How to Reduce Risks During an Office Relocation

An office relocation carries with it many risks for a business. During a move, a company is particularly exposed to liabilities outside those that occur during the normal scope of business. Risks during a move come from all directions, internal and external. It is important for a company to identify these unique risks before they pose a problem.
For internal risk, the company must assess the best way to secure the personal information of its employees and customers. Internal liability can also arise from injury. External risk comes from the increased exposure to theft and damage. These are just a few of the challenges a company faces during an office relocation, so it's critical to hire an office mover with the expertise to ensure a flawless move.
Personal Information
All companies maintain some level of personal information. This can include employee files, health records, customer account information, and a wide variety of other sensitive data. If a business doesn't take the proper precautions by hiring an experienced office relocation company, it can be easy to lose track of a hard drive or a filing cabinet that contains this information, which provides thieves with the opportunity to steal the information.
If, for example, a filing cabinet containing employment applications including private data gets lost in the shuffle, an identity thief can break in and literally steal the physical files, which would give him everything he needs to steal employee identities. If it were to be determined that employees' credit was damaged because of the company's lack of diligence, it could end up being held liable for hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages and steep legal fees.
Injury
An office relocation poses an increased chance of human injury as well. Employees are a company's most valuable asset, so involving them in an office relocation is unwise at best and catastrophic at worst. If employees are allowed to move any of the company's property and they get injured in the process, the business is in store for huge losses as a result of lawsuits, medical bills, workers' compensation claims, and loss of productivity, to name a few.
To protect itself, a company needs to hire a professional office relocation company to eliminate all risks of personal injury to staff. Moving companies carry their own insurance and are therefore responsible for any injuries to their employees during an office move.
Equipment
Every company has different liability levels from loss or damage of equipment during a move. The business must assess the value of its equipment and then determine which equipment poses the biggest risk if it were lost, damaged, or stolen. Equipment that is vital to operations-whether owned, rented, leased, or financed-should be covered by the company's insurance policy. The specific details of what is and what is not covered by a moving company can vary greatly, so businesses need to fully understand who will assume the risks