We had this same problem in our organization. We were instructed to do the
following by Microsoft:
Every Word document is based on a template. A template determines the
structure for a document and contains document settings such as AutoText
entries, fonts, key assignments, macros, menus, page layout, special
formatting, and styles.
The following should be done on Word documents that open slow:
1.) Open the Word document that opens slow.
2.) Once the document opens, select Tools – Templates & Add-Ins
3.) In the "Document template" box, it points to a location where its
looking for the old template file.
4.) Click Attach.
5.) Select the drop down arrow under the "Look in:" box. Select normal.dot
(make sure it is the normal.dot that's local on the machine) and click Open.
6.) Click OK
7.)When you exit Word you're asked if you want to save the changes. Click
Yes.
Hopefully this works for you.