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Bloomingdale, Illinois - When Alan Whitson, national
expert on business facilities, stepped to the microphone
last week, he gave "Business At Warp Speed" seminar
attendees a lot to think about. After imparting some
of the latest strategies for surviving a business transition,
Whitson discussed the cost of employee turnover. The
Cost of replacing an employee is often double the lost
employee's salary. He stressed the importance of keeping
employees happy, especially during moving, expansion
and transition. Audience members represented medium
to large Chicago area companies that were in the process
of moving, renovating, expanding, remodeling or setting
up new businesses. This educational program was sponsored
by Total Office Resource™, a collaborative Alliance
of 20 entrepreneurial partners focused on providing
customized solutions to transition situations.
Whitson
discussed many inexpensive ways to improve employee
productivity that can be planned into the new location.
Over 70% of participants in a recent Watson Wyatt WorkUSA
2000 survey said that the following had the greatest
impact on their overall company satisfaction:
- Technology
- Storage
space
- Climate
control
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Quiet space
-
Space that can be personalized to your work style
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Visually appealing workspace
Whitson
recommended the following tips for a successful transition
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Get professional help - it doesn't cost, it saves
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Build a realistic pro-forma budget before looking
for space
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All landlords are not equal
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Take the CHEAPEST space in the BEST building
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Plan for the highest people density
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Build in the ability to change the space
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Six months is not "long term"
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The cost per EMPLOYEE not the cost per SQUARE FOOT
is most important
Also
mentioned by 50% of respondents were
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Lighting control
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Exterior windows
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Ergonomic chair
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Privacy
Whitson's
8 Steps To A Smooth Transition included such tips as
1.
Inventory all furniture and equipment
-
Photograph all your furniture, save it in a word file
and email it to all employees
-
95% of all the things in file cabinets are never looked
at again
2.
Develop an action plan to minimize disruption, maximize
efficiency and control total costs
3.
Prepare a Request for Proposal for the mover including
a moving time frame, inventory, elevator data, wall
and floor protection, building restrictions and insurance
-
Take each candidate to view the new site
- Ask
number of truck loads and how big the trucks are
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Will you have a fresh crew?
- Get
a "not to exceed" price
4.
Select the mover
5.
Get the word out to employees and keep them updated
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Newsletter or video
- Mock
ups and models
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Tours of new facility
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Packing "clinics"
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Get input from employees - they have to "live" there
6.
Have packing clinics and training
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Use spiral notebooks to inventory everything
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Train people on new phone and computer systems, fire
and safety procedures
-
Take those piles from your desk and put each pile
in an individual bag. Then put the bag into a box
and label the box. At the other end just unpack each
pile and you are ready to work
7.
During the move
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Have command centers for phones
- Use
temporary directional signage
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Have a lost and found
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Remember to feed the troops
8.
Follow up on move
- Create
a post move follow up list
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Know that there will be a shake out period
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Have a post occupancy evaluation
Whitson
is a corporate real estate executive for a major corporation
who has managed over 2,000 projects and a thousand moves
a year. He is an author and has been a broker, facilities
manager, project manager and consultant for 25 years
for over 30 million square feet of facilities around
the world.
Businesses
moving, expanding, in transition or opening a new location
in Chicagoland need hundreds of goods and services they
may never have considered before. Total Office Resource
™ (TOR) partners are focused on providing customized
solutions to these situations. At their web site http://www.totalofficeresource.com,
businesses will find a highly informative and interactive
site where they can turn for solutions. For information
on Total Office Resource or any of its members, call
(630) 980-4200, fax to (630) 980-4243, e-mail tomk@totalofficeresourece.com,
or visit the TOR web site and register on-line at http://www.totalofficeresource.com.
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