Total chooses De Haan

Total had purposely decided to keep the selection procedure small. "I had good discussions with all three companies, but with De Haan there was an immediate connection. They demonstrated that they had the professionalism to get the job done. They also provided relevant references and gave a persuasive and personalized presentation. Reasons enough to opt for De Haan."

Minimize Peak Workloads

De Haan and Van der Zon held regular relocation meetings to run through the entire process from start to finish. "In these meetings, we examined the status of each scheduled activity. The big move was planned for September 20 and everyone had to be at their new desks ready to work by September 23."

Van der Zon stated how he received countless practical tips from De Haan to help smooth the whole process. For example, he was advised to have only essential personnel present during the move, as non-essential personnel would only hamper the process. But he also rejected some other ideas, e.g. De Haan's plan to carry out the move around the clock in shifts.

Van der Zon explained why he rejected this idea, "I didn't see this idea working. But to reduce peak workloads, De Haan advised me to work out which members of staff would be on leave during the move. Their workplaces could be moved earlier. We'd already relocated our company records to minimize the workload on the day of the actual move."

Good Communications

The real work began on Thursday evening before the weekend of the relocation. "This is when we proverbially pulled the plug out," recalls Van der Zon. "All telephones, computers, and servers where shut down, disconnected, and transported to the new premises. The servers were packed in special-purpose containers once they had cooled down sufficiently to be shipped. De Haan has a wide range of specialist equipment and packing solutions that really came in handy during our move."

Everyone knew what would be expected of them because Van der Zon had made a special point of communicating with all staff members, making particular use of newsflashes on the company's intranet. De Haan had also emphasized the need for proper communications.

Van der Zon explained how one of several communications strategies had worked particularly well, the 'sticker plan', "We had a complete 'From-To' inventory list. This proved to be essential because we were migrating to an open-plan office environment where not everyone would be getting their own dedicated desk. Proper communications and organization with everyone involved ensured that this all went really smoothly."

Faster Than Expected

The Friday was a particularly long, exhausting day, Van der Zon recalls. On the Saturday, the moving teams – made up of both Total and De Haan representatives – were ready and waiting at both the new and old premises to oversee the whole process. "After all was said and done, it went really smoothly. There weren't any hitches and we were finished far faster than expected."

Van der Zon recounts how he received countless compliments about the move from staff throughout Total. "I didn't receive a single complaint. We can all look back on the move with total satisfaction. If we ever decide to move again in the future, then we're pretty sure we'll choose De Haan again."

About Total

Total's new headquarters on Bezuidenhoutseweg in The Hague cover a floor area of some 3,625 m² [39,000 sq ft] – space for approximately 160 workplaces.

The Total Group is made up of over ten companies in the Netherlands that employ a total of over 2,500 members of staff. These companies operate in the fields of oil and gas exploration and production, crude oil refining, and petroleum product and chemical sales.