You have the date circled on your calendar. It is the day your company begins its commercial relocation. You are looking forward to it inasmuch as the new space you have selected will better orient your company for anticipated growth. Yet you dread the actual process of relocating. Your dread is completely normal. It is part and parcel with commercial relocations.
As a commercial property adviser, I’ve worked with clients of all sizes to acquire new commercial space for accommodating growth. Some of my clients are firmly focused on commercial design and build while others are looking to take over existing space. Yet they all have one thing in common: a certain level of fear and anxiety about the actual process of relocating.
Commercial relocations can be relatively stress-free by adopting and implementing the five key strategies explained below:
1. Analysis of Need
Before a company ever starts working with a commercial property adviser to identify options for new space, analysis of need must take place. In other words, management must know what its needs are in order to select the right space to acquire. More than one management team has chosen to relocate without truly understanding company needs, then worried that the new space would turn out to be inadequate.
2. Relocation Planning
Just as a business can succeed or fail based on its willingness to implement strategic plans, commercial relocations are subject to the same fate. It is essential that relocation be planned well in advance so that everyone knows what is expected of him or her when the day finally arrives. Along with primary plans, contingencies must be put in place to address those challenges that will inevitably arise.
3. Realistic Budgeting
Commercial relocations cost money. There is no way around it. A big part of the planning process is allocating the funds necessary to get the job done. Budgets should be realistic, but not excessively restrictive.
4. Employee Buy-In
Stress-free commercial relocations are linked to the buy-in among employees. In other words, employees excited about relocating and willing to put forth their best effort to make it happen are the same employees capable of getting the job done with as little stress as possible. On the other hand, employees who do not buy-in to the relocation are likely to be less cooperative, less enthusiastic, and less willing to give maximum effort.
5. Open Communication
Commercial relocations have a tendency to reveal how well companies communicate internally. Restricted communications will hinder the relocation process while open communications will foster it. A company suffering from communication issues needs to get those squared away well in advance of relocating.
As a commercial property adviser, I have helped countless clients acquire new space and complete their commercial relocations. I have seen both good and bad relocations, and I know what it takes to make the relocation as stress-free as possible. If a commercial relocation is in your future, I would be honoured to offer my assistance.
By John Parkinson.
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