectic for you and your employees as a household goods move, only much more for you because you're responsible for your crew's well-being, too. Here are six strategies to keep your team focused and included during your office move to Austin.Open Discussion
Be as truthful and transparent as you can with your employees. Make sure they know the reasons for the move--expansion, cheaper office space, or even the need to be closer to infrastructure such as rail terminals or airports--and furthermore, make the move public as early as possible. If your move is caused by downsizing, reassure your remaining personnel that the move is a natural part of a favorable restructuring. Prepare a pre-move schedule that includes crucial dates--any project due dates, the days you will be moving, the periods that you are packing and loading. The greater information you provide, the better your team will be able to coordinate their responsibilities through to the move day. In case something shifts in your timetable, get the word out.
Ask for Feedback
When you have decided to make a move, accumulate feedback from your team--a wish list, if you will--about the location and the kind of office space they would want. If you can, incorporate your staff in the decision making--these are the folks who got you where you are, therefore their opinions and suggestions should matter.
Tackle Commute Times, Transportation, and Parking
Every business is unique, however there are a few constants across the board such as--everybody will have to commute to work. If you're in a small city, a move isn't such a big deal relating to things like parking garages, public transit, as well as traffic patterns as they typically aren't a challenge. In the event that those are issues for your personnel, you should contemplate how they impact their ability to get to and from work in a reasonable time, and how and where they park should you be in an metropolitan area where parking reaches limited. Think about everyone's new travel and time, and if you are able to, offer to help with bus or subway cost or parking fees. Be open to flexible hours or work-from-home days for any staff who are up against prolonged commute times.
Offer Information Regarding Day Care in Austin
Research child care and after school care around the new area and offer to help cover the application costs for team members who have to make a change in day care.
Determine Expectations, Yet Have Fun
It is easy to get stuck in the stress and adrenaline rush--to the point which very little work is done in the run-up to the office move to Austin. Particularly when your move is long-distance, it's easy to forget the work at hand when you are looking for a new place to live and selling your old house and checking out school choices and uprooting families. There will be frustration and uncertainty, that being said give your team some leeway--but be ready to gently get any strays back on course should they begin to slip.
Human nature being what it is, you might have a bit of low spirits and anxiousness within the days leading up to the move. Once more, if your move is interstate this will be far more pronounced, so present incentives for keeping on target and efficient. Plan packing events or get-togethers for families on the weekends.
Provide an Information Packet on Austin
Even in this electronic time, an info packet is a fantastic thing to have. The depth of the packet is determined by the type of the move--if it happens to be across town then you probably will not need to research school choices and local communities. For a move which involves moving homes in addition to the business, there are the things you'll need to address, including: local communities, educational institutions, child care, places of worship, hospitals/health care, nearby shops (grocery, drugstore, shopping), dining establishments, veterinarians, fitness centers and after school programs.
Similar to any move, a commercial relocation to Austin will probably be nerve-racking. Making use of these straightforward ideas, you can easily ease a part of that tension and ensure it is a favorable adventure leading to higher personnel retention, so that you will hit the ground in good shape your first day in the new workspace.
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