How employers can make moving easier
Recently, I shared suggestions for workers struggling to adapt to an office move. This week, it's the employers' turn.
Personal and career counselor Jim Weinstein recalls the corporate move he underwent as executive vice president of a New York ad agency. His large Fifth Avenue corner office overlooking the Plaza Hotel and Central Park was replaced by an office half as big on 57th Street - with a view of some rooftops. Management "actually tried to position it as a big upgrade," he says.
Instead, Weinstein's employer should have acknowledged what he was losing in the move and explained why it was necessary - for example, because cheaper rent would prevent layoffs or free up funds for technology upgrades.
Although some grumbling is inevitable, "companies that have the most successful moves are ones that communicate with their workers throughout the process about what to expect and what kind of space they'll have to use," says Rocco Balsamo of JK Moving Services, which coordinated The Washington Post's recent move.
Balsamo says scheduling walk-throughs of the new office space - even providing a model of the new workspaces - can help workers prepare for change. And he notes that instructions for the move are more well received when they come from a third party, rather than an internal HR or management rep.
If, as a business owner or manager, you have any say in the design of the new workspace, be wary of trends. Know the nature of your business and your people. Open-plan layouts, often touted as the key to collaboration and communication, are not ideal for all tasks or personalities; most workers need at least an occasional break from the fishbowl.
If you've traditionally rejected requests to use white noise machines, headphones or flexible scheduling, reconsider. Adding a "shared workspace etiquette" section to your employee handbook wouldn't hurt, either.
If the new environment includes a paperless workflow or a new phone system, respect the learning curve. Plan ahead, offer ample training sessions and be patient as everyone adjusts.
When the time comes to assign workspaces, be transparent and consistent in those decisions. This is not the time to work out personal grudges by exiling your least favorite manager to a basement cube.
If your office is moving a significant distance, be sensitive to the added time and cost burden some workers will assume. Flex hours, telecommuting and public transit subsidies can all help ease that burden.
In addition, Balsamo says, his company provides a welcome package with listings and discounts for local businesses - restaurants, dry cleaners, banks and the post office - to help workers get to know their new neighborhood faster.
Another nice gesture to consider: On the first official workday in the new office, welcome employees with a breakfast buffet, along with seating maps and signs directing them to the bathrooms.