Essential Packing Tips to Help Make Your Office Move Effortless

An office move might feel like an exciting time for any company. But it comes with risks. The main problems you could face include damaged equipment, business interruption, and unexpected costs.

But you can protect your company against many problems by ensuring a proper relocation plan, including packing and moving your items.

To help you put that plan together, read our essential packing tips for any business looking to move offices soon. 

Prepare an Inventory

Make a list of all your office furniture, electronics, and other essential office equipment. Put someone in charge of the inventory and store the information in an online spreadsheet.

It’s also worth using a unique coding system to make items easier to track.

Measure large or bulky items to help determine what transportation, packaging material, and storage you’ll need during the move.

Order packing materials in advance to ensure you have sufficient quantities – you don’t want to get to the day of the move to realise you’re short of boxes or tape. 

Use Labelled Boxes

Buy waterproof and secure labels for all your packing boxes.

Make sure you label each box with some detail about the contents. Add information about the intended location if you have more than one office. That will make getting those boxes to the right place easier and faster after you move. 

When using an inventory spreadsheet, you should have a code for each item, so make sure to add this code to the label. 

Remember to add labels to the top and the side of each box. If your movers stack the boxes, you’ll still be able to find what you need at a glance. That will help your team when you start unpacking at your new office. 

You might also find it worthwhile to colour-code your boxes as this makes it simpler and quicker to sort through them when you arrive at your new offices. 

Separate Sensitive Paperwork

If you have sensitive paperwork such as customer data or employee files, ensure you secure them away from the rest of the move. It’s worth considering a lockable box to ensure they remain secure during and after the move. 

Put Your IT Team In Charge of Electronics

Electronic equipment like servers, meeting screens, and laptops need careful protection during a move.

So if you have a dedicated IT team, make sure you put them in charge of safely disconnecting technical kits from the network and securely packing them for the move.

They will also need to ensure all cables are properly labelled and packed so that you can rapidly set up your new technical environment after moving. 

Hire Professionals

Professional movers are the best option for the safety of your workforce and equipment. An experienced and professional mover will be able to guide you in getting the office move carried out efficiently and correctly. 

When hiring professionals, check they have all the right equipment for the job, and if you need to buy packing material, get them to provide an estimate of the type and quantity you need.

You’ll also want to make sure any professional team has the correct insurance coverage. 

Pack Breakables With Care

Even with excellent insurance coverage, you don’t want to risk damaging your items during an office move. After all, it might slow you down when getting your new office up and running if you have to order a replacement.

Always make sure you purchase plenty of cushioning material like foam and bubble wrap to wrap items like electronics and anything fragile. 

Don’t leave any essential items loose in oversized boxes, as they might slide around or get crushed when transported. If you need to, train your team on how to pack items securely.

Ensure you remind your team to check that they have properly sealed and labelled each box before handing it to the movers. Poorly sealed and taped boxes could open during the move, damaging any items inside. 

If you’re relying on team members to move large boxes, check they have the proper safety training, so they don’t damage their backs when lifting. 

Take Pictures

It’s easy to move to your new office, only to forget where everything goes! That’s why taking pictures of your office layout before you move will be hugely beneficial. 

That way, when you unpack items, you can delegate the unpacking to anyone with a simple photo to illustrate how you want to arrange your new office. 

Create a Move Day Plan

If you want to ensure your move-day packing goes smoothly, it’s worth creating a project plan. Make sure everyone knows the responsibilities so that all packing gets done on time and nothing gets missed.

Let people know when you expect them in the office to help with the packing, and keep all packing equipment in a central area so it’s easy for people to access. 

It’s also worth having some tasks on your plan for the unpacking day. Although unpacking tends to feel less urgent, any delays could hinder your ability to get your operations up and running.

So get all unpacking tasks written down and assigned to the team. If you have a strict deadline, offer incentives (and some food!) for people to stay late to help get everything done. 

Draft an Office Layout

Before unpacking in your new office, make sure you have a floor plan, so your team knows how you will use the new office space.

People can refer to the layout before moving and unpacking boxes. And it means you won’t have equipment in the wrong spots or have teams searching every room looking for the printer!

The Essential Packing Tips for a Successful Office Move

Don’t leave your office move to chance. If you want to minimise interruption to your business, use these essential packing tips to ensure you’re ready for the big day.

To help move to go smoothly, always hire experts with the right equipment and experience to transport your items safely and efficiently. See how affordable our professional moving services are by requesting a quote here.