by Simon Wright

---

 Simon Wright is a Director of Gatehouse (www.gatehousegroup.co.uk), an internal communication and employee engagement agency, based in London and the Midlands.

---

 

 

 

 

It is often said that moving home is one of the primary causes of stress in modern society.  Whether we spend hours planning it or just go with the flow, it involves lots of emotional upheaval and significant change.  Now consider that, according to the International Stress Management Association, over half of us experience stress at work and one in four take time off because of it, it doesn’t require a giant leap to appreciate how office moves can be an extremely unsettling experience to a workforce.

 

 

 

So when the rumour mill begins and people start to hear the rumblings of an office move, a whole series of mixed emotions begin to appear.  Whilst there will be those who can’t wait to leave their current location, there are often many more who will need to be prised away.  After many years at the same desk creating a space which is comfortable and familiar, to be suddenly told that all of this is going to change, can lead to a lot of uncertainty.

 

 

 

It is no longer practical to impose office moves onto people, as little is gained but confusion, resentment and disengagement.  However, if a move is handled well they can create quite the opposite effect. 

 

 

 

By investing time and a little resource into managing the communication of a move, significant benefits can be achieved.  Indeed, there are many examples of high profile office moves where internal communication has played a core role - from the various government department moves, through to the relocation of corporate HQs in to, and out of, London.

 

 

 

One such move was recently undertaken by the big 4 accountancy firm, Ernst & Young.

 

 

 

A couple of years ago, Ernst & Young completed the biggest move in its history, merging 13 offices in London in to two state-of-the-art locations.  The new head office, 1 More London Place, was opened in the autumn of that year and brought together over 3,000 people in a single location for the first time.  

 

Jenny Moss, Senior Internal Communications Manager and a member of the project moves team said “The building was significantly larger than any of the previous offices in our estate and it required a step change in the way people used the facilities on offer and more importantly, it required real engagement before our people even set foot in the building.”

 

To achieve this, Ernst & Young put together a dedicated internal communications team which led the moves programme.  The team developed communication channels ranging from a moves intranet, through to regular site visits and Q&A sessions.  Most importantly, the team began engaging with the workforce over a year before the move, to give them time to ask questions, visit the site and to fully understand what the move meant and what changes would be required from them.

 

According to Moss, the move from closed door offices to an open-plan layout was welcomed, “by the time the people moved into the new location, they were aware of what to expect and were given lots of training and encouragement to use the new facilities and explore their new environment.”

 

Meeters and greeters ensured most people were fully operational within an hour of arriving at the new offices. Over the subsequent weeks, the communications team ran numerous orienteering sessions and various projects began to help the people utilise the new facilities as effectively as possible. 

 

The moves programme has had some real commercial benefits and as Moss concludes “our people say how much easier it is to work in the building.  They can hold impromptu meetings and build relationships far more effectively which means an even better service to our clients.”

What Ernst & Young recognised early on, is that by maintaining a regular level of engagement with people, fear and uncertainty could be removed and replaced with an expectation of what was coming.  Disruption in the outgoing offices was minimised and a smooth transition was achieved at the incoming offices.  Not only was disruption reduced, but people soon began feeling a sense of pride in their new workplace.

 

 

 

Removing the negative elements associated with a move, for example the worry of the unknown and the stress of change, can turn a potentially difficult time into a platform for positive change and a means to demonstrate real employee engagement.

 

 

 

Many organisations have also used a major move as a catalyst for general change.  For the communicator, this can mean an opportunity to rethink existing communication channels and a time to implement latest thinking.

 

 

 

For example, at the new Ernst & Young offices, a network of over 50 plasma screens were installed to facilitate regular and timely electronic internal communication messages.  This could never have been achieved in the existing offices due to the restrictions of the IT infrastructure required to support such a channel and the cost.

 

 

 

But employee engagement during a move is not the reserve of the large corporate.  A simple desk move of four people can quickly generate similar levels of discomfort to those involved and those located around them as a major office move can.  In fact, without adequate communication, the very real danger is that the rumour mill will take over and before you know it, speculation is rife about the impending restructure of a department or the wholesale move to some obscure location.

 

 

 

Office moves need not be damaging to the people involved and if handled carefully and considerately, can be a powerful tool to engage people, create a sense of pride and help improve productivity.  Consideration of the impact the smallest move might make is just as relevant as the moving the corporate HQ.  Perhaps the amount of time and resource allocated will be different, but the underlying reasons for ensuring effective employee engagement doesn’t change. 

 

 

 

 

 

 Top 10 IC tips during an office move:    

 

1) start communicating early - at least a year before a big move 

2) make sure you're part of the project team 

3) treat it as a major change programme - don't underestimate the impact of a move  

4) involve people in shaping their new environment - even the little things count   

5) use the opportunity to review your IC technology and capitalise on the building as a channel 

6) focus on the basics - like ensuring everyone is up and running within an hour or so  

7) conduct orienteering sessions and tours around the building if appropriate 

8 ) appoint meeters and greeters to welcome people to their new home and to help and advise during the first few weeks (and get them to wear a special t-shirt / uniform so they are instantly recognisable) 

9) use the move to drive through deeper changes (moving leaders from private offices to open plan can have an enormous impact on work climate) 

10) put in place a rounded communications plan including electronic channels and heavy use of face to face.

 

 

 Create your own business wiki!Support CommunityPublic, not yet premium Privacy Policy RSS