Carrying out renovations at your business premises can be a massive upheaval and a time in which the company can be massively impacted by the changes.
However, if business renovations are necessary, it’s vital that you understand how to implement the necessary alterations without impacting operations so that you can keep moving forward during this time.
Depending on the type of organization you run, there may be extra considerations. For instance, if it’s a medical facility, you may need to ensure patient care is not disrupted. If it’s a jail, security measures need to be maintained. If it’s a public office, you may need to consider how to continue providing services to the public. These complexities can be managed with proper planning. However, it’s not unreasonable to expect things to run as usual during this time if you prepare. These tips are designed to help you do just that.
Here are 9 Essential Steps for Successful Business Renovations:
1. Create A Plan
Creating a realistic plan that considers your operational needs and the potential impact of each stage of the business renovations is crucial. This level of preparation instills a sense of control and readiness, empowering you to navigate the process with confidence.
Practical thinking, not extravagance, is the key. Assess the needs of each employee and department and find simple ways to accommodate the planned work. For instance, if a department’s workspace is being renovated, you could temporarily relocate them to a less affected area. This resourceful approach fosters adaptability and readiness, enabling you to keep moving forward with minimal disruptions.
2. Create A Timeline
While it’s common for timelines to experience delays, having a detailed timeline from your business renovation company or contractors can help you anticipate and manage these delays. This foresight can assist in planning alternative arrangements during each stage of the process.
3. Talk To Contractors
It’s not just about choosing the right contractor; it’s about communicating your expectations and understanding the timeline. For instance, if you’re expecting increased noise or more extensive changes in a specific time period, you can plan to be out of the workplace and implement downtime. The more you understand what to expect, the easier it will be to rearrange work and keep things running smoothly.
4. Arrange Temporary Facilities
This could include options such as a temporary storage container to work from while your office is being refurbished. You could also hire external toilets and a portable sink rental to ensure there is water and a wash station for your team and the contractors. You might need barriers to block off zones, warning equipment and signage, or even work from a new location for some part of the work.
5. Storage Options
Depending on the work being carried out and your business, it can be a good idea to look into storage units to help you through this period. For these items or stock you don’t need on a daily basis or valuable or sensitive parts of the business, having them stored off-site in a locked unit can give you and your customers peace of mind that everything is safe and secure and not likely to be damaged or fall into the wrong hands.
6. Delegate
Working through business renovations won’t be a walk in the park, and this walk might feel like you’re trudging through quicksand if you’re trying to do it alone. Prior to any work starting, delegate specific tasks to your team and have points of calls and temporary check-in points for everyone. Hold a meeting to inform everyone of what to expect and then delegate so everyone knows what to expect, who to contact for different things, and where to go for help if needed. The more your team knows about how they will be supported and what they need to do to support the business at this time in advance, the easier it will be to keep things running smoothly.
7. Inform Customers and Suppliers
While you might be working towards limiting disruption, it’s likely there will be some. Informing all of your customers and suppliers ahead of time and sending out reminders ensures they know what to expect during this period and are aware of potential changes in service or functions and abilities. This transparency can help maintain good relationships and even allow for adjustments to meet everyone’s needs.
You can put the best plans in place, but they don’t always work out, so preempting any issues by informing people that you are going through changes that can impact your output can massively improve relationships and avoid any unwanted scenarios if things do go wrong.
8. Take On Board Feedback
To make things as easy as possible during this time, you need to be taking on board feedback from your customers, your team, and your contractors to enable you to make the right changes and adaptations for the entire process. Your contractor can give you real-time ideas gained from their experience doing this and hints as to what you can expect.
Your team can offer up ways to work that will be beneficial for them and your business, and your customers can give you feedback on what they expect or how they can assist you until the work is complete. Listen, ask, and take it on board, or let you move forward with the right plans and structure in place.
9. Have Emergency Plans
It’s always best to have a plan in place for the worst-case scenario. While this is the last thing you want to happen, putting the points mentioned in this into practice can help mitigate this. Thinking about what you need to do or how you will rectify emergencies can put you in a great position. Always preempt anything disastrous happening during periods of upheaval, such as business renovations.
Look at the specific functions you carry out and how; what will you do if you can’t do this anymore? How can you reduce the impact, or what changes can you make? Thinking about what you would need to do in an emergency can enable you to consider fixes and adaptations so you can react faster should this come to fruition.
Business renovations are a massive upheaval in any sector. As a business owner, understand how this will impact what you do and what you can implement to reduce interference for the business to enable you to keep going with as little disruption as possible.
