In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, many companies had to change their business models and turn to remote working. This type of work dynamic comes with its set of challenges, especially when it comes to getting the best out of your remote employees. With the pronounced need for leasing smaller office space due to the large-scale shift to remote working and other financial and organizational issues, as a company head, you might be facing the challenge of keeping your employees happy during a corporate relocation.
Alongside the financial benefits of moving to a less spacious office, there are other ways you can use the relocation to your advantage. Namely, you can use this opportunity to check in with your team, especially since maintaining staff morale can easily be considered one of the basic tenets of successful leadership.
Therefore, challenging circumstances such as the prospect of moving to a new office can be used to ameliorate the communication with your staff, strengthen their trust and confidence, and provide them with a fresh outlook. With this said, let’s take a look at how you can reduce the ‘relocation tension’ in your office and keep your staff happy as a result.
Make a comprehensive and strategic relocation plan. Although corporate relocations are most frequently borne out of need rather than choice, this is no excuse to neglect your employees’ reactions, opinions, and sentiments. For this reason, successful companies usually develop strategic corporate relocation plans to anticipate, prepare, and remedy possible employee dissatisfaction.
Hence, it is best if the head of directors and the HR team communicate well and devise a tenable relocation plan. So, before you make an official decision to relocate, you should conduct an analysis contrasting all the factors, advantages, and disadvantages of moving to a new office.
This analysis should shed light on the departments or groups of employees most likely to struggle to adjust to the new work environment. Hence, your team will be able to devise strategies and incentives to manage these employees.
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How should I approach this type of analysis? One way to approach this is to research how your employees feel about relocating and what they consider necessary regarding the offices’ location and amenities in their vicinity. Your staff’s input should make the decision-making process significantly more informed, effective, and in turn, easier. You will be able to prioritize among factors such as price, location, size, amenities, equipment, and technology available in the offices that are currently up for rent.
In sum, finding office space suitable for your workforce is easier if you have a clear picture of what your employees need or expect to see in and around their offices. With the basics of this commercial move plan in place, you will be able to hire reputable professionals to handle the task of relocating to your new office space without unnecessary delays, expenses, damages, and other potentially disruptive factors.
Communication is key to keeping your employees happy during a corporate relocation. Having an open dialogue with your staff is vital for creating and maintaining a healthy and successful relationship with and between your employees. Asking about their opinion and suggestions regarding the relocation will make your staff feel involved and informed, which strengthens trust and cooperation.
So, it is not considered good practice to keep your staff in the dark and notify them that they have to move to a new office at the very last minute. Your staff members might feel alienated and even despondent in this case, especially since they might have to deal with comprehensive changes in their personal lives due to this relocation.
Therefore, be sure to communicate with the staff affected by the relocation every step of the way. Inform them about important matters such as the timeline of the move, the dates of office closures, individual roles and responsibilities, how to prepare and pack for the move, and perhaps most importantly, whether the relocation will necessitate any layoffs. Transparency on your side will make it easier for them to transition to and prepare for working in a completely new environment.
For these reasons, keeping your employees happy during a corporate relocation by duly involving and informing your employees on what the moving process may entail is the best course of action.