When you’re moving your office or business, one of the things that you’ll need to do to make your relocation a success is to get your employees on board with the change. Some employees may be excited to work in a new location, but others may hesitate or be concerned.
Addressing these feelings upfront can help foster goodwill among employees and can help make your relocation a success. If you’re a business owner, here’s what you can do to help your employees feel good about your upcoming move.
1. Foster Productive Conversation
Use change management techniques to foster transparency and productive conversation about the upcoming relocation. Discuss the benefits of your upcoming relocation in meetings and everyday conversations to continue reminding employees about what matters about your new workplace.
Encourage employees to ask questions and be upfront about any challenges you’ll face during the move. Talking about the benefits puts this at the front of everyone’s mind and keeps it there so your employees can maintain positive feelings about their new workplace.
2. Provide Facility Tours
Provide employees with a tour of the new workplace. Seeing the facility in person can be very convincing to those hesitant to change, especially if the facility is a step up from your old location. If you have many employees, you may need to offer multiple showings of the facility to allow everyone to see it for themselves.
When giving them a tour, point out everything you like about that facility, including amenities and features that make it a pleasing workplace.
Is the parking lot bigger and in better condition? Are the bathrooms more modern and cleaner? Is there more capability for plugging in printers and computers with more wall outlets? Does the structure have an improved state in its entirety? Is it closer to your customers? Is there a nice view? Are there better amenities close by?
Look at your new workplace from all these angles and list things to show your employees while they’re looking at it.
3. Encourage Employee Involvement
Relocation implies change, but it should not only come from the top down. Your staff members must have a voice in their new workspace. Consider allowing them to input about the layout and design. Invite them to weigh in on choices such as where to arrange team seating or where to hold brainstorming sessions. By encouraging this kind of involvement, you are telling them that their comfort and productivity are just as important as the benefits of the new location. It will give employees more ownership and investment in the new space.
4. Address Their Concerns
Your employees may have very legitimate concerns about their new workplace. For example, if the commute is longer, this could impact their quality of life. Work with your employees to make changes that will lessen the impact of any changes they find problematic. This will help foster good relationships between management and employees.
Plan Your Office Relocation
Work with full-service moving professionals during your upcoming office relocation. Seek a moving company with years of experience moving businesses. Contact us today for a free quote.