Relocating a North American company overseas can be beneficial financially, but also requires a great deal of upfront effort. As you plan to relocate your corporation overseas, you’ll need to be sure to take care of the following important steps:
Choose a Location
When choosing a location for your company’s new home, it is crucial that you pay careful attention to the services and amenities that are available. Ideally, you’ll be able to strike the perfect balance between the things your business needs and the things your employees or principles want. While scouting out your new digs, consider the following things:
- How is the infrastructure in the area? Will you be able to conduct operations efficiently?
- Is the place you’re considering centrally located, or is it in the middle of nowhere? Location could mean the difference between recruiting qualified local talent or not.
- Are human resources readily available? What about the availability of bilingual candidates if you have US based clientele and are moving to a non- English speaking country? Can you choose from a pool of highly educated workers, or is finding employees going to be more difficult, meaning you may need to relocate some of your key staffers?
Meet with Your Legal and Financial Teams
Before you finalize the details of your company’s overseas move, spend some time consulting with your lawyer and accountant.
It’s important to comply with all relevant laws, so be sure to ask about regulations with regard to full disclosure that specifically relate to relocating a company.
You’ll also want to meet with your accountant to discuss a budget for the move, where your company stands financially, and how an overseas move may affect both your revenue and your tax obligations.
Assign Tasks and Roles
Spend some time working with your planning team to delegate tasks related to the relocation. You will need someone to manage the logistics of the move, someone to handle budgeting for the move, and someone to handle cleaning your original location after the company has vacated the premises. Brainstorm about the various tasks that will need to be completed, and then assign responsibilities as needed. Keep in mind that you may need to create new roles within your organization in order to handle the move, or that you may need to move someone from a less important job so that they can dedicate enough time to undertakings related to the relocation.
Communicate Clearly with Staff
The law in your area may dictate how you handle communications relating to an overseas relocation, so check with your legal team before you begin. Open communication will be key to a successful relocation, so be sure to announce important dates to your staff members as soon as they’re available. Throughout the process, do your best to clearly communicate known information, so that any members of your team who will need to relocate are well prepared.
Execute the Move
As moving day approaches, meet with your IT team to be sure that they are fully ready for the relocation. They may need access to the new building a week or more before the rest of your staff, so that they can run cabling, get servers online, test software, and ensure that computer systems are operational. These key elements can make or break a relocation project, so being prepared in advance is beneficial.
You’ll want to coordinate with your International Moving Company New York; they are experts when it comes to the logistics of packing, storage and shipping, and may help you avoid unforeseen mishaps; at a minimum, working closely with them will help your move go smoothly and likely save you some headaches.
Relocating a company can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Consider following these steps so that your move goes as easily and efficiently as possible.
Author byline
Einat Mazafi is the owner of NY International Shipping, an International Shipping and moving company based in New York. She is also a specialist in providing the best relocation solutions to clients worldwide.