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3 Ways to Keep Your Neighbors Happy During Construction Hours

Your small business has been steadily growing for the last couple of years and is earning a steady profit. It’s time to expand operations, and that means renovating your office space.

After getting the necessary permits from the city and updating your small business insurance policy, the construction crew working on your office gets to work. It isn’t long before your neighbors start to make passive-aggressive comments to you and your staff in the elevator. One anonymous neighbor even went so far as to file a noise complaint with the local sheriff’s office.



You don’t want your office building neighbors to resent you, and you don’t want your staff to come into work and worry about being harassed on the elevator.

Here are three things you can do to help keep everyone happy during your SMB’s renovation:

Host an Office Building Meeting

Your neighbors are going to be annoyed by the uptick in noise and foot traffic during your office’s renovation. Let them know that their annoyances and noise concerns are valid by hosting an office building meeting. Share with them when and how long the construction crew will be working.

Ask your neighbors what time(s) they need the office setting to be quiet and what times they can deal with the noise. By figuring out a construction schedule, you might be able to make renovations to your office when they’re not in.

Of course, there is going to need to be a compromise. If the renovations are going to be completed in a timely manner, there are going to be days when the construction crew needs to work during all hours of the day.

Offer to supply your neighbors with noise cancelling headphones and other accessories so that their workday is uninterrupted. Buy them lunch if you can afford it, and send personalized thank-you notes for the patience during this process. Niceties can go a long way.

Seal Off the Area

Being as that you and your staff aren’t the only folks at work in the building, it’s necessary to make sure that the renovation work going on in your office affects your neighbors as little as possible. The Colden Corporation, a consulting firm that deals in occupational health, safety and environmental entities advises “separating the work area from adjacent areas with impermeable barriers, such as polyethylene sheeting.” Install noise-cancelling devices under office doors and along window ledges and try to keep dust and grime to your office only.

If it appears to your neighbors that you’re doing everything you can to keep the renovation as clean and quiet as possible, they’ll be less likely to issue a complaint.

Renovate Office During Non-Work Hours

To avoid drama with your neighbors altogether, try to schedule the renovations for after work hours. This will keep your neighbors from complaining about the noise as it will be non-existent while they are at work. It’ll also significantly decrease the chances of a work-related accident, either by a neighbor, staff member or construction crew member. But hey: that’s what small business insurance is for!

Get a free small business insurance quote today with CoverHound!



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Review personalized quotes, select coverages, and buy online - Everything insurance, all-in-one-place.
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