15 Jan How to Keep Your Team Motivated During Your Next Corporate Move
Moving from one office to another is almost inevitable. Your business will outgrow your first office at some point. At times, circumstances may also force you to downsize. Unfortunately, whether you’re downsizing or scaling up, a corporate move can be very stressful, for you and your team. You, therefore, need to garner as much support as possible from your team members. This is however not easy, considering that most of them might be inconvenienced by the move. To them, moving to a different office means changing commute hours, transport routes and budget, looking for a new eat-out joint and even making new friends at the new location. All these changes can be difficult to accept, hence the need to keep them motivated. But how exactly do you do that?
Communicate as early as possible
Your team members may need to prepare for the move both financially and psychologically. In some cases, some may have to move houses as well in order to be closer to the new office. This, in return, requires intense planning and budgeting. Therefore, communicate the move as early as you can in order to give everyone enough time to prepare.
Engage them in planning
Moving from one office to another entails more than just packing and showing up at the new location. There is settling down and adjusting to the move. Your team members will also be disoriented as they need to adapt to a new working environment and seating arrangements, As a result, some may be demotivated, especially if the move is bound to affect their social or physical well-being.
Instead of working alone, involve them in planning for the move and if possible, give them an opportunity to choose their new seating positions, If the office is yet to be painted, partitioned and decorated, ask them for ideas and allow them to choose paint colors. This will create enough levels of excitement and anticipation for the move.
Set work deadlines
Again, moving can easily disorient your team. Some people take longer to settle down while others can be extremely resistant to change. Others may be too excited to get anything done. Thus, a move is likely to paralyze work schedules. It is important to set earlier deadlines, so as to create room for unforeseen challenges. Ensure all team members complete their work at least a week before the move. This will relieve them of unnecessary pressure to settle down fast after the move.
In a nutshell, communication should be the backbone of the moving process. Create open channels of communication in order to avoid pressure and tension. In addition, take into account the different personalities that make up your team and how each one of them might be affected by the move. This will help you deal with issues and they arise thus saving you time.