By Minsun Choi
The Hoffman Agency Korea
I have to admit that we didn’t think moving to a new office was going to be hard at first. Frankly, we were quite excited about our journey to find the perfect place, renovate it in a way we prefer and then beautifully decorate it. However, in the midst of this journey, our Korean team learned so much more: how to enjoy overcoming obstacles and solving issues.
During the renovation of our new office space, there were tons of details that need to be decided on – including choosing colors for the closet handles, the number of pantry racks and the illumination intensity of lighting. The communication was complicated as we had various working processes with many different vendors. The never-ending revisions to our logo wall design, a mixed-up schedule of client services and renovation work were just a part of the unexpected challenges we ran into along the way.
But the biggest hurdle we encountered was finding that the custom-made storage closet was different from the original design in both size and layout. The team planned to stay up late at night to set up the new closet the day before the office move. We all prayed that we wouldn’’t have to stack our belongings all over the floor.
But in the end, everything worked out. There were joyful moments, such as discovering the perfect building for our global professional firm and when the sophisticated, metallic logo wall could finally set be up. There was our spacious conference room with a nice city view, a separate pantry full of fresh snacks, and trendy stand-up tables for a healthy working life. It made our five-month endeavor and effort worthwhile. Most of all, we felt pleased and rewarded when we saw our staff so happy and satisfied with the new office. Someone was almost crying, but I will keep that detail to myself.
Of course, it isn’t over until it’s really over, and there is still some leftover work to be done on the space. However, the past few months were full of memories that we will miss someday. I will definitely think of those hard, but valuable moments during this office move as the good old days.
Before I finish, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to all the people who have been greatly supportive and patient to make this happen – with special thanks to Lydia, Davin and Iris:
- Lydia, you were always there whenever I need you. Much appreciated.
- Davin, I know how hard it was. But, you made it and I’m so proud of you.
- Iris, I can’t imagine how I went through this course if you weren’t with me. You deserve most of compliment on the new office move & renovation.
