Maybe you are looking for ways to be more economical with spending or you want to fit into a space in a specific area of town. Consolidating associates to a smaller space can seem intimidating. By keeping your associates informed and engaged, as well as following some of our best practices, you can transition your team to a new space seamlessly and effectively. We are here to share some of our best practices to transition your associates to a smaller space effectively.
Create A Fit Plan
A fit plan is a great way to explore how much space is needed to accommodate your business. This involves working with a professional to review the types of spaces needed and tying a square footage number to those spaces, to arrive at the ideal space size for your needs. You will want to be realistic about what you need. Having an environment that is comfortable to work in is important to your associates.
It is important to engage the proper technology resources early in this process once you have a fit plan identified. Technology is incorporated in nearly all parts of our work environment and proper planning can help avoid any last-minute surprises.
Consider A Furniture Plan
Once you’ve found the perfect place and created a fit plan, work with a professional to create a furniture plan to see how your space lays out. Once the furniture plan is finalized, it is helpful to number workstations and conference rooms on this plan so associates can find their seats and their way around the new office.
Now that you know how much space you’ll need, let’s work on preparing your associates for the transition. First, you will want to determine the best form of communication for your associates. Whether it is email, Microsoft Teams, or an internal website, select a means of communication that will reach the most people.
Communicating To Your Associates
Begin by communicating why moving to a different location will benefit the company and how the decision was reached. Appeal to your associates by focusing on enhancements from their current space. Maybe there are plans for a kitchenette area with a coffee machine that isn’t in their current space. Always outline things that may take some adjusting, such as new workstation layouts. Preparing your associates for what is to come is key in a successful move. You want to make sure your associates have a positive move experience, with minimal technical issues.
As your move approaches, you will want to walk your associates through what the physical move will entail. Consider hosting a town hall or developing an FAQ page. Focus on when the move will occur, how and what associates will be responsible for packing, and identify a leader that questions can be addressed with. Make sure to provide a map of the new space, so associates know where to go when they arrive to work.
Post-Move Support
Associate support is critical in a successful move event. Have a team present to assist and mitigate any technical issues or missing items. Consider how you will handle these issues. One successful example is creating post-move work tickets that an associate or move team member can fill out to request assistance.
Conduct a post-move survey to measure how associates perceived the move process and their new space. Determine how you will respond to this feedback to uphold morale. Maybe there were a few small details overlooked that help makes a certain job easier. Review feedback carefully and do what you can to offer solutions.
Once you’ve received initial feedback from your associates, allow your team 60-90 days to live in their new space and request feedback on any concerns they have. Adapting to new furniture, particularly if it was a significant change from their previous environment, is something that can take some time to adjust.