Change can be nerve wracking and stressful. This is especially so when you have to relocate an entire office full of employees. They may be wondering how the move will affect them, their commute and their duties. While you can leave all the heavy lifting and logistics to Big Lake Movers, there are some ways you can make the transition easier on them.

1. Inform Your Employees

Don’t leave your employees in the dark till the last minute. A lack of information can keep people guessing, and you want to have them all on board if the relocation has any chance of success. Once you sign the new lease and have a moving date set, tell your employees about the move, explaining not only the timeline and location but the on-site perks as well. Those may include a day care center, gym, coffee shop, cafeteria and bank. Show them a virtual tour online so they can get a feel for the new digs.

2. Hold a Workshop Lunch

To ease your employees’ minds as they have to give up familiar rituals and spaces, hold a luncheon where you explain everything that will change and what won’t. They may have gotten used to stopping at the local coffee shop down the street for muffins every day. But maybe the new place has an even better coffee shop located closer. Get them excited about what they can look forward to.

3. Give Them Swag

From new shirts with the company’s logo and new address to gym bags they can use at the on-site fitness center to vouchers for the on-site day care, make the transition easy on them by giving away free stuff.

4. Get Everyone Involved

When you get everyone involved, they feel like a part of the team. Hold a contest to see what you should name the new conference room. Ask if they would like a ping pong table or a pool table in the common area. Talk to the new and pregnant moms to see which items you should stock the nursing mothers’ room with. Let them customize their own offices with their own color scheme and furnishings. Make their voices heard and you will benefit 100-fold.

5. Hold Competitions

To get people motivated to complete the planning process, hold competitions to see which team can pack up their offices first, or which team had the biggest pile of trash after de-cluttering their spaces. Create small goals they can meet and win, then host a pizza party for the winner.

6. Host Happy Hour

After you’re all moved into the new place, host a happy hour where you can invite your employees, clients and vendors so everyone can get to know each other better while celebrating the move’s success.

7. Don’t DIY It

Whether you have 10 employees or 100, moving a business is a big deal. There’s a lot involved, such as disconnecting and transporting computer equipment and servers, disassembling cubicles, and moving heavy furniture like couches and file cabinets. All of this is impossible to do on your own without help. Hiring professional movers is always the best way to go, especially when it comes to commercial moves.