Move Office without Losing your Staff
If you want to retain your employees and attract new talent when you move office, you'll need to ensure that your staff feel valued and an important part of your office relocation,and that they understand the reasons behind the move. After all, the last thing you need is to begin a big recruiting project after you've undergone a stressful office move.
Staff are bound to be affected by the office relocation, not least their commute to and from the office will be impacted, and adapting the new surroundings may take a little time. Companies need to be considerate about the personal impact an office relocation may have on its staff, and the key here is to maintain communication throughout the process, and be as flexible as possible in accommodating their fears and their transition of working in a new environment. Here are some tips to ensure your office relocation goes smoothly as far as relocating your staff are concerned:
Maintain Communication throughout the Move
Announce your office relocation to staff as early in the process as possible. This will help to avoid them hearing about the move from other sources - as this only leads to speculation and wrong information being circulated. Communicating with employees on a regular basis about the move is crucial to keep them in the picture and make sure that hear-say is minimised.
New Office Information
Inform your staff about where the new office will be situated and provide information about transport links or parking facilities to help staff plan their new journey into work. Be aware of those staff whose commute will be significantly longer, or those who have childcare issues to consider. Provide them with some options and be accommodating with those staff who are most sensitive and likely to be most affected.
Identify & Promote the Benefits
Give very clear, consistent and positive messages to staff about the move. Even if your business is moving to smaller, cheaper offices - there are bound to be advantages that the new office will bring. A new environment is said to encourage and increase productivity for staff anyway!
Ease the Changeover
Create an Information Pack about the new area and leave this on staff's desks on the first day. Staff may have their favourite sandwich shops and coffee shops in the existing vicinity, so to help with the transition, create a list of local businesses that are in the new area, including restaurants, cafes, gyms, nurseries, dry cleaners and supermarkets.
Find out more about how to help your staff through an office relocation with the HR Guide to Moving Office.
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