International employee relocations can be quite a challenge for employees, even if they are well-traveled. As a result, it is the employer’s responsibility to ensure that the employee’s relocation goes smoothly. Your employee is making a life-altering decision to have a better life when they accept relocating to a new location. While they may face cultural differences, it can be a challenge for them to acclimate and make their family feel comfortable, too. The support you provide to the employee before, during and after the relocation can ensure their loyalty to your enterprise. Here are some steps that you can take to ensure a smooth international relocation for your employees, rather than one filled with stress and anxiety:  

1. Maintain Clarity of Expectations

Relocating for an international placement means a significant investment, financially and emotionally. Always maintain clear communications with your employee. This includes your expectations for them in their new role at the new location. The nature of the salary package needs to be discussed in length and if the employee wants to negotiate, be willing to hear them out. This will give you a clear picture of your employee’s expectations from the relocation, thus warranting a space to clear out any doubts. Also, you must discuss the length of the assignment, whether it’s permanent, contractual, or temporary. The other point that needs to be clear between both parties is the relocation process. It’s best if you figure out how you’ll work with the employee, i.e., whether you’ll provide the service, or if the employee will hire someone and you’ll reimburse the cost. We recommend that employers outsource to a reputable Relocation Management Company (RMC) such as WHR Global.  

2. Provide Cross-Cultural Training

Let’s look at an example. Moving from the U.K. to the U.S. is a relatively smooth transition compared to moving from the U.S. to Asia. The cultural and language differences between the two is quite significant. We always encourage employers to develop a cross-cultural training program for their relocating employees. This will give transferees the opportunity to learn and familiarize themselves with the other culture, etiquette and other important geographical aspects. Often, employees will find the information shared during the training helpful when they move to a new place.  

3. Prioritize the Employee’s Family Too

A good employer will give importance to the employee’s family. Hence, extend the support of your firm to the family of the employee as well. One of the best ways to do that is to offer spousal/partner career assistance and settling-in services. A good RMC will coordinate this for you.  

4. Maintain Communication

Just because the employee has moved to the new place and is settling in, does not mean you should cease communication with them. Keeping in regular contact with them will help the employee feel connected to the home network. As an employer, be willing to hear any of their issues and resolve them as quickly as possible. Maintaining regular communication will also help you monitor the employee’s performance and ensure they are achieving the targets for the assignments they have relocated for.  

5. Talk to An Expert

Relocating an employee can be quite expensive. Your costs are much higher for home buyers versus renters. When you hire a professional RMC like WHR, you and your employees get peace of mind during the relocation process. It is not only a cost-effective method, but a professional Relocation Management Company takes on the entire burden of relocation, plus they have the latest technology to facilitate a transparent moving process. Contact WHR Global to discuss your global employee relocation program.

Not all Employee Relocation Management Companies perform the same way. WHR Group, Inc. (WHR) knows no borders when relocating government or corporate clients, and we acknowledge the complexity of moving global workforces every year. Any experienced relocation management company should have comprehensive resources and strategies in place across moving zones. They should also ensure they have a network of relocation partners across the states, countries, and even continents to warrant a customized moving experience for clients’ transferees. It is vital, in this competitive market of relocation business, that an Employee Relocation Management Company should collaborate with other companies and develop a networking system to warrant a hassle-free move for their clients.

However, there are several strategies and tips that a Relocation Company can work on to achieve better collaboration with their partners. Here are tips for facilitating better collaboration between the relocation partners across the network.

Developing A Global Model

The world has become a global village and developing a model that focuses on offering the best localized experience is crucial. The concept should be to go global and offer an experience with short-time assignees, localized expatriates, and permanent transfers that is uniquely suited for today’s varied assignments and mobility models.

Getting a 360 Degree View

It is vital to have all the resources on the ground to get a complete view of the relocation process and develop the strategy. The best way to ensure that collaboration yields the best result for your company and your clients is by selecting destination partners carefully and training them per your requirement. Finding local experts can also assist with having a complete view of the process.

Transparency

When you act as the most trusted advisor in relocation for your clients and their transferees, developing a system with your logistic partners across the board that warrants transparency is critical. With the latest technology and software available at your disposal, utilize them to have a centralized information system that allows your partners to be fully informed about the procedures and get a well-rounded view of how assignments are handled.

Group Management

Meet with your team and networking partners to ensure that strategic planning is being implemented throughout the process. Regular checks and balances and following industry best practices are essential to offering good client service. Ensure all rules and regulations are being followed by all the partners, all the time.

The Move Management Platform (MMP)

While any relocation company can follow the above tips, MMP is exclusive to WHR. The technology provides cost-savings and fewer claims. Using technology like MMP, companies can save time and money, as well as gain efficiency.

When you follow these tips with your relocation network partners, it will help you to increase the overall productivity and the customer base. Clients look for a smooth moving experience, and when you forge a good partnership with your networking team, you can guarantee a hassle-free experience to your clients.

 

The purpose of a relocation policy is to provide financial and administrative support to help an employee transition from the departure location to the destination location, all while the individual is essentially working to close out their old job and transition to a new role.  A structured relocation policy will reduce all the stress an individual and/or family have in making this life change and transition to a new community. 

This policy typically applies to exempt workers who are obliged to relocate because they are being transferred (often for at least 12 months) to a new location at the company’s request.  Or an employee desires a relocation to a select destination and the company is willing to accommodate the request. 

Before diving into the details of a talent management strategy, consider the following questions:

1. What are your organization’s goals and aspirations, and how will you track progress?

We’re talking about talent management metrics when we consider setting measurable targets. We can keep track of what we’re doing and how well we’re doing it with these measures. Unwanted turnover is an excellent example. Companies will most certainly fall short of their goal if they are unable to retain their top performers.

2. What are you going to concentrate on?

You can concentrate on a variety of talent management aspects. You have the potential to become a desirable employer. Being a top employer or being named a “Great Place to Work” necessitates a significant financial investment. This can work well, especially if you want to attract people from many walks of life.

In this scenario, the HR talent management model comes in handy because it lets you map out the exact activities you want to focus on. This will also assist you in the following stages. A list of talent management methods that you can enhance can be found below.

1. How will you be able to outperform the competition?

Unfortunately, you are not alone in your search for elite talent. How can you outperform your competitors and make yourself a more appealing employer? This can be accomplished through improved employer branding, retention, selection, and employee relocation, among other things.

2. What qualities do you need to develop to keep winning?

Consider hiring a dedicated talent management team to make yourself a more appealing employer in terms of relocation. HR data analytics skills, for example, can ensure that you get the most out of your current workforce. You’ll need to develop different skills depending on your concentration points. Relocation services can be a great differentiator.

3. How do you keep track of your progress and make improvements?

You need to keep track of progress and ensure that talent management systems continue to develop. Determine which members of your workforce can wear various business hats based on the answers to the above questions, and then consider relocating your most valuable employees. Relocating personnel can be done for multiple reasons, including opening a new site, filling a vacant position in another area, career advancement, and more.

How can you persuade staff to relocate?

Employee relocation is a terrific method to build a stellar team at work, but it’s not always straightforward. Whether it’s transferring existing team members to a new location or recruiting new prospects for a position that requires them to relocate, relocation isn’t for everyone.

Packing up their belongings and leaving their homes is a daunting task in and of itself, and many people have valid objections. If your employees (or candidates) are adamant about not relocating, there are a few things you can do to make the offer more appealing. Two of the frequently mentioned ideas relative to international and national relocation follows.

Immigration Support

The most challenging aspect of relocating an employee, aside from finding them a home and arranging for the removal of their belongings, is allowing them to work legally in the destination country by sponsoring the appropriate work and accompanying family visas. 

Often, a company relocating a staff member has already established itself in the country to which the individual is being relocated, making things easier. However, this is not always the situation, and it does not always imply that immigration proceedings will go smoothly.

An application for a permanent work Visa can take months to process and requires a lot of input from HR and the employee. Failure to devote sufficient time and effort to such an application might lead to the failure to secure a Visa. 

Allow plenty of time to secure the appropriate form of immigration, and make sure to do so as quickly as possible.  Typically, the business wants the employee on site immediately, but immigration is in the hands of the government overseeing the application processes and you have to navigate the red tape. 

Provide a raise in pay

When it comes to employee relocation, salary is a critical consideration. One of the best motivations you can provide an employee to relocate is a pay boost! The pay increase doesn’t need to be significant, though it can be persuasive.

Because income is often the most important motivator for employees, it will have the most pull when persuading them to relocate. You shouldn’t, at the very least, propose to reduce their income if they move.

That, believe it or not, isn’t as unusual as you may assume. When an employee is transferred from a city with a high cost of living to one with a considerably lower cost of living, a modest wage decrease can reflect a significant raise once the cost of living is taken into account.

Your employees, on the other hand, are unlikely to see it this way. Even if they grasp it academically, their gut instinct will be more concerned with the threat of a lower wage.

So, wherever possible, give your employees a raise to encourage them to move. This will make persuading them to relocate easier. It will also reinforce their commitment to your firm!

A relocation policy should include the following:

• More options or a menu of relocation benefits.
• It should be designed to address and minimize employee and HR stress.
• The relocation policy must appeal to relocating personnel at all levels of authority in the business.
• Connecting the employee with individuals familiar with the requirement for relocation and sources from experienced suppliers frequently alleviates concerns about housing issues during the transfer.
• The policy should be kept on your company intranet so that all employees may easily view it. Otherwise, an email sent with a policy pdf can be lost.

Conclusion

Relocating an employee successfully can be challenging, but it’s an invaluable tool for recruiting and growing a company. Try to learn who each candidate is as a person, their fundamental values, and what is the most meaningful benefit to induce them to move.   If you tailor your strategy and relocation package to the individual, then you will have a greater degree of success in moving your talent and having a high performing employee. 

In the last few years, the increase in global mobility has become quite noticeable. While some companies are offering relocation packages that are quite enticing, there are quite a few where company relocation incentives are less-than-stellar. Many employees are often frustrated with the experience they undergo. As a global relocation company, WHR Group, Inc. knows the hidden costs, speedbumps, and money that gets thrown at people in the name of relocation assistance.

When your employee is dissatisfied with your relocation package, it is not good news for your company. Moreover, if you are one of the companies who lean towards simply giving a monetary lump sum to your employee or new recruit instead of a well-planned relocation policy, think again. The chances are you might lose your valued employee when they experience the hassle and stress of the relocation. Adding to the annoyance could be a situation when the relocation vendors do not do the job properly.

Hence it is time to increase the spending on relocation. You may ask why?

Importance Of Relocation Package for Employees

As an employer, you might think that offering relocation packages to your employee is expensive and time-consuming. You are not entirely wrong, but there is a catch.  While it may seem costly, it is much more profitable in the long run than just offering a lump sum. When your employee has to sort things out regarding the relocation, the chances can increase that they might leave your company.

So, when you compare putting the extra effort, money, and time into offering a good relocation package versus searching for a new employee, recruiting them, and training them, the latter is more expensive.

The Old Days Are Gone

Once, people were happy doing their job in a single company, staying near their homes, and retiring from the same place. However, with Baby Boomers and Gen Xers being replaced by the Millennials, companies must know how to attract and retain them. According to a study, by 2025, 75% of the global working population will be Millennials. The hiring and retaining process needs to be changed along with the workplace objective.

With more employees ready to move for a 10% raise along with other expenses paid, the idea of reluctance to move is gone.  A study conducted about relocation among the employees in Canada showed the following as incentives to accept a relocation:

• 48% of respondents were happy to relocate, with a 20% raise
• 39% if guaranteed return to the current role after a couple of years
• 31% replied they would want help with spouse/partner’s employment in the new place.

Apart from these, another highly desirable factor was a company-paid trip to the new location before accepting the position.

With these figures in place, it is pretty clear that offering a good relocation package is much more beneficial for your employee than letting them fend for themselves while you just simply throw a lot of money at them.

What To Spend on Relocation to Entice Talent?

When you are planning to relocate an employee or a new joiner, you can offer certain relocation benefits and processes to ensure they are satisfied with the move offered. Here are the top 5 categories you need to spend on when relocating your employee or enticing new talent.

1. Taking the burden off

Relocating to a new place is not only financially challenging but emotionally too for your employee. Make the experience better for your employee by expanding the resources with a Relocation Management Company (RMC). A professional RMC like WHR Group, Inc. can help your employee from start to finish in the relocation process.  This will ensure less stress for your staff and warrant that they get back to work in a much shorter span compared to when they have to carry the burden of relocating by themselves.

2. Uber-specific Information

Millennials use the internet to find all possible information they can gather but knowing about a new place through a computer is not enough. Invest in an RMC who has a dedicated supply chain with fully vetted destination partners that can provide knowledge about the new location. Ensure they know the local customs, places where to meet, what to do during off days, the culture of the region, and more. Also, provide transitional training to your employee so a mutually positive feeling can be fostered between coworkers. 

3. Aim For Full Transparency

A well-written and outlined document that states the relocation policy ensures transparency and eventually a smooth relocation experience.  This will ultimately translate to a better employee experience and potentially higher retention. Also, keep communication open at all times and take proactive steps to offer assistance to your employee.

4. Assistance With Housing

If you are one of those companies that do not have a community housing provision for your relocated employee, assist them with the house search. Helping the employee find a house that matches their requirement and budget will be beneficial for you in the long run. In addition, if your employee needs to sell their house, offer them some closing costs for expediting the process.

5. Job Assistance for Spouse/Domestic Partner

At times, employees can become resistant towards relocating when their domestic partner is serving at a good position in the current location. The best way to navigate the situation is to offer a career search assistance for the employee’s partner. It might seem that a company is getting too involved in an employee’s personal life, but it is in the best interest of your company. Your employee will appreciate the effort.

Final Words

Providing your employees with an affordable and competitive relocation package that will care for them and their families will guarantee their loyalty to your company. Though relocation benefit packages are to not be discussed, employees talk, and if you are not offering the best in the industry, you are then welcoming churning and eventually more expenses for your business. So, spend on a better relocation package to keep your employees happy.

Many businesses are going beyond their borders and setting up offices or partnering with companies outside their home office states or country. As a result, relocating employees has now become the norm for companies. But as mobility has increased to ensure success, growth, and expansion of business, the gravity of retaining the firm’s top talent while recruiting the best in the market has become aggressive.

Suppose your business is one of those that plans to relocate employees. In that case, it is mandatory that your relocation policy is robust. It is also critical that it is embedded in your HR policy and programs that align with each other. When it comes to relocation, part of the HR policy is never to see it as an after-offer feature. When you are offering the job to a prospective employee, a relocation policy should already be in place that would help you to retain your staff. It is time that you review your relocation policy as a part of your company’s key components to have a competitive edge in tapping the top talent in the industry.

How To Build a Robust Relocation Policy

Creating a robust relocation policy for employees is based on quite a few factors including the duration of relocation, place, project enhancement, and other economic factors. Every company that wants to expand beyond its locality needs to maintain and increase its employee relocation budget regularly. Some of the offerings that should be added in creating a relocation policy follows.

Covered Benefits

One of the crucial aspects of a relocation package is the benefits your company will cover for the employee. It is not only about what you will cover as an employer, but also how much you will pay for the expense types, which can include the following:

• Packaging and Moving
• House Hunting
• Transportation
• Short-Term Lodging
• Shipment
• Miscellaneous

Build Tiers into your Relocation Packages

While it is vital to offer security to your employee during the relocation, it is best to align the package based on the employee’s level in the company. Make sure to offer the package that aligns to best practices for that type of position. Not all positions should warrant a relocation package.

Package Administration

After you have decided on the budget and the benefits that you will offer, it is time to consider how you will administer them. It can be categorized under the following:

• Full Coverage: you set the guidelines on what will be covered, whether you either book a service as the employer or reimburse the employee.
• Lump Sum: A certain amount of money is given to the employee for the relocation. It gives them flexibility, but it also means the employee has to plan the relocation details.
• Capped Allowance: You provide a certain amount of money to the employee for relocation, and whatever is not used will go back to the company.

Negotiation

If your employee wants to negotiate the relocation package details, the best thing for you to do is listen to what they are trying to communicate. Understanding them will help you decide whether to work on them or give a counteroffer, if the request is not reasonable.

Personal Support

The best way to ensure your employee’s loyalty is to give them a smooth transition when relocating to a new place. One of the factors that often impresses the employee is the personal assistance that a company provides:

• Employment assistance for the spouse or partner
• Obtaining information on schools
• Cultural training to help the employee and family learn about the new place and its culture.

Benchmark Your Competitors

Research what your competitors are offering in their relocation packages. A relocation package is often determined by the industry, location, size of the company, and the employee’s level in the organization. Finding a way to stand out among your competitors with the package is best to ensure your employees stick with you. One way to warrant that is to hire a professional Relocation Management Company (RMC) to do the job for you at a competitive price.

Why Hire a Professional Employee Relocation Management Company (RMC)?

Instead of spending time on the research and coming up with relocation policies, you have less to worry about when you outsource the process. A good RMC will do the work for you while providing your employees with the best experience and highest customer service. There are quite a few benefits in hiring a professional employee relocation company:

• You will get a customized relocation strategy that has a transparent approach, along with a tiered system. If needed, the company can also offer benefits as per individual requirements (à la carte approach).
• They know their job and have the local and international resources to ensure a smooth transition for the employee by simplifying the process. A professional will also warrant the relocation complies with the new place and local regulations.
• Technology based solutions are offered by most prominent RMCs. They may integrate the system with your IT platform to facilitate the duties so that there is transparency in the process. In addition, cloud-based live reporting is used to ensure cost-effective and transparent procedures.
• Employees and employers can concentrate on the work that needs to be done while the RMC does the other work related to relocation.

Wrapping Up

If you want to mobilize the company’s talent, the best way to do it is to put yourself in their shoes. Consider that an employee must weigh the benefits of a new opportunity against the financial and emotional transition of starting a life in a new place. Hence, supporting them during this process will reflect on your company’s engagement with the employees and the positive culture that it harnesses. Having a comprehensive relocation program can be a persuasive tool for hiring and retaining talented, and having dedicated employees working for your company. The best way to go about it as an employer is to contract a professional relocation management company like WHR Global, which will care for you and your employee’s relocation needs.

“Sit back, relax and enjoy the flight.” That’s what the flight attendant usually says upon completing their safety instructions after take-off. What if transitioning from your current Relocation Management Company (RMC) were just as easy? What if you had someone else navigating the entire process? Imagine having someone else doing all the coordination, communications, and legwork for you, your global workforce, and your service providers.

Switching Relocation Management Companies

Well, it’s not really such a far-fetched dream… if you work with the right RMC. You might be thinking you’ll still have to train your staff, including everyone internally from payroll to global HR to finance to accruals, plus train and acclimate your providers! Think about all the processes that must be communicated between your staff and your new RMC, not to mention that your RMC must also learn and understand your culture so that they can train their employees. Sounds like a lot of work. The good news is that the right RMC will do all this for you.

How exactly does your RMC accomplish all that? More importantly, if you’re the main internal contact at your company, how much of your time is still required?

“We’ll do all the heavy lifting, we only need the client’s relocation policy,” says WHR Global Director of Global Operations, Chris Lagerman.  “After we obtain the client’s policy, we’ll assemble a transition plan for program management. We’ll typically spend a half to full day with the client, confirming our proposed plan meets their expectations before we execute. We’re working behind the scenes to coordinate all the applicable processes; once we get the green light, we manage everything.”

For example, WHR might ask the client how they reimburse employee expenses or what documentation is needed to justify a payment? WHR will coordinate a meeting directly with the client’s payroll person to sort out these answers. Maybe the client has four individuals who can authorize employee transfers, or maybe the client has 20 corporate recruiters in multiple locations. Once WHR knows who these individuals are, WHR will set up a 1-hour training meeting (virtual or in-person), to train all on how to use WHR’s technology.

The average timeline from choosing WHR as your RMC and transition completion is typically 30 days, but during those 30 days, WHR is doing all the hard work. The client contact only needs to spend a half to full day with WHR answering questions, and then WHR takes over and manages everything else. Some clients may think they have to train all their preferred suppliers on how to work with WHR. In reality, WHR will handle all the training and more than likely WHR is already working with these same suppliers.

It really is that easy to make the switch to a new RMC! Considering the move for your organization?

Let’s talk!