Overcoming Five Employee Concerns to Relocation

by | Jul 2, 2018 | News

Making any life changing decision requires thought and consideration, especially if that decision is taking you across the country, or even across the globe! It’s easy to forget that even the most excited employees have concerns about the relocation process.
<img alt="employee relocation">,<img alt="WHR Group">

Frequent communication is paramount to a successful relocation for both the employee and your company. By anticipating and recognizing employee concerns, you’ll be better prepared to alleviate those worries and keep the relocation moving in the right direction.

Here are five of the most common employee concerns to relocation and how you can alleviate them:

1. What if I can’t find a place to live?

The U.S. is now experiencing the lowest inventory levels in a generation. It’s not unusual to find fifteen offers the minute a house hits the market, meaning buyers now face paying more than market value for a home. There’s a real chance your employee could sell their home in a matter of days, and not have a new home to move into in the new location.

How you can help: Timing is everything. It’s important to give your employees the time they need to find a new home and complete the move. Your Relocation Management Company, or RMC, should provide qualified real estate agents that understand the relocation process and the timelines associated with such moves.

However, if you need your employee in the new location quickly, offer them temporary corporate housing. That way, they can be assured they will have a place to stay while they continue their new home search.

2. What if our family can’t move right away?

Employees and their families often have obligations they must fulfill before moving for their new position. They may want their children to finish out the school year, have an ill family member, or a partner that has a career of their own. Regardless of the reason, it’s essential that you and your employee communicate your timelines. You can make the change easier or more difficult depending on how well you communicate deadlines and expectations.

How you can help: By regularly discussing your company needs and understanding the individual employee’s circumstances, you greatly increase the chances of retaining your top employees. If the family needs to stay in the old location longer than anticipated, offer the employee temporary housing or pay for travel expenses to and from the new location. They can then meet your expectations for the new position without uprooting their family before they’re ready.

3. What if I don’t know anyone in the new location?

Moving is stressful, but not knowing anyone in the new location makes it even more challenging. Kids especially find it difficult to move from friends, family, and schools. Your employee and their family has built a well-established network – from their favorite grocery store to the gym they frequent – it’s difficult to leave them behind. They will need to build a new network for the relocation to be successful.

How you can help: Provide information on their new city, neighborhoods, and schools. Set up an area orientation so they can familiarize themselves with their new surroundings. Help them find a new gym, daycare, or whatever else they may need to feel at home. There are websites that can help as well, such as MeetUp or Next Door, where they can find others in the area with similar interests.

4. What about my spouse and my kids?

According to our recent benchmark study, 79% of respondents state that family is the reason for declining a relocation. Their partner may have a career. Their kids may be in school and have their own friends to say goodbye to. They may have family there. Your employee cannot focus 100% on their new position when they are focused on the needs of their family.

How you can help: Spousal and family assistance is crucial. When you take the family’s needs into consideration, you are showing your employee you truly care about making this a positive experience for them. Help your employee’s spouse/partner build a resume and find a new job. Help them find a great school for their kids. Anything that you can do to show that you care about their personal life will go a long way to ease their stress and concerns.

5. What if I can’t afford to live in my new neighborhood?

Packing up and moving from rural Iowa to Manhattan would be a shock to anyone’s wallet. The cost of living can be drastically different depending on where your employee is moving from and where they are moving to. Buying a new home or renting an apartment can be difficult due to upfront costs such as security deposits, finder’s fees, and down payments. The cost of homes, taxes, even groceries, may be significantly more than what your employees are used to.

How you can help: Offer your employee a cost of living allowance (COLA) or mortgage differential assistance. Both options ease your employees into the cost of the new location. Many companies choose to taper off these benefits over the course of a few years. You can make the transition to a new city less costly and more affordable for your best employees.

Cultivating a Culture of Teamwork

by | Jun 27, 2018 | News

Cultural training for employees who will be working internationally is perhaps more important today than ever before.  For many companies, there has been a significant paradigm shift away from the strictly bi-cultural focus of such training, opting instead for an approach that prepares the employee for working within a multi-cultural environment.  Ideally, such training is the first step in cultivating a culture of teamwork within an organization.

In so doing, companies are able to set themselves and their employees up for greater success, while mitigating the risk of assignment failure and/or employee attrition.

Why is multi-cultural training essential today?

Given the backdrop of the global business landscape, an employee who embarks on an overseas assignment will not necessarily merely be working with a local team.  Instead, it is far more likely that the employee will be part of a global team.  That means that he or she will be working side-by-side with people of many different nationalities, cultures and backgrounds.

In putting together a global team, an organization needs to ensure that each member of that team is able to effectively work with the other members.  To accomplish that, each member of the team needs to be able to communicate with one another, and to understand some of the key differences in their cultural backgrounds.

Setting the team up for success

That’s where cultural or multi-cultural training comes in.  In many cases, it’s the best insurance policy that an organization has for setting a global team up for success.

In a nutshell, cultural training is designed to set the employee up for success prior to the assignment, by setting expectations about life in the host country, and providing coping strategies, tools and resources to help make that happen.

From a talent mobility and talent management perspective, sending employees overseas is often a critical component for achieving an organization’s business goals.  But, it is also an increasingly expensive undertaking.  Not only is the physical move itself costly, but it can also cost an organization considerably in the loss of talent.

Thus, the investment in cultural training is vital from an employee retention standpoint. Without that support and commitment to the employee’s career success, an organization could end up losing a valuable employee altogether.

Communication is the key

Communication is obviously a fundamental factor for global teams to be able to effectively work together.  But, communication across cultures can be very tricky.  Speaking the same language is great, but communication and cultural understanding requires much more than the ability to speak a language.

Through cultural training, employees also learn how to be more tolerant of each other, and they have an opportunity to gain greater insight into the cultural nuances that typically exist.  So, it’s important to recognize the key role that communication (which can be verbal and nonverbal), plays in the process.

A win-win for the employee and organization

The idea is to bring members of a global team together in a way that fosters good communication, collaboration and interaction.  If done properly, it can be a real win-win for both the employee and the organization.  To best achieve such mutual success, cultural training has to go beyond the traditional model of preparing employees to live and thrive in a new country.

Today, cultural training also needs to provide the skills necessary for employees to work with people from many cultures and countries.  It is no longer a one-on-one relationship, but rather a one-to-many relationship.

How WHR Group can help

Our company has global partnerships with industry experts across the globe, enabling us to provide cultural and language training services to help expats and their families prepare for relocation abroad. For more information on how WHR Group can assist your employees with their international move and new assignment, give us a call at 800-523-3318 or email contactus@whrg.com.

WRITTEN BY: MICHELLE SANDLIN, SCRP, GMS-T

Michelle Sandlin, SCRP, GMS-T is an award-winning freelance writer and weekly columnist for the Houston Chronicle. She is also a frequent contributor to Mobility Magazine, as well as other publications, corporate blogs and white papers. She can be reached at 281.831.3112 or michelle.sandlin@me.com.

What’s Trending: Global Mobility GOOOAAAALS!

by | Jun 13, 2018 | News

Whether you’re a fan or not, I’m sure you’ve seen that the 2018 FIFA World Cup begins this week. In many ways, soccer (or football, depending on where you’re located!) is a complex game of techniques, rules (aka the Laws of the Game), and controversies. However, when you get down to brass tacks, the objective of the game is to simply kick the ball into a net, thus scoring a GOAL!

via GIPHY

You might be thinking:

“Hey, WHR Group… Why are you talking about soccer? You’re a relocation company!”

Yes, that’s true. But really, there are a lot of similarities between soccer and global mobility. We’ve picked out just a few:

 

Soccer Global Mobility
Terminology

They may have different names, but they mean the same thing.
 Soccer or Football Employee Relocation, Global Mobility, Corporate Relocation, or Workforce Mobility
Gameplay Complex game of techniques, rules, and controversies. The object of the game is to score a goal. Complex industry with a multitude of policies for each company, technologies, service approach, and more. The objective is simply to move a new or existing employee from one location to another.
Team Each team consists of eleven players, supported by a manager and a crew of assistant coaches. At WHR, each team consists of a Counselor and an Associate, supported by a Client Services Manager.
World Cup Held every four years, with host countries vying for a chance to participate in the selection process. Each host country must submit a Bidding Agreement, confirming compliance with bid requirements. FIFA evaluates the bids and identifies and recommends a host for the event. Upon selection, the host country must begin months of preparations to physically host the event. Many companies choose to select their relocation provider thought a “Request for Proposal” (RFP) process. Each relocation company must submit a proposal, confirming compliance with the requestors requirements. The company then evaluates the proposals and identifies and recommends a relocation company. Upon selection, the relocation company must begin an implementation process to ensure the guidelines and controls are in place to provide relocating employees consistent and top-quality relocation services.

The timeline for this process varies by company but can occur anywhere between every 2-5 years.
Goals Occurs when a player kicks the ball into the net. The team scores a point every time this happens. In mobility, each company tends to mark success differently. However, our recent benchmark study revealed that 87% of companies’ main priority is employee satisfaction.

We’ve done the research. Ready for the results?

Show me the numbers!

As we prepare to listen to announcers excitedly call “GOOOOAAAAL,” we wanted to look at key relocation goals and how to best achieve them so that you can mimic that excitement. We’ve rounded up the best guidance and insights, which combines a variety of resources from WHR Group as well as other industry professionals to help you get started.
d

  1.   5 Simple Ways to Cut Relocation Costs
    It’s no secret that employee relocations are expensive. While we’ve spent the last 24 years finding ways to save our clients tens of millions of dollars on their relocation programs, there are other things you can be doing right now to save on your program.
    d
  2.   The Pros and Cons of Going Out to Bid for a Relocation Supplier
    Choosing a Relocation Management Company (RMC) that best fits your workplace culture, employee needs, company budget, and more can be a daunting task. With so many RMCs to choose from, the question becomes how do you find the right one?
    BONUS: Check out our white paper on sample RFP questions!
    d 
  3.   U.S. Treasury & IRS to Address State Tax Deduction ‘Workarounds’
    Organizations with employees in high tax states are left in a state of uncertainty until the issue surrounding the new limitations on deductions for state taxes are resolved. In a Notice issued May 23, 2018, the IRS announced their intent to issue regulations.
    d  
  4.   The H-1B Visa Lottery is Over. Now What?
    Immigration attorney, Andrew Lerner, answers employers’ most common questions surrounding the annual H-1B visa petition lottery.
    d
  5.   4 Steps for Developing a Talent Pool
    Talent pools are groups of employees who are being trained and developed to assume greater responsibilities within their organization. Often, but not always, they have been identified as high-performing and high-potential individuals.
relocation request for proposal

Survey Fatigue: It’s Real and It’s Here

by | Jun 5, 2018 | News

Do you ever pay attention to the onslaught of survey requests you receive daily? I’ve started to – and I must say, it’s a lot! When I buy something, there’s almost always a survey request on the receipt. A few days after a flight, a survey request from the airline pops up in my inbox. After I call my wireless provider for assistance, I’m asked to participate in a survey at the end of the call.

And on and on it goes.

It would seem I could make a part-time job out of completing surveys. Survey Monkey, the popular online survey company, stated that they have over 16 million survey questions completed daily, which translates to nearly six billion survey questions every year – and that’s just from one survey platform!

I don’t know about you, but I honestly feel like I’m being surveyed to death.

Which begs the question: why all the surveys? And better yet, what is being done with the results? I take the airline survey after every flight, giving my opinion on a variety of topics, but I never see positive changes happening from the customer’s standpoint. I give my wireless provider feedback, but I have yet to experience better customer service as a result. The only thing I see is an automated response thanking me for my feedback, and that’s that.

So what’s the point?

Are companies using survey results to simply validate what they already know, giving themselves a big old pat on the back? Or, are they really looking to use the results to elevate their company’s service standard?

The first option, of using surveys to just gather mass amounts of data, seems like a bad approach to me. Companies relentlessly send out survey requests hoping that sheer quantity will help their organization. For one, the customer eventually stops filling out surveys, regardless of how short they are. Survey fatigue is a real thing! I know, I experience it constantly. Or if the customer does fill out survey after survey, you have to wonder how honest those results are. Is the respondent just ‘checking the box’ to complete the exercise without having a desire to share truthful, valuable feedback? What good is that data to an organization?

I often wonder, if less time was spent asking customers to complete survey after survey and more time was spent actually acting on the results, would we all be happier consumers? I think so.

I believe the latter is the true essence of great customer service. The strategic use of surveys – to listen and learn from customers on what is working well, what could use improvement, and what needs to be changed altogether – is the most important aspect of the survey process.

Strategy in the Survey Process

How great would it be, as a frequent flier, that rather than send me a survey email after every flight, the airline sent me one twice a year that asked me the truly important questions, like consistency in service and my overall experience as a customer. I’m confident that most people, including myself, would be more apt to take a few extra minutes to fill out those surveys with accurate, thoughtful, honest feedback.

For the company, that survey now carries more weight and provides a more accurate snapshot of the company’s service, product, and perception within the marketplace. That survey can now be more effectively used to make fact-based, customer-driven decisions that enhance service and provide better solutions for future customers.

Global Mobility Surveys

Naturally, this led me to think about my own company and industry and how we use surveys. A trend within the mobility industry is to send out a survey request after each touch point with a relocating employee. To put this into perspective, WHR Group (WHR) measures over 300 critical touch points with relocating employees. Can you imagine completing that many surveys for one relocation? We couldn’t either. My fear is that as an industry we’ve taken on that approach of over-surveying and have lost sight of what the survey is designed to do – gauge transferee satisfaction, determine how vendors are performing, and ultimately, drive process improvement and increase service standards.

This is why WHR uses a dual survey approach, with each survey being sent at strategic points during the relocation. The first survey is sent shortly after the relocation has begun and the second, immediately after the relocation has concluded. Questions are asked to gather valuable data and measure service, vendors, and overall satisfaction.

Survey results are critical in determining how WHR makes improvements to the mobility process; however, the focus has always been on building the transferee and counselor relationship. Instead of surveying transferees after each touch point, we promote proactive communication between the transferee and counselor. If something isn’t going well, we want to hear about it before a survey is even required and provide solutions immediately. At WHR, we receive great feedback (both positive and negative) that we use to continuously improve the relocation experience.

“But we’ve always done it this way”

by | May 31, 2018 | News

How many times have you heard “but, we’ve always done it this way!” proclaimed in your organization regarding your processes or service offerings? Change is hard. And regardless of whether we’re motivated by our negative emotions, or simply underestimate the process of change, it ultimately seems easier to stay with the status quo.

But we can’t.

From the business standpoint, we need to be willing to change, to grow. If we don’t, someone else will come up with something new, something innovative, and put us right out of business.

Historically, this happens all the time – new players emerge that make others irrelevant or less attractive.

But… how exactly does this apply to the relocation supply chain?

When it comes to change in the relocation supply chain, innovation typically takes place in the form of technological advancements. For example, when shipping household goods, there have been some changes in terms of electronic logs, video surveys, and truck technology; however, the physical logistics of the move are still very much the same as they’ve always been. Physical labor is needed to collect the goods, put them on trucks, transport them, and unpack them in the new location.

Most corporations that relocate employees have contracts with household goods carriers. Those corporations then allocate moves on a rotational basis between the carriers, which seems like a reasonable approach, but what happens when a carrier is too busy or doesn’t have the equipment available for that particular move? They have to either pass on the move, accept the move and “figure it out,” or call in a partner through their network. While this can work, it is not the most efficient or most practical approach.

MMP™ and the Impact to Vendors

When van lines agree to moves that they simply can’t handle, it can cause serious issues for your relocating employees. That’s exactly why WHR developed an advanced technology platform, MMP™, that allows household goods carriers to choose moves that work best for their time frames and traffic lanes. Rather than send orders out to movers, our technology grants movers the opportunity to select moves deemed most desirable to them. It is really an “opportunity board” that gives movers choice and provides them with a strategic advantage to view shipments before accepting, allowing them to avoid deadheading and overbooking.

One of the most expensive costs a trucking company frequently absorbs is “deadheading,” or driving an empty truck back to its home base. WHR’s opportunity board allows dispatchers to view open moves so they can schedule loads that will work for return trips. The elimination of deadhead trips means trucks become more productive and profitable.

The MMP™ Impact to Clients

The client benefits are tremendous. Since implementing MMP™, WHR’s clients save 26-42% per move with 43% lower move claims average, and 98% employee satisfaction ratings. This system allows our specialists to select the best carrier option based on price and historical performance, for each employee’s unique move needs. Supplier performance standards include employee satisfaction rating, timeliness, and performance.

With MMP™, everybody wins. Your employees receive the best dedicated crews for service compliance, and you receive best-in-class pricing for all household goods moves.

Yes, change can be hard. If there’s a better approach to doing things, wouldn’t you rather work with the person embracing that? Companies must be willing to change and grow in order to stay relevant, which is exactly what WHR is doing. We see a potential problem or complicated process and implement a solution, regardless of whether that is in the form of a technological advancement, new process, or service offering.

Click here to learn more about MMP™ or contact us today to find out other new and innovative ways WHR Group is helping advance the relocation industry.

Ready to take a closer look at your relocation program?

Show me the numbers!

Partnering with your RMC – The Importance of Cultural Fit

by | May 22, 2018 | News

Selecting a Relocation Management Company, or RMC, is about more than just finding the right supplier for your company; it’s about finding the right partner. Your RMC is going to be in direct communication with your relocating employees, which means they should share your company’s values and principles. For instance, if your company values transparency, you wouldn’t want to work with a mobility company that hides details from you or your employees, would you?

Cultural fit is one of the most important factors in selecting an RMC, and yet, we don’t often see this as a high priority qualifier. Most global relocation companies have no problem handling different levels of volume or services, and pricing is generally similar. However, companies that partner together to relocate employees should fully understand and appreciate one another’s values. When corporate cultures align, it enables two companies to build stronger and better business relationships.

The Importance of Cultural Fit

Many corporate and government organizations choose to go out to bid for a relocation provider in the form of a Request for Proposal (RFP). This allows them to compare service offerings, find the best pricing, and fully vet each RMC based on factors that are most important to them.

Generally, most corporate relocation RFPs don’t ask culture-related questions, which is unfortunate because this makes it difficult for companies to ascertain whether the RMC would be a good match. During the RFP process, it’s important to narrow down the list of potential RMCs to those that can give relocating employees the information, support, and overall level of service they need in a way that supports your own company’s philosophies.

As you research RMCs, ideally, you don’t want to solicit dozens of bids but try to pinpoint the companies you can see yourself building a strong and long-term relationship with and focus on hiring one of these.

How to Assess Cultural Fit

It’s imperative to find a partner you can trust. If both partners don’t see value in the relationship, it’ll never work and, before long, you’ll find yourself back at square one. If the RFP doesn’t really address culture, you’ll want to ask yourself some questions to help you to determine if you are selecting the right RMC for your business.

  • What is the RMC’s mission and vision?
  • Are the RMC’s values compatible with my company?
  • Does the RMC share the same values/principles as mine, and do the company’s employees exemplify these values?
  • Do any differing philosophies clash or are they workable?

As you start the selection process, try to find out each RMC’s story. Each company is unique and no two will share the same exact culture; however, by taking the time to go the extra mile to find compatibility, you’ll save yourself a lot of time and expense. Strive to research the roots of each one and learn where they are heading – if they are traveling a path that aligns with your principles, you’ll save yourself a lot of headache down the road. You can liken it to a Goldilocks philosophy. Don’t go for an RMC that is too large or too small, you want to find one that is “just right.”

Schedule In-Person Meetings

While details may look great on paper, it’s important to schedule some in-person meetings before finalizing your contracts. This step is as important, if not more important, as the RFP itself because by meeting with the RMC you’ll be better able to size up if your two companies are truly a good culture fit. You’ll often have to use your gut when signing on a new business partner, so it’s a good idea to set up meetings early in the process and be sure to communicate often. As with any relationship, there are bound to be a few bumps along the way; however, by establishing a solid partnership from the beginning, any obstacles that emerge can be solved more easily by working together.

At WHR Group, we believe it’s essential for organizations to find the right cultural match when selecting a global mobility company. We value hard work, trust, empathy, and proactiveness and have been working for more than 24 years to provide our customers with the services they need. Our core values are real, which is why we incorporate them into everything we do, from how we interact with our clients, to how we interact with relocating employees, to how we interact with each other.  To learn more about the services we offer and our company’s culture, contact us today.

relocation request for proposal