Member Article

Avoiding Change Crisis During Office Relocation

In an era where many employees are comfortable working from mobile devices and remote locations, it may seem surprising that an office relocation can create an organisational crisis. However, as internal communication magazine Melcrum points out, people are neurologically wired to fear change. However, they’re also wired to seek rewards, meaning if you engage your employees in the office relocation process you’ll reduce stress and gain buy-in.

This begins with communication your office relocation plans in an engaging, non-threatening manner, and goes as far as letting key team members have their say in how office interior design will work for them. Let’s take a further look at effective change management strategies to ease your staff members into their office relocation.

The Necessity of Employee Consultation

Under the UK Information and Consultation of Employees Regulation Act 2004, you are obliged to discuss changes that directly affect staff. Even on a psychological level, employee consultation goes further than engagement, empowerment, and buy-in. Forbes magazine recently published an article explaining that communicating an office relocation correctly allows front line staff to highlight logistical fine points you may have missed. Synchronise key team members, leave the lines of communication open, and you could end up saving a lot of money.

Ask for Staff Guidance

San Diego based firm, Axero Solutions may make their living from creating networking software for businesses, but they also run a blog on how to maximise organisational environments for employees. One area frequently discussed is the importance of engaging staff to make the environment more enjoyable. The Harvard Business Review (HBR) backed this up, citing a marked increase in worker satisfaction when employees were able to design their own environments. Examples used in the HBR article include Facebook, which allows staff to tailor their own workspaces to suit their projects, and global real estate firm CBRE which has done away with desks altogether. Empowering staff with office interior design ideas and tabling the option of an environment staff can physically manipulate, immediately shifts the neurological balance from fear of change to desire for rewards. It also opens the door for staff to discuss collaborative, agile workspaces that are increasingly shown to enhance productivity.

Plan a Communication Schedule

Communicating change is a holistic process, and constant communication is vital. Leading change management training organisation, Prosci discusses the importance of engaging the project teams and leaders within your organisation. During the office relocation of Guardian News and Media (GNM) a staff forum was set up with team representatives who had been voted in by their colleagues. A further team of ‘Move Champs’ were engaged to prepare staff for the relocation, hold weekly meetings, and tackle issues. As well as keeping staff motivated, this team were able to feed valuable and practical ideas back to senior staff.

Reinforce Key Messages

You’re likely to have a number of key positive messages that were imparted at initial meetings and it’s vital to reinforce these throughout the process. Look for angles such as the opportunity to engage with new technology or design agile spaces, and back these up with countdown timers or daily updates. Maintain momentum in the early stages of the move and increase it as your office relocation gets closer. Ensure the language is positive and ask for help with small details if you can.

Use the Office Relocation to Refresh Your Brand

Outside consumer goods manufacturers there’s talk of turning way from branding the office space. According to business.com, office interior design should implicitly reflect the principles of your brand and the values of those who work for you. This subtlety in messaging can be as simple as controlling acoustics or having a feature wall. Conference rooms that let in natural light, interesting shaped desk design, splashes of colour, or a breakout room with a snooker or table tennis table can also reinforce key brand values. While not every business can be or even wants to be Google, workers are increasingly demanding enjoyable, productive environments that reflect their personalities and ethics.

Don’t Forget to Celebrate

At the end of your office relocation, throw a party and thank everybody for their help. It’s been a big shift. Embrace it!

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Lee Parsons .