5 Tips For Making The Most Of An Empty Office

With Christmas fast approaching and many offices closing over the Christmas period, an empty office can be, in fact, the perfect Christmas gift for your business.

“An Empty Office Doesn’t Have To Be Empty”

While your company is having some Christmas down time, here are 5 tips for what to do with your empty office.

1) Declutter

Look around your current office environment. Are the desks tidy? Imagine you are a client visiting – what impression would your office give? Use the empty office time to sort through your office and throw out anything that is not needed.  

2) Repaint

We know how good the rooms in our homes look after a repaint, so why not treat your office to a fresh coat of paint? Current colour schemes can be continued, or new colours (and even rebranding) can be introduced.

3) Renew

Does your office furniture look tired and dated? An empty office is an ideal time to disconnect computers, remove old furniture, install new desks and chairs and reinstate computer systems (or even upgrade them!).

4) New Layout

Offices can often look totally different if there is a new layout. Use an empty office as an opportunity to play around with layout ideas. However, don’t forget it will need to work once “bodies are in seats” – a new layout may look great in an empty office but may not be practical once staff are in the room working.

5) Organize

Organization is key – everything should have its place in your office. Ensure files and documents are stored neatly and are accessible. When your new look office is unveiled to your workforce, take time to discuss your expectations as to how things should be kept. If your office organization is maintained, your new look office will still look new come next December!

How are you going to make the most of YOUR empty office this Christmas?

Planning A Relocation

Whether you are planning an office relocation to acquire more room, to lower operating costs or to modernize equipment and facilities, identifying the best time for your relocation is vital.

Although disruption to the everyday running of your business sometimes cannot be avoided, when planning a relocation it is important to consider relocating during “quieter” periods of the year to help avoid as much business down time as possible. 

Each relocation is different, and depending on your circumstances, you may find that relocating out of office hours is an available option (particularly if your relocation is local and you have a “transfer period” between old and new sites). You may also find that weekends or Bank Holiday Weekends are sufficient. 

However it is often recommended that larger office relocations take place during school holidays and Christmas holidays; periods that will cause the least amount of disruption.

Points To Consider When Planning A Relocation

Plan In Advance: Many office relocation errors and problems are the result of working on a tight schedule. When little time is given, choices become fewer, mistakes are made due to rushing and as a result costs rise. It is recommended that you should be thinking about an office move plan at least a year before your current lease expires.

Have a schedule: If you have relocated before, revisit your previous office move plan – was it effective? Having a schedule enables office relocation to be structured and allows things to be done in the correct order e.g. cabling for networks and phones. When planning your office relocation, keep all your relocation-related documents in one, easy to find place.

Budget: Office moves can easily go over budget, particularly if this is a first time move or you are unaware of costs. As with any move, there are often unplanned costs and it is more common to go over budget than be under budget so when setting a budget leave “breathing room” to allow for this.

Relocation Co-ordinator: Appoint a relocation co-ordinator to plan your office relocation project. The co-ordinator will need to be highly organized as they will be running the relocation project as well as their regular job, and will be responsible for all aspects of the project.

Consider Rebranding: As well as moving office, relocation also allows opportunity for rebranding. When planning your company relocation, consider interior design and logo redesign – would this benefit your business?

Choose Carefully: Although quickly looking up a service provider in the phone book saves time, it can also create problems if the quality of their work is not up to standard. Well-vetted service providers are essential for your office relocation to be a success. Take time to research – are the companies you are hiring to provide a service or product familiar with office moves? Are they endorsed by a trusted third party? Try to get recommendations from trusted professionals.

Security: Relocating an office is a hectic time and quite often valuable items such as equipment and furniture are left unattended for periods of time. Ensure security measures are in place and are working when you arrive at your new office. Any business sensitive equipment e.g. servers should be stored in a lockable room to prevent theft or tampering. Many thefts occur when moving trucks are left open and unattended so in order to protect your equipment and furniture, ensure someone is monitoring the trucks at all times during the move.

Relocating IT: Bad IT relocation can cause major issues for a company, particularly if IT servers are affected.  Ensure your IT department backs up your data and a test recovery is performed before your IT equipment is moved off the premises.