Your business has grown, and so has your team. It’s time to open up that second office - but how do you make sure that everything is going to happen on time, and on budget, and most importantly without the potential impact on your business playing on your mind.
There are several reasons why you might be thinking of expanding. Perhaps you’re simply running out of space in your existing premises. Or maybe you need to open an additional office to cover a particular geographical territory.
If you’re simply running out of room, there are other options which may prove to be better for your business than splitting it between two sites. First of all, could you implement a home working scheme, which could free up some of your valuable office space?
Or would this be the right time to consider moving the whole company into a single, larger office? Splitting the company into two physical locations inevitably means you will have some duplication of central services – so while two small offices might be cheaper to let than one larger one, over time a single large office might be more cost effective.
Another option may be to use temporary office space to get you up and running in the new location, while you take stock and see if you need an office in that area permanently. Serviced, managed office space from companies like Regus or Easy Offices could offer a short- or medium-term solution if you need to expand, but are unsure how long you’ll need the premises for.
These are the kinds of issues that your project manager needs to consider in their initial impact report to you. At the end of the report, they need to make firm recommendations on how long the move will take to make, as well as the physical needs of the move. Will you need new phone equipment which gives your customers a single number to call, but which puts them through to the nearest branch office, and which allows you to call your other premises using simple extension codes? And will you need a high-speed network connection between the two offices, so that files can be shared easily?
Project management
The first and probably most vital element of managing a move like this is to have a single person in overall charge of the move – and, if at all possible, try and ensure that this person isn’t you. As the owner of your business, you already have enough to do – and project managing the establishment of a second office is a major and complex business. While the project will draw on all the different parts of your business, you should appoint a single project manager in overall charge, empowered to make key decisions. This also means you will have a single point of contact when asking questions about the move – which will make your life easier too.
There are two documents that you should ask them to produce initially: an impact assessment, which focuses on the way that the move will affect your business; and an overall project timeline which shows when you intend your new premises to open.
How complex these documents are will depend to a large degree on how autonomous your additional office will be. A retail outlet opening a second branch might only be in touch with head office a few times a day, or it might need to be in continual contact through EPOS equipment and so on.
Finding new premises
Once you have an overview of the overall impact that opening a second office will have on your business, you are ready to look for premises. You may already have a rough idea of where you need to look – for example, if you’re opening a regional office – but even if you’re tied to be a particular area, there are some vital elements to consider.
First of all, look at the area itself. Are there any local amenities, so that staff can actually get out at lunch times? Are there parking or delivery restrictions which might affect how easy it is for you to do business? Also, check the local business rates and local authority charges, and whether there are any additional costs for insurance because of the location – these can add up to a substantial amount, and may impact how viable an area is for you. Ensure that your project manager looks at these costs as he works on the project – an area with low rental costs may have substantial hidden expenses involved.
Planning the new workspace
Once you have an idea of location, you can look at specific premises. Here, it’s vital that you have a clear idea of the numbers of people who are going to be working there, and how the layout will work. If your move is complex and you need help with planning this, it’s best to talk to a qualified surveyor – contact the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors for help with this.
A good surveyor can help with many aspects of a new office, including working out how much floor space you actually require through to layout plans and – if necessary – working out whether you will need any structural changes to your new premises.
At this point, it’s also worth talking to IT specialists, who can help you with many aspects of the expansion, from planning the communications infrastructure that you’ll need to connect the offices through to ensuring that the phones are working on day one. Once this is done, you’re ready to start actually planning for the day you move in – and if you’ve done the planning up front, the day of the move will be smooth. Download our free guide on how BT can help you minimise the hassle of moving business premises.
The move
Opening your new premises will probably involve moving at least some staff out of your main office, so you’ll also need to consider this and plan for it. If this is part of your plan, talk to a specialised office mover as early as possible as they can advise you on many aspects of the move, including helping you with an assessment of how long it will take - a key element of ensuring there are no interruptions to your business. The British Association of Removers is a good place to start finding a good company.
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