Avoiding Post-Office Relocation “Growing Pains” – Ask the Right Questions

Posted on September 22, 2014 Updated on September 12, 2014

Ok. So in one of my previous blogs, I pointed out seven post office relocation “growing pains” to avoid, namely

(1)          Insufficient office space to facilitate growth

(2)          Insufficient electrical outlets and/or voltage for office equipment

(3)          Noisy or disruptive heating/cooling system

(4)          Telecommunications limited or not activated at new site

(5)          Insufficient internet services available for your business needs

(6)          Lack of transportation options for staff to get to the new location

(7)          Lack of parking available

 

One strategy to avoiding the above is by asking and answering the right questions.

• How much staff and equipment do you currently have?
• How many additional staff do you foresee hiring within the next five years? What about equipment?
• Do any of your staff need closed-in offices? How many will be in cubicles?
• What about meeting rooms, lunch areas, storage areas?—how many would your organization need?

 

Your answers to the above questions multiplied by the knowledge that the standard space allotted to each room or staff member ranges from approximately 36 sq.ft (for a small cubicle) to 300 sq ft (for a large office) can help determine the ideal size of your office space should be in order to meet your current and future business needs.

Some office environment questions you may want ask include,

• Is that heating/cooling system noisy or quiet?
• What about windows – are there a lot or very little?

 

Why these questions? Background noises such as the low hum of a heating or cooling system could prove to be quite distracting especially if your organization regularly conducts meetings via conference calls, webcast or Skype. As for the windows, studies have shown that employees tend to work more productively if they are able to see the outside from their work areas.

Here are some more questions you may want to consider regarding the geographic location:

• Outside of walking or driving a personal vehicle, is the potential new location easily accessible by public transit?
• Are there a variety of eateries, post offices, and other services nearby that would be complimentary to the function of your business ?

Finally, to avoid technological “growing pains”, one should seek answers to the following questions:

• How many outlets are available for your equipment?
• What about your telecommunication needs such as telephone, internet availability? Can the telecommunication services in the new area accommodate your company’s current and future telecommunication needs?

It can be easily overlooked, but I can’t emphasize enough how important it is for businesses to actually know what their organization needs in relation to their office space to function effectively. Asking the right questions, and aiming to get the right answers is a step closer to helping your business hit the ground running once your office move is complete.