A year ago, I never imagined I'd say it, but I really enjoyed leading our move project. At that time, it was pretty terrifying, and one big headache as I couldn't quite see how we'd pull it off. However, now it's all done and dusted, I'd say it was a great success. There's been lots of feedback that people love it. Not everyone, but if you ever need evidence of the old adage "can't please all of the people all of the time", then try out organising an office move for 500 people ! Oh, it also came in on time and budget. It was a huge team effort and everyone involved can feel proud of their achievement.
I could write reams about what we did, what worked, what didn't, what I'd do differently next time. However, the focus for my slot at the event is on the "people aspects" (just what you'd expect from an accountant eh ?), so I'll confine myself to that today.
We recognised early on that this was going to be emotional. If you think that sounds a bit fluffy, try this. Go into work tomorrow and sit in someone else's desk for the day and see how it feels. I'd put money on it being disorientating, frustrating, uncomfortable - and it's not because you've currently got the best desk and you're trading down - it's just different, you're not used to it, you hadn't planned for it. Given that we knew it would be an upheaval, there were various strategies we deployed to mitigate the impact....
- Communication. We communicated. We communicated for England. News items on the intranet, posters on the wall, newsletters on the desk, standing update item at Managers' meetings. Often we said the same thing in three different formats, but it was all about generating familiarity with the project.
- Involvement. Ok, not design by a 500 person committe, but we put most of the furniture choices out to staff to vote on. An initial group of 8 staff went out on selection visits, selecting ranges within our price bands, making sure that they met all our operational needs (this group included the Health & Safety Manager and FM Manager). We then got the suppliers to deliver samples to the office and asked everyone to vote for their favourites. Nope, we didn't rig the vote - just staff at NHH have great taste !
- Not just the usual suspects. The good ol' chain of command is useful. Brief the senior manager, they brief the middle manager and so on with the information cascade. There's a pretty significant risk though, that something will get lost in translation, and if you're looking for feedback and action, the management chain isn't always the most effective route. Typically a senior manager won't have the same understanding of the nitty gritty of "how things work" on a very practical level in their office. How many senior managers know how whether they have (or need) a laminator, spiral binder or shredder in their area (I didn't until I needed to know this for the move!).... however the PAs and Team Administrators probably do. They were a great source of knowledge, terrific planners and great influencers. We formed a team of "Move Co-ordinators" populated mostly wiht our PAs and Administrators. They were vital to the move - it wouldn't have been so successful without them.
- Have some fun. The move weekend was exhausting, but it we also had some fun....Clearning up the left-over kit left in our old office : we had the music on full volume as we "swept" through the building in waves - 15 or so Move Co-ordinators, gathering up electrical ephemera (100 or so desk fans), bagging up excess stationery for recycling (do get in touch if you want a few thousand lever arch files) and generally making sure that nothing got left behind. We flaked out in the reception later that afternoon when the pizza delivery boy arrived - not on a moped though - he needed a family hatchback to get them all in !
So, the punchline in a cliche. Many hands make light work.
I'll write some more on another day, about the design elements of the fit-out and also the actual move weekend itself.
J
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