Office Move

A company finds a cheaper office across town, but its customer support team needs reliable phones on Monday morning, so the move must coordinate premises, people and systems to avoid interruption. Define the reason first, because growth, cost, location and hybrid work can call for different sites, and a move without a clear goal may trade one problem for another.

WeWork's office-move checklist covers planning, inventory and communication, and the NORNORM checklist draws attention to IT, furniture and people coordination, but these are commercial guides that provide prompts rather than a timetable that fits every relocation, so the company must verify its own contracts and requirements. Appoint a project owner, since facilities, IT, HR, finance and team leads have different tasks and one accountable lead should track dependencies and decisions.

Build a complete budget including deposits, fit-out, movers, IT, permits, overlap rent, cleaning and downtime, because a lower monthly rent can still mean high first-year cost. An illustrative first-year move cost is one-time move expense plus twelve months of new occupancy expense, less avoided old-site cost where appropriate, so a one-time cost of $200,000 and a monthly new cost of $30,000 give a gross first-year cash need of $560,000 before offsets.

Read both leases, because notice, restoration, deposit and handover terms for the old office can overlap the new site, and returned keys do not mean all obligations have ended. Check legal use and permits, since licensing, occupancy, signage and building approvals can depend on the location, and confirm with official authorities before relying on an address.

Map space needs too, because headcount alone does not show meeting rooms, confidential calls, accessibility or storage, so test how people actually use the workspace. Plan network service early because installation dates can slip, and have a fallback for critical teams rather than discovering the building lacks connectivity on opening day.

Inventory equipment to identify what moves, what is disposed of and what needs replacement, protecting records and securely erasing devices that leave service, and update access control so badges, keys and visitor processes work at the new site while access to the old site is removed when no longer needed. Test safety as routes, alarms, first aid and accessibility arrangements change, giving staff a site induction, not just a floor plan.

Communicate with workers by explaining address, start date, transport, parking, work pattern and support, since some staff may face a significant commute or contractual issues requiring consultation. Change external details such as website, invoices, bank records, licences, vendors and customer notices using a controlled list and checking deadlines.

Plan the move sequence, as a weekend move can reduce business disruption but staff and contractors still need safe access and realistic hours, and protect confidential files by tracking boxes and data devices through packing, transport and unpacking, because a general moving company inventory may not be enough for sensitive records. Test before opening, with phones, internet, printers, meeting rooms and critical applications checked by actual users, since a link light on a router is not a service test, and use a cutover plan that states when the old site closes, when the new one opens and who makes a go/no-go decision while keeping customer-facing fallback channels.

Expect small failures such as missing cables or access cards, and have a support desk and issue list to resolve them quickly. Confirm completion by recording returned keys, settled vendors, updated addresses and resolved defects, ask staff for feedback on noise, accessibility and meeting space, and remember that for owners an office move is a change to the operating system of the business, where the goal is not just arrival at a new address but reliable work there.