Office moves don’t happen often, which is why they can be so challenging. They require careful logistical planning, operational continuity, and strategic decision-making. It’s not just about getting from point A to point B. It’s about figuring out what you bring with you, what you can leave behind, and how your organization will evolve in the process.

While it’s easy to focus on the obvious tasks like hiring movers, updating addresses, and packing up desks, one area that often gets overlooked is managing your information. This includes the physical records, documents, and paper-based processes that have quietly built up over the years. Things like HR files to archived invoices can occupy a lot of space physically and use up operational resources.

However, moving offices offers an opportunity to rethink how your organization currently handles information. Instead of just packing up filing cabinets, many companies can use this time to digitize old paper records, cut down on clutter, and set the stage for a more modern, flexible work environment offering many benefits for your business in the long run.

Digitization isn’t just about decluttering and convenience. It can also improve compliance, data security, and team productivity. As more organizations adopt hybrid or remote models, fast and secure access to digital documents is becoming harder to put off.

In this guide, we will walk you through some of the important steps to get your business ready for an office move, focusing on connecting your physical relocation with better information management. We will look at how to check your assets, what to do with old paperwork, how to create space for your future operations, and when it is a good idea to digitize.

We’ll also show where digitization fits into the process. Whether you’re a small business with a few cabinets of client files or a large organization with rows of archival boxes, having a plan for your documents is just as important as having one for your desks and monitors. You don’t have to become a paperless office all at once. However, by taking advantage of an office move to improve your recordkeeping systems, you can set your organization up for long-term success. It’s not only about logistics; it’s about making a strategic business decision.

If you’re in Alberta, local companies like Consentia focus on helping organizations scan, store, and securely manage their records. Our No File Left Behind™ approach ensures that nothing gets overlooked during your move. We do this on your timeline and terms. Even if you handle some of the moves yourself, the principles in this guide will help you make better choices about what to move, what to digitize, and how to build a more organized foundation for the future.

1. Begin With an Office Audit

The first step in preparing for an office move is to understand what you have, which is why we recommend conducting a full inventory check. Start by checking:

Furniture and equipment: What’s worth taking, upgrading, or recycling?
Paper files and records: How many cabinets, boxes, or shelves of documents do you have?
IT assets: Are your devices, servers, and networking equipment moving with you?

Document everything and begin to think carefully about what should move to the new space. Paper files, from client contracts to HR documents, often take up more room than expected. Here’s what to assess:

What’s actively used
What’s required for compliance
What’s redundant or outdated

This is also a good time to check your retention policies. Many records can legally be disposed of after a set period. This can save you space and reduce the cost of moving materials that no longer serve a purpose. Document everything and start thinking critically about what needs to follow you into the new space.

2. Purge, Organize, and Prepare

An office move is a good chance to declutter. The less you take with you, the easier and cheaper the move will be.

Shred What You Don’t Need

It is important to securely destroy documents when getting rid of sensitive files. Identify documents that have reached their retention period and set up certified shredding to make sure they are disposed of properly.

Digitize What Doesn’t Require Paper Copies

Instead of boxing up years of files, think about scanning and converting important paper records into digital formats. This cuts down on the amount of material you’ll need to move, opens up storage space in your new office, and makes it easier to access information in the long run.

You can digitize in phases, focusing on different departments or types of files. For example:

HR files (employee records, contracts)
Financial statements and invoices
Historical client documentation
Legal and compliance paperwork

Local digitization providers like Consentia can help you securely scan and index your documents before your move, ensuring a smooth and organized transition. If your business is located in Alberta or across Canada learn more about our services here.

3. Plan for Your New Space With Flexibility in Mind

Workplaces are always changing. Your new office might be smaller, shared, or designed for hybrid work. No matter the layout, making the most of space and access is important.

Consider Digital Storage Over Physical Filing

Instead of filling a room with filing cabinets, switch to cloud-based or server-based file storage. This frees up valuable floor space and makes files easier to access.

With well-organized digital records, employees can find files quickly without digging through boxes or waiting for someone in the office to help.

4. Build an Information Management Strategy

Records management is usually overlooked until an office move brings it to the surface. This is a great chance to develop a better strategy for how your organization manages information. Here are some key questions to ask:

Where will we store our archived files in the future?
How quickly can team members access the information they need?
What is our process for incoming mail or paper documents in a digital-first space?
Do we have a records retention policy, and are we following it?

Incorporating a digitization strategy will help you create consistent systems for intake, storage, retrieval, and eventual destruction of information, both digital and physical.

5. Update Internal Processes and Train Your Team

Moving into a new office is a good opportunity to review internal workflows and give team members clear guidance on handling documentation more efficiently. Here are some recommendations:

Standardize digital file naming conventions.
Establish folder structures for shared drives.
Create a policy for scanning or uploading paper materials.
Train staff on how to find and store files digitally.

This not only makes daily operations easier but also reduces reliance on paper processes and prevents clutter from accumulating again in your new space.

6. Prepare for Downtime and Accessibility Gaps

One common challenge during a move is losing access to important files while they are in transit or packed away. To reduce this issue, digitize essential documents in advance so teams can keep working without disruption.

Use shared drives or secure document portals to store important records temporarily.
Label and catalogue boxes of physical records for easy retrieval if needed before digitization.

At Consentia, we offer secure scanning with quick turnaround, which can be especially helpful in time-sensitive move situations where keeping the business running is crucial.

7. Don’t Forget About Mail and Physical Deliveries

After a move, it’s important to update your address with clients, suppliers, and vendors. Planning how to handle incoming mail in your new space is also essential. One solution is to consider using a digital mailroom service. This is especially useful if:

You’re transitioning to a hybrid or remote-first model
You’re reducing front desk or reception staff
You want faster routing of incoming information

8. Work With Reliable Records Partners

Just as you rely on movers, IT specialists, and building managers to manage the physical move, think about teaming up with a trusted partner for the digital transition of your documents. Here’s what to look for in a digitization partner:

Secure handling and confidentiality standards
Experience with different document types and formats
Flexibility to scan on-site or off-site
Retention and destruction options after digitization

If you’re in Alberta, working with a local provider like Consentia gives you the advantage of local pickup and faster service.

9. Ensure Regulatory Compliance

Many industries, such as healthcare, law, finance, education, and government, must follow strict rules about how long they keep documents and how they get rid of them. A move is a good time to:

Review your industry’s retention schedules
Organize and label documents by age and type
Digitize what’s required for long-term retention
Safely dispose of what’s no longer needed

Digitized files can be easier to manage and track for compliance. This is especially true with tools that provide date stamping, access logs, and audit trails. If you don’t know where to start when it comes to reviewing your compliance processes, contact us.

10. Set Your New Office Up for Long-Term Efficiency

Once the move is complete, don’t fall back into old habits. Use this fresh start to reinforce better practices. Your post-move checklist should include:

Finalize your digital document repositories.
Set access permissions and user roles for shared drives.
Continue phasing out physical files where possible.
Schedule regular clean-outs or audits.
Monitor storage use, both physical and digital.

Try to encourage a culture of digital thinking. This way, you won’t end up with piles of paper and boxes in your new space within six months.

Final Thoughts: Don’t Just Move. Upgrade.

Moving offices is a big event and an even bigger chance to improve. By including digitization in your planning, you prepare your team for a more flexible, accessible, and productive work environment.

Even if your organization isn’t ready to go fully digital, starting this process during an office move is often the easiest time to begin. Focus on your most-used or most valuable documents. Plan a phased approach and seek help from experts when needed.

Whether you want to save space, improve security, or adjust to a more mobile workforce, digitization is a smart solution that meets today’s business needs, especially when change is already happening.

Feeling overwhelmed and need help organizing your records before the move?
Consentia offers customized digitization solutions to support businesses before, during, and after an office relocation. Learn more here.