5 Ways an Office Move Can Impact Employees

An office move is often an important part of a business’s evolution. Most successful businesses will have started in a small, easy-to-afford space that could house a handful of determined individuals looking to bring their ideas to fruition. Businesses with the goal of expanding and scaling their operations will almost certainly have to navigate this tricky transition and, depending on the speed of success, on more than one occasion.

As well as the complex logistics of kitting out the new office space in terms of its infrastructure, furniture and IT hardware, businesses have to consider another important factor that cannot be overlooked. Namely, the impact an office move might have on its employees.

This blog will examine the reasons why a business might feel the need to move premises and the five impacts that an office move can have on an employee, both positive and negative.

Why Might a Business Move Office?

According to WLG, almost half of mid-to-large UK businesses are planning to move office within the next three years (as of 2021). Every business has a unique set of requirements in order to function and, in a similar vein, many businesses will have very specific needs and reasoning for wanting to relocate.

What follows are some of the predominant reasons why a business might choose to move.

Expansion

Often the most cited reason for an office looking to move premises is, quite simply, that they have outgrown their old one. As a business continues to expand and generate more and more business, it may reach the point where their existing staff numbers can no longer cope. They may require more storage space in terms of IT processing.

A relocation to a larger office will enable a business to hire more staff, cope with the increased demand for their services or products and continue their upward trajectory. A business may also choose to maintain their existing space while still setting up a brand-new office elsewhere.

A Hybrid Workforce

According to ONS, 13% of employees now recognise themselves as working remotely on a permanent basis. Many businesses have experienced this phenomenon; thanks to the dramatic improvements in videoconferencing technology, businesses are able to easily communicate with all employees, regardless of whether they are physically in the office.

As a result, a business with a large office space may simply not need it anymore. It has become more cost-effective for these businesses to downsize their premises in response to lower in-person numbers.

Access New Talent

Businesses that initially set up in a more rural or suburban area may find that recruiting the best talent for their role is a little tricky due to long commutes or a lack of local amenities. Therefore, many businesses will choose to relocate much closer to a large city centre where they will be able to access a much wider range of potential candidates for jobs.

According to Gowling, and perhaps unsurprisingly, London is the most sought-after location with 37% of businesses considering a move to the capital.

Futureproofing

Sometimes, a business may have to move for the sole reason that their existing premises are no longer fit for purpose. The office might be part of an old building, with outdated features and amenities. A tired-looking office, no matter the location, is unlikely to impress new potential candidates or encourage existing staff members to remain with the business.

Consequently, businesses may look to ensure that their office move incorporates modern features and technologies to bring it up to speed with the demands of modern society, as well as planning for additional expansion further down the line. If done correctly, it could mean that the business will never have to move again!

How Does an Office Move Impact Employees?

An office move is often a stressful experience for all involved, particularly if the move is over a large distance. And even after the move is completed, business leaders will need to monitor their employees carefully to ensure that the transition is a smooth one.

We have pinpointed five effects that an office move can have on employees.

1. Financial Impact

Many employees will carefully factor in the costs of getting to and from work into their budgets, whether that be through petrol or commuting costs. If a new office is a considerable distance away from the old one, it may cause these costs to increase, which will likely have a negative impact on the employee’s morale and motivation.

Conversely, of course, the new office may be much closer to where employees are based and might, in fact, reduce their monthly costs.

Business leaders need to carefully consider where their employees are mostly coming in from and factor this into their decision-making.

2. Work/Life Balance

Related to the financial concerns that an employee might feel as a result of an extended commute, they might also find that their work/life balance is thrown off by having more of their time dedicated to travelling in and out of work.

If an employee feels that this balance is being negatively affected, they might become disillusioned with the work and seek employment closer to where they live. This will then invoke extra costs on the business in terms of hiring replacements.

An obvious solution to this could be the introduction of hybrid/remote working for these particular employees if the business’s infrastructure allows.

3. Emotional Impact

Even for an employee who doesn’t see their journey to and from work disrupted in any major way, the day-to-day routine of the job might be affected by an office move. They might find themselves seated with people who they don’t know as well. They might find new environments stressful to acclimatise to.

Business leaders should do everything they can to keep the disruption as minimal as possible, as employees who are stressed by the move are likely to experience a drop in productivity and motivation.

Conversely, of course, an office move might have a positive impact on an employee’s emotional wellbeing. If the new office is kitted out with top-of-the-range equipment and amenities, with plenty of natural light and space, then an employee will be more likely to feel at ease with the move.

According to Clutch, 68% of employees stated that an office relocation was a positive experience.

4. Job Security

For businesses who move into smaller office spaces, some employees may begin to think that the reason for this is that they are downsizing their workforce due to financial difficulties. This can cause a great deal of stress and anxiety which is likely to spread throughout the entire workforce, having a negative impact on productivity.

If the smaller office is actually to do with a move to more hybrid/remote working, then business leaders need to make this very clear to their workforce prior to the move, most likely through the use of an all-hands meeting.

5. Cultural Impact

A move into a more modern, technologically driven office can signal a potentially drastic change in the way many employees are used to working. Likewise, if the new office has been built with several large, collaborative spaces where remote workers can easily reach their colleagues, this might also be a big challenge for those who worked in more traditional ways.

For these employees, it might take some time to get used to the new, more modern ways of working. There might be a sense of embarrassment and demotivation if they aren’t able to access what they need. They will need to be carefully coached in how to access the technology and encouraged to embrace the new systems.

How Can Clear VC Help with Your Office Move?

At Clear VC, we are able to call upon our twenty years of experience to deliver a seamless office move, no matter the stage. Even if your new premises are still under construction, our expert engineers can begin the work with tailored cabling that will make the installation of systems within your rooms a breeze.

If your new space has been built, we will work closely with your project team to draw up detailed plans and timescales, so that you know exactly what to expect. As an AV integrator, we can utilise our long-standing relationships with many of the leading manufacturers and distributors in the country to deliver your optimal solution.

If you have a business and you’re looking to move office space, contact us today or download our brand-new AV office move planner here.