How to communicate the move to your Employees
Most organizations that have more than a handful of people need to have a strong communications strategy for both internal and external communications. Whether it is notifications about policy changes, day-to-day procedures, or anything under the sun, employees need to know about important things.
This also includes developing a plan for an office move and developing a moving checklist.
While you may think that there are so many steps to planning in an office move that you do not have time to even consider communications, you really need to take a day or two to create a firm strategy that will keep both employees and your clients aware of the upcoming changes.
Quite importantly, you want to keep your employees directly engaged in the move since they will likely be the most affected by the move.
Key Internal Messages
The key messages should involve the timing, packing, office closures, new office layout, and details about the new location.
Timeline:
Make sure you list all the key steps of the move so everyone knows what to expect and when.
Packing instructions:
Provide staff with instructions on how to pack their offices or cubicles for the move. This should include where to get packing materials, what they are responsible for packing, and deadlines.
Advanced notice of any office closures:
During the move, you may need to close the office to enable the final packing and moving of office equipment and furniture. Make sure your staff is aware of these dates and if and how the business will continue during the move and how this will affect their work schedule and workload.
New office plan:
Staff will want to know early on what the new space will look like and how the offices will be set up. Will they still have their own space or will they now be in a cubicle or open floor plan? Make sure you create a way to inform staff of how their workspace might change.
The new location, parking, and commute options: Provide staff with all the information they need about the new location so that they can prepare transportation to the new space.
