Corporate moves and office redesigns cause stress and a loss of productivity, but they are fast becoming a way of life in today's VUCA world. How can you mitigate the downside of your next move? Here's 5 change management techniques to help take the suck out of moving.

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Part 6: Moving sucks. Got change
management for it?
How to build a high-performing organization in the 21st century.

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Moving sucks. We all
know it. We all dread it.

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But why don’t we realize
it sucks just as much
when it happens at
work?

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Don’t think for a second it
doesn’t. Workplace
moves and redesigns
cause emotional turmoil.

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Why? Because…
As human beings, we’re wired to dislike change in
general. But workplace relocations have other
stressors at play, too.
People might worry that the new location won’t
have the amenities they are used to. If they are
moving offsite, they might wonder if they will lose
status or influence without daily contact with the
main campus.
Or they might worry about where they’ll park.
Where they’ll eat lunch. About how much longer
their commute will be. Many people fear losing
their cube for open workspaces — particularly
having to put away their personal belongings and
sit at a new place every day.
They’re worried about losing control.

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And that stress can lead to decreased
job satisfaction, which leads to
productivity declines, loss of top
talent, and potential customer impacts.

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The thing is… workplace
redesigns and corporate
relocations are a fact of life
in today’s VUCA world.

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Got your attention yet?

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So… you may want to
think about a few things
the next time you
move…

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1) Make sure your leaders
get how hard it is.
Since leaders know the good business case for a move, they sometimes have a little trouble
recognizing the downside. Or worse, they think people should just get on the bus already. But
you’ll get much better results if your leaders recognize the real productivity impact of the move
– from hundreds of employees being late because of a new commute, to too many people venting
around the water cooler.
Show those leaders why they should care.
Point out the value of proactively
managing the change. Show them
the productivity losses and attrition
risks. Because if they aren’t
with you, they may work
against you.
Trust us on that.
Tip: Once they’re on board? Get them involved. Have them serve breakfast at a move kick-off event. Make sure
they do walk-arounds. Involve them in the games you’re playing… what about one prize being lunch with the boss?

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Nobody likes feeling like they have no power over their environment – and nothing makes us feel
quite so powerless as being told to uproot our little comfortable place at work for an unknown
future. Empower them by giving them controlled choices.
Think about creative ways that you can give them
choice in the design process. Arrange a physical
walkthrough of their new space, and
let them chose their options. Do they want
a standing desk, or a sitting desk? What
colors do they want? Do they like to sit
with their backs to a wall? You may not
be able to offer all these examples, but
any choice will make them more
excited about their future digs.
2) Don’t be scared to give
your employees choice.
Tip: Do we mean they should have carte blanche to design their own workspace? Nothing so drastic. Let them
choose between different pre-approved options. It doesn’t take much more work or cost, and it makes a huge
difference to their attitude.

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3) Don’t forget your other
stakeholders!
Your job doesn’t stop with the people that are actually moving. Think about the people ‘left
behind’ for a moment.
They may have a bit of survivor’s guilt that they get to
stay in the comfy old place while others get a
longer commute. They may be jealous of the
slick new spaces. Or they might have separation
anxiety about their work friends disappearing.
Tip: Be careful to address parity, here. They’ll wonder why the others are being treated better, worse (or just
different). Open communication is really important so everyone understands the ‘why’ behind the decision. If you
don’t explain, they might come up with a reason that is far worse!
Plus, working remotely is different than
stepping into the next office to chat with
someone. You’ve got to equip them with new
ways to collaborate, such as technology for
remote conferencing, and possibly even a
shuttle service between locations.

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4) Provide visible and
responsive move support.
Tip: source your ambassadors from the teams that are moving. Not only will they also help spread excitement,
they’re also a source for great ideas to help with the change management efforts. Don’t overlook them!
Your job is to make the move easier emotionally as well as physically. Think about:
1) Before: Use engagement activities to help people embrace the change. Provide powerful
visuals of the new building. Create a video. Use social media. Assign people to help figure out
commutes. Throw a kick-off event. Reduce surprises.
2) During: Name ambassadors to help people get to their desks the
first day. Get vendors to help set desks and monitors up.
Put someone in a room who can answer questions, from
“where’s the nearest coffee shop?”, to “how do I find copy
paper?”, to “how do I use this new conferencing
technology?”
3) After: Don’t stop there. Make your ambassadors
available for several months. Train someone from each
team to be on-call for questions, feedback,
and suggestions.

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5) Make it engaging (in a
meaningful way).
Now throw in a game or two. No, we don’t mean softball at the company picnic. Develop creative
ways to reward people for doing activities that are meaningful to the change effort.
Need people to test their new commute so you don’t have 300 people showing up late the first
day? Want people to explore the new neighborhood so they feel a sense of community?
Shameless plug: want to learn more about gamification? Contact us for information on workshops and webinars
for your organization. We love it so much (and our clients love it so much!), we want to share our tips with you!
Make these actions worth points in a
game with great prizes (which can be
anything from the newest tech gizmo to
getting to name a conference room). All
you have to do is get a few people excited
about the
move, and the tide will begin to shift.

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Got it? Excellent.
Let the campus-warming
begin!

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your people = your success.
PeopleFirm is a consulting firm dedicated to achieving the
ultimate win-win: inspired people driving inspired
performance. We focus on effective tools, measurable
outcomes, real results, and getting your people out of their
seats and engaged in your company’s growth.
www.peoplefirm.com
thanks for reading.