By Julie DeLong, A-1 Freeman Moving Group
At some stage in the life cycle of your business you are likely to move your office. A commercial relocation is commonly as anxious for you and your personnel as a household goods move, only more so for you since you are a major contributor to your team's well-being, as well. Below are 6 tips on how to keep your team motivated and involved during your office move to San Antonio.Open Dialogue
Be as honest and transparent as you can with your staff members. Let them know the causes for the move--expansion, less costly office space, or perhaps the need to be nearer to infrastructure including railways or airports--and more to the point, make the move public as soon as possible. In case your move is because of downsizing, reassure your remaining employees that the move is part of a favorable reorientating. Distribute a pre-move schedule that includes important dates--any task due dates, the times you're going to be moving, the times that you'll be packing and loading. The greater details you provide, the better your staff can deal with their tasks through to the move day. In case something varies in your schedule, get the word out.
Call for Input
Once you've chosen to make a move, collect feedback from your team--a wish list, if you will--about the location and the sort of office they'd prefer. Whenever possible, incorporate your employees in the decision making--these are the people who got you where you are, thus their views and ideas should matter.
Tackle Commute Times, Transportation, and Parking
Each organization is unique, but there are some constants in general for example--everybody needs to commute to work. If you are in a small town, a move isn't such a big problem relating to items like parking garages, public transportation, and traffic patterns since they usually will not be a difficulty. In case those are aspects for your staff, you will need to think about how they effect their ability to get to and from work in a sensible time, and how and where they park should you be in an downtown location where parking reaches limited. Map out everybody's new travel and time, and if you are able to, offer to assist with transportation fare or parking fees. Be receptive to flexible hours or work-from-home days for all staff who are up against lengthy commute times.
Offer Information on Day Care in San Antonio
Research child care and after school care close to the new location and offer to help cover the application charges for associates who have to make a change in child care.
Identify Expectations, But Have Some Fun
It's easy to get caught up in the nervousness and adrenaline rush--to the point that almost no work is done in the days preceeding the office move to San Antonio. Particularly when your move is interstate, it is easy to overlook the tasks at hand when you're looking for a new place to live and marketing your old house and checking out school districts and uprooting families. There could be frustration and chaos, hence grant your team some leeway--but be prepared to delicately get any wanderers back on the right track in case they begin to slip.
Human nature being what it is, you might have some low spirits and anxiety within the days getting close to the move. Just as before, if the move is interstate this will be much more apparent, so offer incentives for staying focused and efficient. Plan packing parties or get-togethers for families on the weekends.
Provide an Information Packet on San Antonio
Even in this online era, an information packet is an excellent item to get. The detail of the package depends on the type of the move--if it is across town then chances are you won't need to investigate school districts and neighborhoods. For a transfer involving moving houses in addition to the workplace, there are the matters you'll need to cover, for instance: subdivisions, educational institutions, daycare, churches, hospitals/health care, neighborhood retailers (grocery store, pharmacy, shopping), places to eat, vets, gyms and after school programs.
As with any move, a commercial relocation to San Antonio will probably be nerve-racking. By following these simple tips, you can easily alleviate a bit of that stress and make sure it is a favorable encounter leading to increased staff retention, so that you will hit the ground running the initial day at the new office.
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