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!

 the world becoming more interconnected, gone are the days when companies stay within the borders, hiring local talent. As the number increases in establishing international offices and representatives, relocating employees is also rising. 

Establishing a clientele in one’s own country has become the norm of the past. Even small and medium-sized businesses are engaging in trading overseas, thus the need to hire international staff. While employing overseas staff, there is the necessity to relocate employees to various branches of the enterprise.

Relocating employees to places is quite a process. It is not only about shifting an employee to a new place; several necessary steps are involved. As an employer, you must remember that it needs to be as stressless as possible for your employees.

If you are one of the companies that need to relocate employees or employees to a new place, this blog can be helpful for you. WHR Global, specializing in employee relocation, has shared five essential tips for how to transfer job locations for both the employer and employees. 

5 Tips For Relocating Employees

Relocating employees is a daunting experience for the employee and employers. While the employee can be excited about going and settling down in a new place or heavy-hearted about leaving the family and moving, the employer has much more responsibility when moving an employee to a new office in a new city, state, or country.

There are five critical factors, according to WHR Global, whose team combines 100 years of leadership experience in corporate and government employee relocations (domestic and international).

1. Time Needed

Moving to a new place is time-consuming, with all the planning and preparations. It becomes more so when an employee needs to be relocated to a new country. In addition, there are logistics like visas, shipping, customs fees and clearances, and transportation.

 Also, apart from these logistics, there are legal angles to consider. For example, if your employee needs a work permit, you must prove that your company has an office in the place of destination. Going through all these and the associated paperwork can be challenging and time-consuming as an employer. Also, as an employer, you must consider providing your employee with an appropriate relocation package, which brings up tax ramifications. 

While employers deal with all these, the experience is daunting for the employee, who must run back and forth to get various factors to relocation sorted.

Hence, it is advisable to start the process early so you have time to complete all those or hire a professional who will take care of it all. A relocation management company, WHR Global, will help navigate the logistics and keep all parties organized.

2. Adjusting Time

Moving to a new place from the old one is tough, and it gets more challenging when the culture, food, and language change. For instance, moving your employee from the US to the UK is comparatively easy on the person. But if you move someone from India to China, the challenges begin once the employee reaches the place.

So, as your employee needs the time to adjust to the significant culture, language, and food, productivity will suffer. You should then train your employees on what to expect and encourage them to learn about the new place. A professional relocation team can advise you on ways to move forward with the moving and policies that must be taken care of.

3. Taxes

Moving the employee to another country means changes in taxation policies, not only for your employee but also for your home company and the site of your business in the destination. Company tax is confusing to a layperson, and it is also something that you, as an employer, cannot take lightly. 

It is time you speak to a company tax lawyer of your home country and the employee’s destination to see how it will affect both of you. Then, understand and work towards ways to benefit your company and employees.

4. Cost of Living – COLA

Adjusting your employee’s income as per the new country’s cost of living is essential to living everyday life in the destination country. While online resources are there, you can find out the cost of living for a specific destination to compensate them fairly.

Costs are generally higher for expats as they seek to find the same goods and services in their home country, but they are undoubtedly priced higher in a “foreign” location.  Over time, expats learn how to replace home country products with similar or similar host country goods and services. A further breakdown of COLA can be found in our recent blog.

A professional company working in the field of relocation and in the destination where your employee is going is better suited to provide you with the expenditure the employee is looking into.

5. Hire A Professional

When you transfer your employees to a new destination, you want to uphold the industry’s best practices, give them the right relocation package, and prepare them well for the new place. An international employee relocation company like WHR does all these and much more.

Companies like WHR maintain benchmark studies and analyses to help the employee and employer better. They use technologies that allow them to assist you online and give you an estimated cost and time needed for all the proceedings so you will not be late with the relocation or dig a hole in the company funds. Finally, you will also get the final report about the move to your portal, customized per your needs.

As you prepare your employee for the relocation, you should simultaneously contact an expert relocation organization like WHR Global to take care of all the necessities. A professional company that helps move employees to another location provides the best relocation experience for the employee and the employer because they have experience in the field. They are also professionals in the business, so they know how to navigate and save time and money for the employer, thus making it an affordable and cost-effective option. Also, if you want consistency in relocating employees, WHR Global can do that in domestic and international spaces. Essential questions, such as how to transfer job locations, have never been easier to answer.

Today, the Covid-19 pandemic has tremendously impacted everyone’s life. Mainly it has brought personal and professional challenges for most of us, and it is a real hardship for too many families. The pandemic has brought unanticipated consequences and has changed our working culture incredibly. Temporarily, the remote workforce increased from 15 percent to 100 percent. During the initial months of the pandemic, most of the companies postponed employee relocations. Everyone’s work routines are centralized with the use of technology. Video conferences have become a new conference room, and there is no need to travel for business.

What will 2021 bring for companies to relocate employees?

• The start of 2021 has been a struggle, and the rollout of the Covid vaccines promises to bring back a sense of normalcy in the future. As the pandemic recedes, the US is coming back to its position step by step. Companies are planning to make their employees come back to work in the office from working remotely.

• Some companies have announced their employees will stay at home and work remotely on a permanent basis.

• With the increased number of remotely working employees, business travel bounces back more rapidly than expected.

• Companies that allow 100 percent remote work will need to track their employees from both duties of care and a tax compliance perspective. While working remotely, some employees had taken the opportunity to move without informing their employer. This could be a headache for employers.

• While the unemployment rate is much higher than a year ago, the competition to hire professional talent is continuously increasing.

• Every day many employees are leaving their workforce for their career growth. At the same time, some who are near retirement have opted to retire early. In many companies, there is a shortage of skilled workers.

• Also to be noted, companies have faced many financial crises during the pandemic. Looking for a changing environment

As of July 2021, companies in the US are planning to come back to normal condition with all the appropriate safety measures, many of them by this fall. Companies are contemplating how workplaces will look post-covid. Therefore, to stay competitive in the business, every company is looking to avoid unnecessary costs to expand their business. Many employees have moved for a better opportunity, and there is a talent shortage in many companies. In order to help the companies, employee relocation services are emerging more than ever.

Employee relocation services have become the essential talent management tools for companies to ensure they possess the right talent in the right location. If one wants to enhance their company after the pandemic, opting for the best employee relocation services is a crucial step. They help you trim your relocation costs, employ talented and skilled employees, and provide training. Hiring them is much more beneficial to expand your company and to stay competitive. Also, it helps to develop future leaders of the company through the proper training.

Nowadays, younger employees are expressing their interest in working in companies. Often with modest expectations, hiring them will help the employers financially. Employee relocation services prioritize talent strategy as a key and take the appropriate steps to educate, train, and upskill their existing employees.

Most people see the opportunity in time spent in an in-person, collaborative environment. Business at a distance in interior areas is a big headache for employees. Living at a reasonable commuting distance from the office will make them comfortable. Here employee relocation services play a big role to help the employees arrange for their accommodation.

Benefits of outsourcing employee relocation services

Employee relocation is a process to create a smooth transition for the employee to move into their new state or area. Employers are looking for a unique skill set for employees to expand their business. When employees are asked to relocate to the new location alone or with their family, emergency relocation services provide them with an easy transition. A relocation company aims to design an affordable and efficient way to help the employee relocate nearer to a new office location. Employers are seeking to hire skilled persons or wanting the current employees to relocate for career development.

Employee relocation allows businesses to be compliant with local immigration laws during transitioning employees into a new country. Hiring skilled employees will result in improved performance, boosting revenue, and facilitating a pleasant experience.

Companies will offer relocation benefits when employees move to a new office location outside of their current market. Companies partner with the employee relocation service to assist the employees from departure to arrival to cover fees such as paying for their plane tickets, hotels, moving trucks, and other travel-related expenses.

Employees move quickly to the new locations. Sometimes, businesses will help employees on their personal matters, which include choosing a neighborhood or school. With the employee relocation services, the employee will have peace of mind for their overall transition, and their move becomes as seamless as possible. Employee relocation services provide all the support measures to understand that employees need to face fewer challenges during their moving process.

How employee relocation services help the companies?

Companies need skilled employees to enhance their business to a new level where the coronavirus  pandemic has made the situation more difficult for the companies to have skilled workers. In the competitive market, employee relocation services may help hire skilled employees and retain the current employees. Let us further discuss the reasons for hiring the employee relocation services.

• They implement tailored relocation strategies.

• Hiring and recruitment networks in-country

• Technical solutions – Employer Technology & Employee Technology

• Transparent cost structures

• Highly beneficial for both employers and employees

After the Covid pandemic, in order for companies to meet the demands of employees and stay competitive in their business, employee relocation services are uniquely positioned to meet these challenges.  With the help of the Employee relocation service, employees can have a hassle-free move to the new place.

This helps companies to restart their work with skilled employees in a shorter amount of time. Employee relocation services will streamline the network and provide immigration support. With the help of relocation services, all-size companies can fast-track their global expansion.