NOW IS THE TIME TO JUMP INTO OFFICE MOVING
Why Office Moving Should Boom after the Pandemic
Don’t believe everything you see or hear about the commercial real estate market. According to some surveys more than 40% of the workforce wants to work from home 4 days a week or more. Current occupancy levels in urban offices hover between 10-20%. The C-suite is questioning if they will ever need the same amount of office space currently under lease.
However, according to a 25-year industry veteran, John Burton of Re-Imagine Solutions, the near and long-term potential of the commercial real estate industry is very promising.
“According to a survey of 500+ epidemiologists & health professionals, working in a shared office space is less risky than shaking hands or dining in at a restaurant,” says Burton. Recent surveys reveal that employers are adopting a phased approach to reopening: about 1/3 of the workforce is expected to physically return to the office this fall. 72% of the remaining portion plan to be back by Summer 2021.
“Working from home is not necessarily the solution for everyone – a survey by Monster.com in July 2020 found that 69% of remote workers surveyed reported feeling burned out, compared to 20% in May. Additionally, younger workers, who lack the social and professional networks of their senior colleagues, are disadvantaged by the lack of face-to-face interaction brought on by remote working. They are not getting the mentoring, leadership, and networking needed to build their careers.”
Changes in the design and infrastructure of the workplace will be needed to bring people back to work; and that means the services of commercial real estate service providers will be in high demand. Utilization rates in a Post Covid-19 environment are expected to increase from 191 square foot per person to more than 290 sf/person due to the requirements of social distancing. This will translate into an increase in the redesign and reconfiguration of the office environment.
Burton and his team at Re-Imagine Solutions are already tackling this issue through the introduction of Artificial Intelligence tools and comprehensive program management offerings. “Organizations need to address their ability to address pandemics, new infrastructure requirements, and changes to workplace design in order to offer staff a space that is safe, familiar, and effective. We won’t be returning to the previous design environment, we’ll need to evolve to a new way of working, and that will require a significant contribution from the design, construction, transition and relocation management industry. Our work is only getting started,” says Burton.
To learn more about the International Office Moving Institute (IOMI®) and its online office moving training, please visit https://www.officemoves.com/training/index.html or contact Ed Katz, 404.358.2172, edkatz@officemoves.com.
The International Office Moving Institute (IOMI®) is not an alliance, a trade association, or a moving company, but an independent, unbiased office moving resource and training organization beholden to no one. We accept no advertising. The links from within our pages to other web sites are reciprocal.
For more than a decade, many in the moving industry and companies planning a move have come to rely on officemoves.com as a steadfast source of best practices. We advocate, and through the International Office Moving Institute (IOMI®), teach:
• Minimizing the risk of damage to walls, floors, doors and elevators during your move. IOMI® Certified Office Movers® and Certified Project Managers® learn the best practice methods for installing extensive building protection.
• Minimizing the risk of damage to furniture and computers during your move. IOMI® Certified Office Movers® and Certified Project Managers® learn the best-practice methods for wrapping every monitor, printer, CPU, server, and copier with two layers of anti-static bubble wrap (with the bubbles facing the bubbles) instead of pad-wrapping computers with filthy furniture pads.
• Timing is of the essence on your office move. If your mover doesn’t finish the job on time, it can cost your company thousands of dollars of nonproductive downtime. IOMI® Certified Office Movers® and Certified Project Managers® learn an estimating formula that’s based upon man-hours instead of the unreliable method typically used on household moves that’s based on weight.
The IOMI® proprietary estimating formula is uncannily accurate because it factors in not only volume but the unique logistics of both the building you’re moving from and to.
Why hire an IOMI®
Certified Office Mover®?
1. On time for the price quoted
One of the biggest complaints about movers is that they often badly underestimate the cost of a move and then don’t finish on time. An International Office Moving Institute (IOMI®)-trained mover learns a formula for accurately estimating cost. By calculating the number of trucks and movers for how long, IOMI® Certified Office Movers® can base estimates on man-hours, volume, and logistics, and not weight, which household movers typically use when quoting an office move. As a result, the chances of a move completing on time for the price quoted is greatly improved.
2. Minimize risk of damage
IOMI® Certified Office Movers® learn the latest techniques to minimize risk of damage to furniture and computers, and are trained in extensive building protection to minimize risk of damage to carpet, walls, doors, and door jambs.
3. Minimize downtime
There is a better way! IOMI® Certified Office Movers® understand that their customers can’t afford to shut down operations during a move, and are trained in techniques to keep client employees working. Many IOMI® graduates offer the “boxless” move — moving the contents in the furniture instead of the contents and the furniture.
Learn More About Becoming An
IOMI® Certified Office Mover®
Call 404-358-2172
