There are certain sentences you don't particularly want to hear during an office relocation.
"I thought you measured it."
"Apparently we're not allowed to use this lift."
"Where are the keys?"
And our personal favourite:
"It definitely fitted when we brought it in."
Office relocations have a wonderful ability to uncover problems nobody knew existed.
So, in the interests of making your next move slightly less eventful, here are some lessons we've learned along the way.
Lesson One: Measure the lift.
We cannot emphasise this enough.
That beautiful 3-metre boardroom table doesn't care that your new office is on Level 6.
If it doesn't fit in the lift, you're going to need another plan.
Measure the lift opening as well as the internal dimensions.
Then measure your furniture.
Then measure it again.
Lesson Two: "There's parking outside" isn't quite enough information.
Can a truck park there?
Can it park there for several hours?
Is there a loading zone?
Is there a loading dock?
Does building management need to approve access?
Is the loading area 20 metres from the lift or 200 metres from the lift?
All of this matters.
Lesson Three: The biggest piece of furniture will always be going to the hardest place.
This may not technically be a law of physics, but after enough furniture moves, we're reasonably confident it should be.
Large cabinet?
Upstairs.
Heavy boardroom table?
Down the narrow corridor.
Giant couch?
Through the smallest doorway in the building.
Planning access beforehand saves a lot of creative problem-solving on moving day.
Lesson Four: Nobody knows who owns the mystery cabinet.
Every office has one.
It's usually somewhere near the back.
Nobody remembers buying it.
Nobody knows what's inside it.
Nobody wants it.
But when you suggest disposing of it, suddenly someone says:
"Actually... we might need that."
Make decisions about furniture before moving day.
Your movers are excellent at moving things.
They're less qualified to determine the emotional significance of a filing cabinet.
Lesson Five: A floor plan is worth having.
Without a plan, furniture gets placed wherever someone points.
Then management arrives.
Then it moves again.
Then somebody realises the desks should face the other direction.
Then they move again.
Having an agreed layout before installation begins saves everyone time.
Lesson Six: Don't forget the little things.
Monitor arms.
Desk screens.
Chair arms.
Keys.
Brackets.
Power leads.
Feet.
Bolts.
That one tiny piece that apparently holds the entire workstation together.
Keep components together and clearly label them when furniture is dismantled.
Lesson Seven: Moving day is not decision day.
A smooth relocation is mostly created before the truck arrives.
Decide what is going.
Decide what isn't.
Plan the layout.
Arrange building access.
Pack loose items.
Label everything.
Organise electrical and IT contractors.
And, of course...
Measure the lift.
At George Walkers, we've helped businesses with office furniture relocations, installations, floor planning and furniture clear-outs throughout Auckland.
Every building is different.
Every move is different.
And every now and then, a desk still decides it absolutely isn't going through that door.
That's office moving.
