Sarah Cole, Universal’s Managing Director has been much in demand of late, providing her expert opinion on several panels and interviews conducted in recent months.

In August, Sarah was invited to appear alongside a panel of Facilities Management and Property industry specialists to discuss the ever changing face of the FM and Property industry, sharing experiences, advice and strategies in these moving and challenging times. Thanks to COREcruitment Ltd Krishnan Doyle and Sheila Ingram for hosting.  (Re)watch / catch up on the panel discussion recorded via zoom here.

Prior to that, Sarah was interviewed by Beth Goodyear as part of her “FM Expert” series of interviews, to discuss #officemoving and how it can be a positive and enhancing change for an entire organisation.  Sarah also took the opportunity to share some of her top tips for anyone organising a company move.  The recording of the zoom call, entitled “Relocation, Relocation, Relocation” can be viewed on youtube titled “Relocation, Relocation, Relocation! Sarah Cole speaks to Beth Goodyear“.

Whether you are a representative of an official body, the owner of a private company, or a private individual, you likely have certain items in your care which are irreplaceable or are of great value or importance. For the protection of such assets , it is vital to have access to secure storage facilities which are both reliable and convenient.
For businesses dealing in high-value, low-turnover products, keeping large amounts of stock on the premises can be fraught with risk. Many such wholesalers and retailers prefer to keep the majority of their stock at a remote and anonymous secure storage location which will not attract attention. The challenge is to find a suitable storage company to work with.
In this information age, the valuable resources of many organizations take the form of files and documentation, either in paper or digital form. These may include vital records and other documents related to customers, tax and legal matters, staff and personnel, or business and technical specifics. Other valuables come in the form of high value products, electronic devices, valuable materials, or even articles such as collector’s items and museum pieces.
Whatever form your valuables take, without the services of secure storage providers protecting them would be a constant source of worry. Accidental fire or water damage, or human risks such as loss, mishandling or theft all threaten the security of our important things. What are the options for those seeking to arrange secure storage for items of all kinds?
If you’re going to entrust a business partner with your most valuable products, you need to know that their site is safe and that their staff are trustworthy. After all, there’s no point taking your business to someone who takes your interests less seriously than you do.
Storing large amounts of information can also be problematic; backing up very sensitive information online is still risky, and keeping hard copies of documents such as tax records will lead to a great deal of space taken up with file cabinets.
Other assets such as equipment and materials also take up valuable space when you are trying to run a business. And while there are many secure storage providers out there, some may wonder just how safe commercial storage facilities really are, and whether they would offer the level of accessibility required by a busy company.
It is with all this in mind that Universal Commercial Relocation Ltd of London have decided to offer a comprehensive commercial storage solution aimed at companies who demand the highest standards of their service providers. Our secure storage facilities are conveniently located premises which are set up to offer the highest level of protection for your goods, around the clock and throughout the year. Our high tech security arrangements include: full CCTV coverage with Police connection, high specification smoke detectors and sprinkler system with Fire Brigade connection, computerised storage management, and fully vetted staff.
For more information regarding this and our other highly professional services including business relocations and IT move solutions, contact UCR today.

A workplace relocation can be an unknown, daunting and stressful prospect, but if planned and managed effectively, it can be a transformative move for a business.

When the decision is made to relocate, advance and detailed planning is key to ensuring it is a positive and productive step for all stakeholders in the organisation.  It is an opportunity to not only transform the physical space and working environment but also review and improve so many other critical areas of the organisation such as:

• Staff wellness
• Productivity
• Staff satisfaction and retention
• Working practices
• Talent attraction and brand
• Environmental performance

The following steps will assist in effectively planning a workplace move:

1. Form your core move project team as soon as possible and plan effectively – ensure all elements of the organisation are represented including HR, Procurement, I.T, Facilities and crucially Move Champions who are representatives from the workforce. Demonstrating that the staff have a voice and a role in the planning and vision for the new workplace ensures there is open and ongoing two-way communication across the business and staff recognise that the move will be a positive, collaborative and inclusive change – a common goal for all.

2. Benchmark your organisation’s productivity and staff’s satisfaction before the move – Assess the organisation’s current productivity and determine which areas require improvement for the benefit of not only organisational performance but workforce wellbeing. This will assist you in shaping the new workplace so it will not only look better but actually function and operate more effectively.  When you then benchmark in the new workplace, an improvement in productivity and satisfaction can be quantified and demonstrated to senior management.  This should assist in future “buy-in” and financial support for further projects to enhance performance and productivity.  There are organisations such as LCMB that specialise in undertaking benchmarking for you in an engaging, practical, and cost-effective way.

3. Engage third party move specialists to support and enhance your core move project team – Too often, the commercial mover is engaged relatively near the planned move phase. Specialist BS 8522 accredited commercial moving companies have a wealth of experience of move projects and can support you from the beginning in attending planning meetings, helping you plan and shape the move and actually undertake a project management role if desired.  They can help your staff prepare with practical advice, and undertake critical planning exercises such as furniture and I.T auditing, file mapping and space planning.  Focus on procuring for value not cost so that your mover is not only delivering but enhancing the project and draw on their experience.  An experienced mover will guide you through all stages of the move, and assist you in minimising risk and protecting business continuity.

4. Do not miss the opportunity for the move to be a catalyst for positive change – Review all areas of the business and take into account the staff feedback from the benchmarking exercise. Can improvements be made in your new workplace?  Will new organisational practices enhance your employees’ experience and wellbeing at work?  Enhanced culture and staff wellbeing clearly correlates to improved productivity.  If the new workplace addresses staff’s previous concerns, they can appreciate that they have been listened to and are valued.  The new office needs to not only be more physically attractive, inspiring and creative, but an agile, practical and collaborative space.  Your organisation may decide to shift to a coworking space model which in theory will deliver cost and space savings, and benefit staff.  However, plan the layout carefully to ensure there is a diverse range of workspace available from dynamic, collaborative team space to quiet private work areas to ensure the common staff concerns on noise and lack of privacy do not arise post move.

In summary, with careful and thoughtful planning, a relocation should be a positive, business enhancing and collaborative project which unlocks value and drives productivity for the future –  a positive move all round,

Sarah Cole is the Managing Director of Universal Commercial Relocation Ltd, joining Universal in 2002 following a 10 year career in the City of London specialising as a Real Estate solicitor.  Sarah is now Managing Director of Universal, winner of the British Association of Removers’ Commercial Mover of the Year Award in 2015, 2017, and 2019.  Sarah’s particular interest areas are in engagement and collaboration with the wider workplace industry in the interests of best practice and innovation, and quality assurance in service delivery.    

Sarah and the Universal team specialise in office move services including move management, move planning, office relocation and churn, environmental clearance and I.T move services.  If you would like to discuss planning and undertaking a potential move project, you can contact Sarah at Universal on t: 0208 575 1133, e: sarah@ucr.uk.com or www.ucr.uk.com or John O’Brien of LCMB on t: 01295 722923, e: john@lcmb.co.uk or www.lcmb.co.uk for an informal discussion.