So, you have an office move coming up. Where do you even start?

Eight weeks may sound like a lot of time, but an office move has many pieces to coordinate. You have employees, IT, furniture, vendors, two buildings to work with, and of course, a business that still needs to keep running while all of this is happening.

So, if you’re planning an office move, here’s what the next eight weeks can look like.

Start Looking for a Moving Company

If you already know you’re moving offices, start looking for a moving company early. Two to three months before the move is a good place to start, and for a bigger office, you may want to start even sooner. 

Commercial moves can get complicated, so you want a moving company that understands that side of moving. When you reach out, tell them a little about the move and what you’ll need help with. Packing, storage, office furniture, equipment… mention anything that may need extra planning. 

8 Weeks Before, Start Making Arrangements

Check with both buildings about the move. You may need to give notice at your current office, and the new building may have specific rules for moving in. 

Ask about:

• Moving hours
• Elevator reservations
• Loading areas
• Truck parking
• Which entrance the movers should use
• Building access for the moving crew

Now it’s also a good time to start reaching out to vendors that will need to know you’re moving. Be ready with your moving date, new address, and when you’ll need their service to switch from one office to the other. Ask how much notice they need and what they need from you to make it happen. 

Also, Start Your Address Change List

While you’re making all these arrangements, start a list of everywhere that will need your new business address. Your bank, insurance, business licenses, tax records, website, Google Business Profile, utilities, and any other accounts you use.

Don’t change anything yet, but keep that list with the rest of your moving information, along with building contacts, important dates, vendor details, and anything else you’ll need as the move gets closer.

7 Weeks Before, Decide What’s Moving

Depending on the size of your office, this may be a good time to start an inventory. Try doing it room by room or by department, and make a list of what’s going to the new office, and what you’re leaving behind.

You can use a simple spreadsheet to keep everything organized. List the furniture, equipment, and other larger items and mark what’s moving and what isn’t.

And for the things you’re not keeping, ask your moving company what options they offer. A commercial mover should be able to guide you on what can be donated, recycled, or disposed of, so you can make a plan for those items too.

6 Weeks Before, Plan the New Office

If you haven’t already, get a floor plan of the new office and start deciding where everything will go. Mark things like:

• Where each department or team will be
• Desk and workstation locations
• Conference rooms and shared spaces
• Larger furniture, printers, copiers, or other equipment

Then, match your labels to the floor plan. For example, if you mark one area as “Marketing” on the floor plan, label the boxes, desks, and furniture going there “Marketing” too.

Share the floor plan with your moving company so they can use the same system on moving day

5 Weeks Before, Talk to Your Team

This is a good time to let your team know how everything is going and what’s already in place. Share the moving date, the new office address, any changes to their work schedule, and what they need to know so far.

Also, start assigning responsibilities if needed. Let employees know what they need to pack themselves, what they should take home, and when everything needs to be ready. If you have a larger office, you can also have someone from each department help coordinate their area and make sure everything is ready for the move.

4 Weeks Before, Get IT Ready for the Move

This is a big one. Your team needs their computers, internet, phones, and everything else to be ready to work in the new office. So, talk to your IT team about the move and what they need to get ready.

Plan when the internet will start at the new office and when the old service will end. Also, make sure someone will be there to connect and test everything before your team comes back.

If your team needs to be back online first thing Monday morning, plan around that.

Get Your Packing Supplies Ready

If employees are packing their own desks or departments, make sure they have what they need to start. Get boxes, labels, packing materials, or reusable crates ready and let everyone know where to find them.

3 Weeks Before, Take Care of the COI and Building Details 

By now, you should know what both buildings require for the move, but it’s a good idea to confirm you have everything. By now you can take care of the Certificate of Insurance (COI).

Your moving company can provide the COI, but they’ll need the requirements from the building. Send those over to your mover so they can get it ready before moving day.

You should also have your moving hours, elevator or loading area reservations, and truck parking confirmed by this point.

2 Weeks Before, Go Over the Move Again

Moving day is getting closer, so, confirm the moving hours with both buildings, elevator reservations, loading areas, truck parking, and how the movers will access each office.

As for IT and any other vendors, reach out again to confirm the date, time, and when they’ll have access to the new office.

Finally, make sure keys, keycards, access codes, and parking access are ready for the new office, and find out when anything from the old office needs to be returned.

1 Week Before, Do a Final Check

You’re almost there! Walk through the office one more time and make sure everything that’s moving is packed and labeled, and anything that’s staying is clearly separated.

Send your team a final update with what they need to have ready and any last details for moving day.

And make sure whoever is helping coordinate the move has the important contacts, building access information, keys or badges, and anything else they’ll need that day.

Moving Day, Keep Everyone on the Same Page

Try to make things as easy as possible on moving day. Keep the spaces the movers will be using clear so they have room to work, and let them know if there’s anything you need moved first. 

Also, keep keys, access cards, important documents, and anything you’ll need that day with you, not on the truck.

And before leaving the old office, do one final walkthrough to make sure nothing was left behind.

Once You’re in the New Office

Check that everything arrived and is in the right place. Have IT test the internet, phones, and equipment, and make sure your team can access the new office. If something is missing, damaged, or not where it should be, let your moving company know.

Also, remember the address change list from earlier? Go back to it and finish any updates that are still pending.

Planning an Office Move?

We know moving an office is very different from moving a home. There are more people involved, more things to coordinate, and your business still needs to keep running before, during, and after the move.

That’s why we have Eco Commercial, a team dedicated specifically to commercial moves. We work with businesses of all sizes, from smaller offices to large companies, and we know every move is going to look a little different. Maybe you need help packing and moving the entire office, maybe you need storage too, or maybe there are several locations involved. Tell us what you’re working with, and we’ll help you plan it.

Get your free moving estimate and let’s start planning your office move.