How it works
Relocations usually start from a lease event: an expiry, a break option, a consolidation, or growth the current building cannot hold. The first decisions are scope, budget, timeline and who signs off, and the timeline works back from the date the old space must be handed back.
The new space is designed from evidence. Attendance and occupancy data show how many seats, rooms and neighborhoods each team needs on its busiest days, and team adjacency shows who should sit together. That informs the test fit, the fit-out and the seating plan.
Execution is sequencing and communication: IT and network cutover, furniture, access control, visitor and mail routing, booking system setup for the new floors, and a move schedule by team. Each employee needs to know where they will sit and when. After move-in, the team checks that occupancy matches the plan and adjusts.
How to measure it
- Baseline occupancy and peak-day demand in the current office before sizing the new one.
- Track the relocation budget, including cost per move and fit-out.
- Measure day-one readiness: the share of people with a working seat, equipment and access.
- Compare occupancy in the new space with the plan after the first few months.
Examples
- A company with a hybrid policy sizes its new office from peak-day attendance rather than headcount and takes one floor instead of two.
- A department moves over a weekend in three waves, with a personal move sheet sent to each employee the week before.
Common mistakes
- Sizing the new office from headcount rather than attendance.
- Starting IT and network work too late; it is often the longest lead item.
- Telling employees only in the week of the move.
- Leaving the booking system and floor plans set up for the old building.
How Kadence helps
Kadence gives relocation teams attendance and occupancy data from Workplace Insights and automatic check-in to size the new space. SpaceOps imports floor plans, builds stack and space plans for the new floors and compares scenarios, and Move Manager (WorkOps Pro) assigns seats in bulk and sends each employee a move email and a personal move sheet.
SpaceOps · Scenario planning · Wavex customer story · Office move checklist
Frequently asked questions
How far in advance should you plan an office relocation?
Start as soon as the lease event is known. Small internal moves need weeks; a whole-office relocation usually needs several months for space selection, fit-out, IT and network work and employee communication. Work backward from the date the old space must be handed back.
What should an office relocation checklist include?
Scope, budget and sign-off; current occupancy and peak-day demand; the new layout and seating plan; IT, network and phone cutover; furniture and movers; access control, signage, mail and visitor routing; booking system setup; employee communication and move sheets; and a post-move review.
How do you size a new office for hybrid work?
Use measured attendance, not headcount. Find each team's busiest regular day, add a buffer for growth and events, and plan neighborhoods and meeting rooms around that peak. Check the result with a test fit before committing to the lease.
Who should manage an office relocation?
One accountable owner, usually in workplace, facilities or real estate, with a core team from IT, HR, finance and security. Larger relocations often add a project manager or an external move manager, and team representatives who carry information to their colleagues.
Related terms
- Move management Planning, sequencing and carrying out workplace moves, from one desk change to a whole-team relocation.
- Swing space Temporary workspace people use while their permanent space is refurbished, reconfigured or not yet ready.
- Office consolidation Moving teams from several floors, buildings or sites into less space, then giving up or repurposing the space that is freed.
- Cost per move The average cost of relocating one person inside the workplace: total move costs divided by people moved.
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