An office move is far more than a logistical marathon; it's a significant operational change and a large-scale experiment in organizational behavior. When you approach it with a clear, deliberate strategy, this transition blossoms into a rare opportunity to reshape your company culture and galvanize your entire workforce. The core hypothesis is tantalizingly simple: a strategically executed move can act as a powerful catalyst to boost employee engagement, collaboration, and in-office attendance.
This playbook provides a systematic, three-phase methodology to transform your office move from a source of stress into a wildly successful launch. By following these steps, you can create a magnetic space your team is genuinely thrilled about and finally learn how to drive attendance and excitement in your new space.
Phase 1: Pre-Move Observation and Hypothesis Formulation
The success of your new office begins to take root long before the first box is packed. This foundational phase is all about deep-dive research, collecting both qualitative and quantitative data, and forming hypotheses about what will make your new space an irresistible destination. In the modern world of work, the quality of the workplace experience has become the single most important factor determining office attendance [1].
Build a Strong Communication Strategy
Hypothesis: Transparent, consistent communication will reduce employee uncertainty and positively correlate with buy-in for the move.
Your first move is to design a robust internal communication plan that clearly articulates the "why" behind the change. Don't allow an information vacuum to be filled with whispers and rumors. Instead, proactively share the vision for the new space and the tangible benefits it will bring. To ensure your message lands perfectly, establish a single source of truth for all updates. Using a tool like Officely’s Announcements feature allows you to disseminate critical information directly within Slack or MS Teams, right where your team already works. A well-written return to office memo can set a clear and positive tone from day one.
Involve Employees in the Planning
Bringing your team into the planning process is more than a nice-to-have; it's a critical method for gathering rich qualitative data while fostering a powerful sense of co-creation and ownership. Research shows that when employees feel a personal connection to their workspace, it boosts collaboration and commitment [2].
Use these methods to collect invaluable data:
- Surveys: Poll employees on their most desired amenities. Are they craving quiet zones for deep focus, dynamic collaboration spaces, or better-quality coffee?
- Focus Groups: Assemble a "move committee" with volunteers from different departments to gather deeper insights and create internal champions for the project.
- Q&A Sessions: Host open forums with leadership to directly address concerns, build profound trust, and ensure every voice feels heard.
Create Buzz with Sneak Peeks
To build a groundswell of anticipation, run preliminary trials to test reactions and build excitement. The objective here is to transform the abstract concept of a "new office" into a tangible, exciting reality that builds unstoppable momentum.
The methodology is wonderfully simple: share controlled stimuli like behind-the-scenes progress photos, dazzling design renderings, or even immersive virtual walkthrough videos. This strategic drip-feed of information keeps the team buzzing with anticipation for what’s to come.
Phase 2: The Launch – Making Day One Unforgettable
Frame the first week in your new office as the primary experimental phase. Your goal is to test the hypothesis that a profoundly positive initial experience will establish a precedent for strong, long-term attendance. Thoughtful RTO implementation can dramatically enhance your workplace culture and foster powerful collaboration [3].
Plan a Welcome Week, Not Just a Welcome Day
A single launch day offers just one data point. A week-long series of events provides a much richer dataset on employee engagement and sentiment. Plan a "Welcome Week" filled with initiatives designed to make your team feel valued, celebrated, and excited.
- Welcome breakfasts or delicious catered lunches.
- Guided office tours to showcase new features and how to use them.
- New company swag to reinforce a sense of shared identity.
- A celebratory happy hour or social event to cap off the week.
Using a simple tool like Officely, you can effortlessly organize and promote these social gatherings right within your team's existing communication channels. You can even watch a webinar on how Officely helps increase attendance for more ideas.
Showcase the New Amenities and Perks
Hypothesis: The easier it is for employees to access new amenities, the higher their perceived value and utilization rate will be.
Whether you're introducing reservable parking spots, state-of-the-art project rooms, or daily catered lunches, make them impossible to miss and a joy to use. Officely’s "Office Extras" feature allows employees to easily see and book these perks directly from Slack, which encourages immediate adoption. This frictionless experience is critical for turning new amenities into valued habits.
Make In-Office Collaboration Seamless
A core objective of any new office is to determine if the new space enhances in-person collaboration. However, a persistent problem in hybrid work is the frustrating mystery of not knowing who is in the office on any given day. This uncertainty can poison the very collaboration the office is designed to nurture.
Officely solves this elegantly by providing instant attendance visibility within Slack and Microsoft Teams. This simple, powerful solution empowers teams to intentionally plan their in-office days, transforming random attendance into structured, purposeful collaboration.
Phase 3: Maintaining Momentum After the Move
The launch party is over, but the experiment continues. This final phase is about analyzing the wealth of data you've collected and entering a virtuous cycle of continuous improvement to optimize the space and the experience.
Measure What’s Working with Office Analytics
To validate your hypotheses and justify the investment in your new space, you need to analyze quantitative, empirical data. Office attendance in major hubs has been steadily climbing, reaching 76% of pre-pandemic levels as of March 2025 [4]. But you need data specific to your own organization.
Officely’s Insights feature provides the complete analytics toolkit you need to make sharp, data-driven decisions. Office managers can track key metrics to truly understand behavior and optimize your space:
- Office occupancy rates over time.
- Popular days for in-office work, revealing your team's rhythm.
- Desk and room usage to identify high-demand hotspots versus underutilized areas.
Gather Continuous Feedback
A successful workplace is never static; it must evolve with the needs of your employees. This demands a continuous feedback loop for iteration and improvement. Embed simple feedback mechanisms directly into your team's daily workflow.
Using Officely’s Announcements feature, you can run quick polls or share links to feedback forms directly in MS Teams or Slack. Ask your employees what they love, what could be improved, and what would enhance their in-office experience. This feedback is pure gold as you refine your return to office policy and office environment.
Conclusion: Your New Office Is a Catalyst for Culture
An office move is one of the most potent opportunities you have to build a more connected, collaborative, and engaged workforce. By following this three-phase playbook—building pre-move hype, executing a memorable launch, and committing to data-driven momentum—you can transform a new workspace into a vibrant hub that your team loves.
With a systematic methodology and the right analytical tools like Officely, you can ensure your new office becomes a thriving environment. It’s the perfect opportunity to encourage employees to return to the office and forge an even stronger culture.
Citations
[1] https://gensler.com/press-releases/global-survey-workplace-experience-2024
[2] https://newsroom.haas.berkeley.edu/research/feel-good-spaces-how-to-engage-employees-in-the-office
[4] https://pfnyc.org/research/return-to-office-survey-results-march-2025
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