A good relocation service should be sensitive to the “lifestyle” and emotional needs of transferees. After all, being transferred doesn’t just mean loading and unloading furniture. It also means helping people become familiar with and comfortably settled into their new home and community.
QUESTION: Do you find that corporations understand this?
ANSWER: Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Unfortunately, too many corporate executives view the settling process as little more than unloading the employee’s belongings. They don’t realize that productivity doesn’t start immediately upon the moving van pulling away.
QUESTION: What have transferees actually told you about their experiences, from an emotional point of view, so to speak?
ANSWER: Many have told us that, in retrospect, selling their house was the easy part. Coming to a new area proved most stressful.
QUESTION: Can moving-related stress actually affect a transferee’s productivity?
ANSWER: Sure it can. A person’s distraction from work and related downtime can actually cost a corporation more time and, of course, more money.
QUESTION: What kinds of things can a corporate relocation center do to address these kinds of human service needs?
ANSWER: An experienced relocation service will work as a team player with the individuals and the human resource department of their company. Not only to fulfill their housing needs in a new area, but also to duplicate their lifestyle in the new location. Relocation entails matching services with people – people who have very individual needs. We’re not social workers, of course, but we can offer career and spousal counseling, and other assistance program to help people become acclimated to their new home.
QUESTION: This is a question about money. Specifically, the cost of moving employees who are being transferred, is it expensive?
ANSWER: Yes, the cost of relocating a transferee increases from year to year. The Employee Relocation Council showed the average cost to relocate a home-owning employee or new hire in 1998 was $53,696 and $40,676, respectively. Those figures represent a 3% increase over 1997 for home-owning employees, and nearly an 8% increase for home-owning new hires.
QUESTION: Have steps been taken to reduce these costs?
ANSWER: Yes. Many companies are seeing that, by “outsourcing” employee transfer details to a no fee corporate relocation specialist, they can and have brought costs down. For example, this “partners in cost-management” approach resulted in a per-employee reduction of 3%. An ongoing team effort is striving for even greater cost reductions in the future. Nevertheless, the gains to be made from relocating an employee are recouped in a short time by retention of employees.
QUESTION: Should the transferee and his or her family try to purchase a home in their new location or rent a unit?
ANSWER: That’s a personal decision, of course, and everyone’s goals and financial situation are different. However, there are some advantages to owning a home that many people totally overlook. For instance, owning a home makes the transferee a more solid part of his or her community. It gives them a sense of belonging. Also home ownership is a major indicator of financial integrity. It’s the best and quickest way to establish a good credit rating, which can be very important on both the short and long term.
QUESTION: Would you say that transferees today are more knowledgeable consumers than ever before?
ANSWER: In general yes. And they expect to receive better quality of service. They’re looking for greater convenience. The increasing difficulty of balancing work and family demands is likely to increase their desire for a relocation service that can handle all their needs under one roof – “One-Stop-shopping,” if you will. Consequently, we’re seeing a greater focus on good home finding and destination services, as well as pre-move counseling.
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