Moving offices or premises provides much more challenges than a usual home removal. Not only is there usually more people to think about but there is often lots of equipment on top of the restraints of ensuring that the company doesn’t spend much time out of action. All of the following tips should help ensure that the move runs as smoothly as possible.
Professional Removal Company
Not only will using a removal company take a lot of the strain and worry from you so that you can focus on your normal business, it will also ensure that professionally trained crews will be handling your vital items. A specific member of our team will take control of the move and oversee it with you from beginning to the end of the office move.
Extra hint: Make sure your removal company is BAR verified. The British Association of Removers will provide you with extra protection if something happens with the removal.
Plan
Using a removal company or not, planning is the key to success. Setting out clear directions to where items should be moved to saves valuable time and worry after the move day. Making a floor plan of the new office is a great way to achieve this.
Extra hint: Ensure that your employees are responsible for any personal items or objects to ensure the safe move of absolutely everything.
IT Equipment
Often proving the biggest obstacle for an office move is the IT and computer equipment. If you are using a removal company then ensure that everything is communicated with them regarding the IT equipment and they will provide the professional advice required to ensure that everything is kept safe.
Protect Yourself
Bear in mind any information, paperwork or computer equipment that may harbour any confidential information. This does not want to be left behind or lost unnecessarily. Consider using storage services to ensure their safety and also back up any technology that may have the potential to lose valuable data.
Declutter
As with any removal, it is a great opportunity to have a clear out or revamp your equipment. If you decide to dispose of any paperwork or hard drives then consider professional IT or paper destruction services which can be provided by your removal company.
Extra hint: Some documents might need to be kept for record purposes for a certain number of years, consider a professional storage or archive company to ensure their safety.
As the song goes, Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. But in amongst all the wrapping, cooking and the giving & receiving of gifts, you accumulate a lot of extra stuff and waste. Christmas can also be a dangerous time in terms of theft and especially identity theft. Even down to the addressed packages and envelopes, someone looking to fraud your identity could use this information to their advantage. So here are some ideas on how Holdsworths’ can help you with the post-Christmas sort out.
Shredding Sacks
Holdsworth’s aim to provide a completely secure document disposal service and one way in which we do that is with our paper shredding sacks. You can purchase these sacks and take them home to fill up yourself. Whether its addressed envelopes or something a bit more confidential such as personal records, bank statements etc, you can fill our shredding sacks and seal them yourselves and they will go straight into our shredder inside the sacks – so at no point will your documents be removed from the sack.
Drop off in-store
You can also avoid the shredding sacks by sorting through your items at home and putting them into boxes or bags. The difference here is that your documents will have to be removed from the bags and boxes to be shredded as our shredder cannot process plastic bags or large boxes. This doesn’t compromise their confidentiality however as all of our shredding staff are fully trained and monitored.
Storage Options
Maybe part of your post-Christmas clear-out doesn’t involved disposing of stuff. If you are wanting to fulfil the de-cluttering that is required in your home but have some items that have a certain amount of value so that you don’t want to through them away the Holdworth’s storage solutions could be ideal for you. Container storage would be ideal for valuable items that you don’t need immediate access to be want to keep safe away from your home in a fully secure area. You can fill one of our containers and it will be forklifted into our warehouse for safe keeping.
If you want to declutter items that you might need immediate access to over time then self-storage is the best option for you. This is great for items like Christmas decorations that you might not have space for at your home but might need access to next year and you can also fill your unit with other bits and bobs that you can use a lock and key or our 24/7 PIN service to get access to.
Use Less Stuff Day has been promoted by organisations such as Greenpeace for a few years. It was established with the Earth and our impact on it in mind. This is not just concerning the condition of the Earth and its atmosphere but also us as residents of it. Its aim is for us to consider whether we really need to use the items that we use on a day-to-day basis, whether it’s a disposable coffee cup or buying bottled water, Use Less Stuff Day is promoting thoughts of “Do I Actually Need That?”. At Holdsworth’s we wanted to focus this on an area where we spend a lot of our time – the workplace. So here are a few hints and tips on how to implement Use Less Stuff Day in your office:
Recycle
This is may seem an obvious one but it is a hint that needs to be re-emphasised. We as humans produce a lot of waste and having the relevant bins in place makes it a whole lot easier for people to filter their waste between what’s recyclable and what’s not. Having the bins in the office alone should promote the idea.
Printing
In an age of emails, tablets and on-screen presentations, many companies are going paperless in a bid to limit the amount of unnecessary waste that we accumulate on a day to day basis. Going paperless isn’t always achievable but enforcing it as much as possible will act as an easy way to cut waste. Where it isn’t necessary, it could be worth considering a one-print rule and looking into document storage options to ensure that duplicate copies aren’t printed.
Shred It
In some industries such as law, health and accountancy, paperless is not possible due to laws regarding the time that documents have to be kept for. Document storage is a great option for companies in this sector. But for any office that requires a lot of paper printing should ensure that it is disposed of in the best way. Shredding services not only ensure that all documents are destroyed securely therefore protecting your personal information. But, providing that you use an amicable company, the shredding company should ensure that all paper waste is recycled properly so it can go into the making of everyday items such as toilet paper.
Big Switch Off
Using less stuff doesn’t always apply to a handheld object. Using less energy and power is also a vital part of enforcing a more environmentally friendly workplace. Turning your computer or laptop off at the end of each work day has more benefits than leaving it overnight.
Make It a Team Effort
Getting the whole office on board and colleagues working to support each other a great way to make sure that these ideas are put into place. It could even extend out into car sharing to work which takes a car off the road.
The 15th October marks World Student’s Day. Originally it was a day of commemoration of students at the University of Prague that lost their lives in World War II. The day has grown to become an occasion to celebrate the acts of students all over the world and their contributions to society. At Holdsworth’s, we wanted to show how we can help students get through a life-defining period of life on World Student’s Day
Student Storage
Life as a student can often mean moving lots of belongings around at the start and end of term time which is often a rather laborious task – especially if you live a long way from where you study and cannot be helped by parents. Holdsworth’s have an easy solution to that issue with short term storage options in our container or self-storage units. Our location in Leeds makes us ideal for those studying at Leeds University, Leeds Metropolitan University and Leeds Trinity University whose family home is further afield.
Removals
When living in a new city like Leeds, it can often mean moving between halls of residence and student houses. This can be a slightly tough task and could take a couple of days to complete. While using a removal service might seem like a pricey option, clubbing together with housemates for a removal service could be a quick and easy way to get through this with little stress. Holdsworths’ removals quotes are put together after a free visit from one of our move coordinators. Given a student move is often simply personal belongings rather than heavy and big materials, it might be cheaper than you think.
International Removals
Leeds University alone attracts over six thousand international students to the city every year. Holdsworth’s expertise in the field of international removals is ideal to help these students move their belongings across the world. Holdsworth’s can draw from experience and a network of partners not only in Europe but further afield to help make an international move as easy as possible.
Shredding
Student life can also lead to a lot of paper being generated that could be used for identity fraud. It doesn’t take much for a fraudster to find what they need in waste and not disposing of something as simple as a letter from your university could provide them with the information they need. Ensuring that documents like this are disposed of is a Holdsworth’s speciality once it has been destroyed; you have the presence of mind that your confidential information is safe while also helping the environment.
Moving home can be one of the more worrying periods in life. Holdsworth’s aim to make any move as smooth and carefree as possible by providing advice and expertise to all of our customers. But a home removal is a big moment and can throw up a lot of opportunities to make changes in your life as well as moving your home.
Declutter
Any home removal, whether you have taken up a packing service or not, essentially forces people to go through their belongings. This provides the perfect opportunity to have a clear out of anything that you may no longer need before taking it into a new home. Either during packing or before the packing service, make sure there is a box or bag ready for any items that you want to throw away or give to charity. There is also the option of taking any items that you no longer display or keep around the house and moving them into a secure storage unit. All this is with the aim of decluttering before moving into a new home in mind.
Make Savings
Moving home also forces movers to look into their utility bills and providers due to arranging a change of address. This can present opportunities to look at providers that you have been using for some time and weigh up whether a better deal is available.
There is also an opportunity in terms of energy saving.
Moving into a new home provides the opportunity to ensure that it is properly insulated, windows are efficiently glazed and also to ensure that energy-efficient fittings are added around the new home. It’s the perfect time to make a fresh start in terms of your carbon footprint.
Have an Office Clear-out
When living in a home for some time, it is inevitable that a large amount of paperwork, letters and statements can build up, especially if you have a study in which to keep them. Moving home gives you the perfect opportunity to delve into these records and have a bit of a clear out. But given that these often contain confidential data that can be used for identity fraud it is best to use a professional paper shredding service to dispose of the confidential waste.
Make a Life Change
There is no doubting that moving home is a huge life change in itself which can provoke a bit of stress.
The research showed that a behaviour change is more likely to be effective during a major life change. So whether it is smoking, weight loss or any other habit that you want to curb, a home removal could be the perfect time to go for it.
These days it is increasingly important for individuals to ensure that any vital information is protected, even when it is ready for throwing in the bin. This applies on a personal level, businesses and organisations that deal with personal information and need to dispose of that information in a protected way. This is because personal information has grown to become a valuable commodity for scammers. The aim of this July’s National Scam Awareness Month is to “give consumers the skills and confidence to identify scams, share experiences and take action by reporting suspicious activity.”
The reasoning behind National Scam Awareness Month is clear and that is identity theft. According to Fraud prevention agency Cifas, the number of victims of identity theft rose by 31% to 32,058 in the first three months of 2015 compared to the same period in 2014.
The rise of identity theft has led to a growing requirement for individuals and businesses to safely dispose of documents that may contain vital information regarding a person’s identity. This is where professional shredding comes in to ensure that these documents are effectively destroyed making it impossible for criminals to access the information that they seek. Holdsworth’s are a professional shredding company that can provide an on-site shredding service using our state of the art mobile shredding vehicles at your premises and also off-side at our 24-hour CCTV monitored premises in Leeds.
Holdsworth’s know that confidence is key when it comes to protecting yourself from identity theft. That is why we have an experienced and high motivated team that are all security checked and committed to protecting your confidential waste. We are trusted by a range of organisations from hospitals and local services to legal and financial businesses across Yorkshire and North of England. But we are also committed to shredding confidential waste on a personal level that may have accumulated as a result of a declutter or clear out. Each of our safe shred customers is supplied with a certificate of destruction.
So, this National Scam Awareness Month, commit to protecting you and your identity by safely shredding your confidential waste with Holdsworth’s. You can contact us for a quote here where an experienced member of our staff will pick it up and reply with a quote for you. Once your safe shredding is arranged, you can rest assured knowing that your personal information and confidential waste will be dealt in a professional manner along with our pledge to help the environment. The shredded paper that we process contributes towards the production of everyday products such as paper towels and toilet roll.
information in a protected way. This is because personal information has grown to become a valuable commodity for scammers. The aim of this July’s 
o shredding confidential waste on a personal level that may have accumulated as a result of a declutter or clear out. Each of our safe shred customers is supplied with a certificate of destruction.
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