Tips on Office Moving

The task of corporate relocation is overwhelming, more than residential relocation. Here are some tips to make your office moving a smoother activity.

• Be as time-efficient and as cost-efficient as possible. Moving an office means loss of valuable working hours. Minimize it by being efficient at every front.
• If you would hire corporate relocation services, do it as early as possible. Professional movers are, any way, essential for moving large offices if a company wants to save valuable hours of its employees. Its good to hire them before at least 5-6 weeks ahead of moving date so that they may plan well for the move.
• Planning is the mantra when you talk of effective performance. Plan out everything, create a floor plan. map out furniture and equipment placement scheme, decide about where the employees will be stationed at the new office and the like. A little more hard work here will save you a considerable amount of time, money and headaches in the long run.
• Inform everyone- employees, landlords, and movers, about every detail of the relocation process. Tell the hired office mover about where each piece of furniture needs to be placed.
• Ensure that you depute at least one person to be in contact with the movers and direct them according to the company needs. This person should be well versed about the requirements and must have approval about the new office layout. Changing the layout of the office later is not viable and not at all cost efficient.
• Ensure that each piece that needs to be moved carries color-coded packing labels. These labels should be placed prominently on the packed office goods so that movers know exactly where they have to be moved.
• Dispose of as much garbage as possible. If yours is a large company, you might need to have permission from responsible authorities about disposing off waste. Initiate the process early so that it completes before packing starts.
• Make sure that all the facilities at the new office are installed before moving. This will save wastage of time and work could be started as soon as employees move to the new office. Check Internet connection, working phones and fax, restrooms etc.
• Change your company stationery and business cards well in time. Place the new address and phone number, and circulate the information everywhere through every means. Mail them to your employees and clients. You would definitely not like to lose any of your customers just because you have changed your office address!
• For rented items, clarify whether you need to contact your supplier. There may be contractual obligations requiring the rented equipment be moved only by the owner company.
• Book the services of freight elevators, if any- both in old and new building. This ensures a rapid move.

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Home Shift- What Can You do with Your Furniture?

In the process of relocation, the most cumbersome job is that of packing and then unpacking all your household goods. From among all your belongings, furniture is perhaps the most bulky and space consuming item. Just imagine, how badly you need all your furniture to lead a decent and comfortable life but how this furniture, all of a sudden, becomes a burden when moving from one location to another. So, what are the ways to deal with these furniture items? Do you have to take all of them along with you? Or you can just leave some of them behind? If so, how to sort out what to take and what to leave behind? And the big question then- What to do with all those furniture that you don't want to take along with you? Lets try to find answers to these questions.

Sort out the furniture items: Yes, first of all sort out your furniture. Generally, those items with which you are sentimentally involved can not be left behind. Then, there are some pieces that are antique- you can't leave them too, unless you decide to sell them off. Apart from these, there are some high end furniture like art deco furniture that will cost you a fortune if you decide to buy them anew at your new location. However, if you decide to sell them along with some antique furniture, you can get a handsome amount that can be invested in new furniture for your new home. It's all on you, how you want to go about!

Plan and take action for selling off furniture: After you have sorted out which furniture needs to be disposed off, plan about how will you sell them. Do it when there is still a lots of time with you before home shift. This will help you to negotiate properly. Selling furniture in a hurry will not get you good cost for your furniture. If there are some expensive pieces which can fetch some good amount for you then place advertisements in local newspapers. If not, then put notices on your apartment and office notice board, of course, with the permission from designated authority. You can also put these selling notices on nearby college or hostel campus. Students are always on a look out for used furniture. You can think about more options for selling off your furniture.

Donate Furniture: You can even donate your furniture to charitable schools or other organizations. Such furniture that could not be sold off and which neither you want to take with you, can be donated to such organizations. You can even ask your friends and relatives, if they want to take some of such furniture.

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Corporate Relocation- How to Find Resources for Employee Relocation?

Distances matter no longer. Corporates are going places and writing new laws of success. In this process, however, they have to move their resources- including their employees- from one location to another. As such, corporate relocations need a good amount of assistance in the form of information on various acts and regulations and assistance from professional relocation organizations as well as companies. So, how can they find their needed resources?

There are many corporate relocation organizations that include moving companies, relocation associations and councils that can be of great help for employee relocation. Internet has really made most of our works easier. One can research and get limitless numbers of companies listed on online movers and packers directory.

Other than these directories, there are other options too- in the form of employee relocation associations- who provide targeted information about employee relocation packages. With the help of this information, the corporates can find out and compare various relocation packages. This way, they get the best deal available in the market. There are many such organizations that list relocation service providers in a comprehensive manner. Some of the best organizations include the Worldwide ERC, the EuRA, and the ARP.

The members (relocation service providers) of these associations not only move household goods and search accommodation for the employees and their family, they also search schools for their kids and provide other value oriented services like area orientation, cross cultural orientation, tenanacy management, visa and immigration services, finding jobs for the trailing spouse etc. However, the corporates availing the services of relocation companies found through such organizations must check their track record and should also ask for references.

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Get Maximum Benefit from Self Storage- Tips for Expats

Self storage has been a useful option for businesses requiring extra space for their inventory, records, files, seasonal promotional materials, raw materials and product samples. Nowadays, moving and packing companies are using these warehousing facilities for temporarily storing their clients' belongings during the relocation process. Self storage facilities are also becoming popular among the expats who now prefer to store all or some of their household belongings instead of carrying them along to their new location. So, it seems apt to give some tips about obtaining maximum benefit from such self storage facility!

Pack Properly: Use such packing supplies as cartons, paper, tape, bubble-wrap and plastic covers so that they remain protected while the whole storage period. Place the things in cartons in proper ways. For example, pack the books flat and not on their edges. Place the paintings, mirrors, window screens and other framed items on their edges and not flat. Wrap them up with bubble-wrap or in a flat-pack carton.

Precautions for Heavy Items: Thoroughly dry and clean such items as fridges, freezers, water filters etc. before storing. Place a deodorizer inside them to avoid any odor and maintain freshness. Keep them empty, do not store anything inside fridge or freezer. Empty your cupboards and drawers. Store your clothing in strong, secure cartons. Place some naphthalene or mothballs to protect them. Where possible, disassemble furniture to avoid damage and save space. Vacuum before storing in order to prevent them from bugs.

Precautions for Metal and Fragile items: Wrap the breakables such as dishes and glasswares individually in packing paper. Fill any gap in the cartons with crumpled paper or linen. Label the cartons containing fragile items. Don't store them with or below heavy items. Wrap silver items in non acidic tissue paper or plastic bags to avoid tarnishing. Treat chrome or cast iron with a little machine oil to prevent them from rust.

Packing of Electronics, Computers, and Machinery: Remove the batteries from any battery operated appliances and toys in order to avoid leaking batteries. If possible, pack your computer in its original cartons otherwise use bubble wraps and also fill up the gaps in the carton. Most of the latest models of computers have “self parking heads” which automatically park themselves whenever you shut off their power. If you are unsure, check the computer manual or consult your retailer, especially when storing them for longer than six months. Drain fuel and oil from all machinery to avoid any leakage, spillage and damage like fire hazard to other goods in your space.

Tips for Storing Properly: Keep the heavy items at the back of the storage unit, working forwards and upwards with lighter items. Those items that need to be accessed often must be placed in the front of the unit. Leave some space as walk ways. Read the Self Storage Agreement documents thoroughly. Clarify any doubts before hiring such service. Observe self-storage restrictions. Don't store any hazardous, dangerous, illegal, perishable, environmentally harmful or explosive goods in the self storage unit. Insure the items sored in such facility. If your insurance cover has provision for items in storage, its well and good otherwise consult your self storage consultant to get an insurance cover.

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Relocation- Tips on Safe Pets Moving

Moving is a stressful activity, not only for you and me but also for our pets. You need to really take a good care while pet moving during your relocation. Here are some tips that you will find useful for moving your pets safely and securely.

• Whenever you pack for moving, do it over a period of time in a well planned manner so that your pet's normal routine is not disturbed.
• Get a good- quality, sturdy pet carrier and make your pet accustomed to it by spending some time daily in it.
• After getting your new address, ensure that you immediately get an ID tag prepared with your new address and emergency telephone number on it. If, somehow, your pet gets lost, it can reach home safely due to the pet identification information.
• On the day when you are moving, place your pet in a safe, quiet place (use your bathroom for a while and then you can shift the pet in a room that gets empty at first) so that it can not go out and get lost. Remember to make this zone a complete “No entry” zone so that your pet do not get disturbed with the sight of unknown faces of professional movers.
• When planning to travel by a car, make your dog accustomed to a restraining harness. If you have a cat that is moving with you, make sure to transport it in a well-ventilated and securely placed carrier because cats are generally not comfortable when traveling in cars.
• Don't leave your pets alone in a parked vehicle because high temperature can kill them. Also, they can be injured or stolen by mischievous elements.
• Always carry food, water, medications, bed, litter box, food and water bowls for your pets while traveling.
• Don't put your pet in the trunk of a car, the open bed of a pickup truck, or the storage area of a moving van.
• If your pet is not comfortable with car travel, ask the veterinarian about medication that can lessen the stress of travel.
• If your pet is moving by air, keep yourself informed about rules and regulations related to pet travel. The airline may give a special container for your pet in the event of your pet container not conforming to its regulations.
• If the Veterinarian prescribes a tranquilizer, give it to your pet immediately before going to the airport. If your pet is placed away from you by the airlines, give specific instructions about taking care of it until you arrive to pick it up.
• Consult the veterinarian about additional vaccinations, medications, and health certificates too that are required at your new destination.
• Obtain information about animal-friendly hotels in your new locality and keep it handy. It will be helpful in the event of unplanned overnight lodging during your move.
• Find a veterinarian for your pet in the new location even before you move into your new home. You might require medical assistance for your pet just after moving in.
• It's always better not to move fish with you. Give them to your friends or your pet store. If you cannot leave them behind, take the help of professional pet movers.
• If moving your birds in a car, carry enough food and water for them during travel. Cover the cages with cloth so that they may stay calm and quiet.

After successful pet moving to a new location, you must also help them settling into your new home.

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