Define what must keep working
List business activities that cannot stop and decide how they will operate during the move. Identify essential staff, equipment and records separately from items that can arrive later. Assign a move coordinator and a contact for each department. Build the schedule around dependencies such as power, internet readiness and access to the new premises. A short same-city journey does not remove the need for a staged business continuity plan.
Create an asset and destination list
Record desks, chairs, cabinets, computers and other equipment with a destination room or workstation code. Identify leased assets and confirm who is permitted to move or dismantle them. Photograph equipment configurations where useful, while protecting confidential information. Number cartons and record which department owns them. A destination layout allows furniture to be placed correctly before devices and documents arrive, reducing repeated handling and confusion between teams.
Give IT and specialist work a separate owner
Ask your IT team or authorised provider to plan backups, shutdown, disconnection and recommissioning. Do not treat a transport booking as a guarantee that systems will be installed or operational on arrival. Clearly identify any equipment requiring specialist handling. Keep access credentials and sensitive records out of general shipment labels. Arrange an agreed handover process for devices rather than leaving responsibility uncertain between employees and the moving team.
Confirm building access and work windows
Check loading bays, lift bookings, security entry, permitted working hours and vehicle access at both offices. Share any restrictions affecting weekend or evening work before arranging the schedule. Obtain the relevant permissions from property management and identify who can resolve access problems on the day. Read the building access checklist for route checks that also apply to office premises, adapting it to the actual commercial property rules.
Move and receive by zone
Where practical, group goods by department or destination area and identify what must be unloaded first. Keep clear walkways and an authorised receiving contact at the new office. Reconcile furniture, cartons and equipment against the asset list as they arrive. Record visible damage and missing items clearly. Do not allow speed to replace condition checks, especially for devices whose outward appearance may need documenting before recommissioning.
Restart deliberately and close the records
Have each owner confirm that the relevant work area is ready before staff resume normal use. Report unresolved transport concerns through the move coordinator, with asset numbers and photographs. Separate an IT configuration issue from a visible transit concern so each reaches the correct team. Retain quotations, inventories and handover records. Explore office relocation and commercial shifting, then share your requirements through Get a Quote.
Common questions
Can an office move happen outside working hours?
Discuss availability, building permissions and the actual workload before confirming a schedule.
Does moving include IT installation?
Only if specifically agreed and assigned. Arrange technical support separately where needed.
How should files be labelled?
Use department and destination codes without exposing confidential contents on public labels.
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