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When planning an office relocation there are lots of things to consider. You need to determine:
- The best location for your new office
- The administrative and financial implications of the move
- The effect the move will have on your employees
This office relocation guide shows you some location analysis techniques that will help you make an informed decision about the best location for your new office.
Visit the office relocation resource page for more information.
Analyse staff commute times
Why are staff commute times important?
An office is only as good as the people who work in it, so take your employees into consideration. The amount of time people spend travelling can be an incentive or a deterrent.
It’s also important to let staff know that you have taken their needs into account. Showing them their personal commute time to the new office will do just that.
How do I analyse staff commute times?
To analyse staff commute times you could use technology to analyse commute time data for all employees. The TravelTime Analytics service calculates the travel time from all employee home addresses to various potential office locations so you can measure the impact of the move on your employee’s commute.
Below is an example of a staff commute time calculation.
From the table above you can see that potential office 2 is the best option for staff. Moving to this location would reduce nearly all employees’ travel times. Derek’s travel time would increase by 10 minutes. However, this is still seven minutes faster than the journey to potential office 1.
To create a commute time matrix get in touch.
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Analyse staff commute costs
Why are staff commute costs important?
Managing a change in commute costs can be vital in retaining key staff members. Similar to commute times, showing staff where they can make a saving on their commute costs can be an incentive to support your office relocation strategy.
Understanding any negative effects from the move will also give you the opportunity to put a countermeasure in place, like a season ticket loan scheme or compensating travel for some employees.
How do I analyse staff commute costs?
If your employees use public transport to get to work, you can calculate the cost of a weekly, monthly or annual season ticket cost using a location analysis tool.
Below is an example of staff commute cost calculation from TravelTime Analytics.
From the table above you can see that potential office 2 is the best option for staff. Moving to this location would reduce nearly all employees’ travel costs. DeAndra’s travel costs would increase by £9.10. The employer may consider covering this. They could also introduce a season ticket loan scheme to reduce the cost for DeAndra.
The data above was created as a sample for our office relocation guide. To create your own table using employee data get in touch.
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Analyse parking facilities
Why is parking important?
When considering locations to move your office to, you need to make sure that there is enough parking for your staff. This is especially true if you are considering an office relocation to a suburban area, where public transport options may be limited. Considering parking could be vital to retaining staff and maintaining productivity and morale.
How do I analyse parking facilities?
You can use a location analysis tool to gather data on staff members’ current mode of transport and travel costs (as described above).
Does the location you are considering allow any staff to have an easier and quicker journey by public transport? If so, you might consider introducing a season ticket loan scheme to help with payment as an incentive.
If the new location under consideration would mean more staff driving to work, are there enough parking spaces to accommodate them? If not, you can use transport planning analytics to identify which employees are located in similar areas and set up a rideshare scheme or a shuttle bus for employees. It might also show where you can take advantage of existing services, like a ‘park and ride’.
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Map the move for location analysis
Why is mapping the move important?
By mapping the move you can visualise the employees home addresses on a map. This will allow you to have a greater understanding of the office locations you are researching.
Mapping the move also allows for a richer location analysis because you can layer the map with additional information. You could, for example, include data about:
- Local amenities
- Medical facilities
- Transport links
This may influence your decision as to whether the staff will have all they need in the locations you are considering.
In addition, you might layer information about the population density of the area and the average age of the population. This may help you determine how likely you are to find new talent in the area, should you need to recruit new staff. The image below is taken from Newcastle University slides and shows how GIS can be used to map transport disruptions.
How do I map the move?
It’s possible to plot the employees visually on a map using a location analysis tool. Here is an example of this import after uploading a CSV of staff addresses using TravelTime Analytics.
You can also export KML files for these areas so that you can view the layer on Google Maps or another mapping provider or GIS software.
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For more information about office location analysis visit the TravelTime Analytics Office Relocation page.