5 Step Guide To Relocating Your Employees
You could be needing to relocate employees for several reasons, we are specifically going to look at opening a second location. If you are expanding and looking to operate in a new market area then you’ll no doubt be looking at an additional location and if you have good, trained and experienced staff then the smart move would be to move some of these members of staff to the new location.Any move has its issues but a second location brings specific logistical complications as not everyone will be eager to move, some will not be able to, so how do we best approach this task?
Create A Short -List
Who do you think would be best placed to make the step up to help set up this new location. You may well have good people who would thrive with a promotion but have not had the position for them until this time. So it’s good practice to make a short-list of your best people and list their strengths and weaknesses and rank them from most to least desirable. At this point get those on your shortlist in for a chat to explain the potential move and to sound out whether or not this would interest them, this will in effect act as a micro-interview.
Look For Volunteers
Once you have gone through the above process of identifying those that are to step up into more senior roles for the new premises then you will be looking to see how many junior staff members would be interested to move. Some may be interested in a new challenge and a new location. Ask around for volunteers to see if you will find willing members of staff.
Offer Incentives To Move
If you have exhausted the above options but still would like more experienced staff to move to the new location then maybe at this point offer some incentives. Wage bonuses and offer financial help with moving house are a good idea, it would be good to offer to pay for movers or even organize this for them, have a look at this consumer reports moving companies guide about how to get the best firm and if you are doing it for many employees you should look to negotiate a bulk discount.
Create A Timetable & Plan
Planning is everything and you should have a detailed scheduled plan that includes both the logistical and financial impact of the move. You should identify enough time to properly set up the space so that new staff have all the facilities they need to get started but be mindful that too long of a lead up will cost you, so be sure to have calculated how much budget you have to set up before this office needs to be running and profitable.
Assess How Many New Employees Are Required
Now that you know how many employees are moving you’ll need to see how many new employees are required. This will be needed at your current location as well considering that you will have lost a number of key people, all of this should have been considered at the planning stage as the reduced effectiveness in both locations could temporarily cost you as the new people get up to speed.
