As the \’green shoots of recovery\’ seem painfully slow to appear, some businesses will be looking to make efficiency savings by relocating to smaller or more modern premises.

Here’s how to avoid becoming one of the 50% of office move managers who lose their jobs… or miss the move date… or makes the ONE mistake that blows the budget wide open!

Eliminating dead space may seem an attractive way to quickly cut costs to secure the future. However, leading business office fit-out, refurbishment and relocation specialist, Alan Whitehead of Whitehead Francis Associates, warns that companies\’ attempts to make urgent economies might sink, rather than save them.

\”Shrinking staff numbers may well lead businesses to consider a move to smaller premises,\” he says. \”But unless they really know what they are doing, that move could be the death of them\”.

\”Relocating a business – especially if moving to the UK from abroad – is hugely complicated and highly stressful, leading potentially to extremely expensive mistakes being made by ill-informed managers. The simple answer is of course not to appoint someone from in-house on the basis that they\’ve nothing much else to do and they\’re being paid anyway – they more than likely won\’t have the necessary knowledge or experience.

A business relocation and fit-out specialist such as Whitehead Francis Associates will charge only a fraction of what companies stand to lose if they get it wrong. And if you factor in all the time that directors and managers often put into such a major upheaval, engaging a professional can actually save money.\”

However, recognising that some businesses will still choose to go it alone regardless, Alan Whitehead has drawn on his 35 years\’ plus experience of providing office move services, including project managing office refurbishments, office fit-outs and office relocations on behalf of companies of all sizes – from Marks and Spencer and Heineken to a host of smaller businesses – to identify the areas where the most common mistakes are made. He calls them \”The Seven Deadly Sins of Business Relocation.\”

In Summary here are `The Seven Deadly Sins\’ to avoid:

1 Poor supplier choices

2 Lack of co-ordination

3 Poor budgeting

4 Poor staff choices

5 Starting late

6 Compressing the schedule

7 Poor communication

(Note: The author has already dealt with the first of these `Deadly Sins\’ in an earlier published article entitled: \”Office Moving Service – The 7 Most Common Mistakes\”)

So, onto the second `Deadly Sin\’ – poor coordination – which often leads to delays and cost overruns. Whitehead, now warming to his theme, goes onto to point out \”whatever timescale you give yourself to complete your office move project – whether several weeks or many months – it will come under huge pressure. It is vital to remember that any rescheduling of construction work is bound to have an impact on non-construction tasks. In fact, it is likely to impact on all the other suppliers; there can be dozens of them – and you will have to act as the referee in any disputes!\”

So, having made good supplier decisions, co-ordinated the work, budgeted effectively, chosen the right staff and got all your timings spot on, what else could go wrong?

\”Well, everything if you don\’t communicate well at every stage of the office move,\” says Alan. \”Customers, business suppliers, office moving services suppliers and employees all need to be brought along with you at every stage. They need to work with you and remain with you when the office move is completed. Information is the key and keeping in regular touch is essential.\”

All businesses are, or should be, looking to increase cost-effectiveness and cut out any financial slack. If relocating offers the promise of a leaner, more efficient operation, following Alan Whitehead\’s seven steps will see businesses move from suffering to success.

For Effective Workplace Solutions: Call free on 0800 458 6578

Or email info@whiteheadfrancis.co.uk

Alan Whitehead is the CEO of Whitehead Francis Associates, providing specialist office moving services for companies all over the UK or moving to the UK from abroad. Call FREE on 0800 458 6578 or email info@whiteheadfrancis.co.uk http://www.whiteheadfrancis.co.uk/index.html http://www.whiteheadfrancis.co.uk/office-moving-services.html

Alan Whitehead is the CEO of Whitehead Francis Associates, providing specialist office moving services for companies all over the UK or moving to the UK from abroad. Visit us here: http://www.whiteheadfrancis.co.uk/index.html http://www.whiteheadfrancis.co.uk/office-moving-services.html

Author Bio: Alan Whitehead is the CEO of Whitehead Francis Associates, providing specialist office moving services for companies all over the UK or moving to the UK from abroad. Call FREE on 0800 458 6578 or email info@whiteheadfrancis.co.uk http://www.whiteheadfrancis.co.uk/index.html http://www.whiteheadfrancis.co.uk/office-moving-services.html

Category: Business Management
Keywords: office move,move office,business move,moving checklist,moving to uk,moving to the uk,project plan