It was reported that almost 22 percent of the US adult working population either moved or knew someone who moved during the pandemic, and those relocating also opted for remote working. With remote working becoming the new normal due to the COVID-19 pandemic and many employees seeking to move back to their home country, organizations still face significant relocation requests. The reasons for relocation range from the desire to be closer to the family, and at times, also enjoying a ‘workcation’ while being in an exotic place. Employees believe that if they had managed to be fully efficient and effective during the pandemic for over a year, they wouldn’t have any problem working after relocating to their preferred place and working remotely.

While relocating employees has traditionally been a planned-out solution, a relocation request for remote working by an employee has increased dramatically.   In most cases, allowing the employee to relocate for remote work to a new country or region brings with it a set of potential legal and tax challenges for the employer and the employee; however, during the pandemic, companies have been much more flexible in approving these relocations to retain talent.

How can a company manage remote employee relocation requests due to the pandemic?

How To Master Remote Employee Relocation Requests? 

In light of the global pandemic there are many employees requesting a relocation back to their home country. These same employees plan to continue working remotely for the foreseeable future. As the request for relocation by the employees continues to rise, there are several steps the employer can use to master the relocation request made by the employee. 

Listen To the Request 

Don’t say no immediately when an employee comes with a relocation request and has a desire to work remotely. If you go by the findings of the research, 74 percent of employees will stay with their employer when they are allowed to relocate and work remotely. In the long run, agreeing to the relocation and allowing your employees to work remotely will benefit your company, as you can retain the talent.

Transparent Guideline and Procedure

The best way to ensure that the employees stay focused and committed to their company and job, is to create an environment where their requests are being heard, and that their wishes are taken seriously. A transparent procedure will allow for all requests to be known and provide insight into what employees may be at risk in leaving the company. It also creates a trusting atmosphere where all employees are treated equitably.   

Involve the Employees 

If an employee is interested in remote working and wants to relocate to a new country during the pandemic, use their enthusiasm to do the research. Make them research and understand the new country’s compliance-related policies and contribute to understanding how it works. It will also provide you with insight into your own company’s tax exposure and if you are creating a taxable burden for your organization.

Keep Track of the Employee

Whenever an employee engages in a remote working facility outside of the company’s entity locations, you need to ensure they are not creating a tax burden for the company and exposing the organization to a new country’s tax laws. Given this possibility, it is your responsibility to ensure your company is in compliance. You may have to say no if it creates a financial and tax burden for the company. 

Get A Professional 

Irrespective of whether you relocate an employee for your business or have received a request from an employee, involve a Relocation Management Company (RMC) like WHR Group, Inc. (WHR) to administer the relocation process. A professional RMC can provide the appropriate guidance to alleviate risk and engage and manage the right professionals needed in the process.  

If you follow these simple tips as an employer, you shouldn’t have any issues with remote employee relocation requests. Even after COVID-19, these are appropriate protocols to have in place as remote working doesn’t seem to be going away.   

Final Words

With social distancing remaining the new normal, remote working at least a few days a week has also become the trend. If you want to reap the benefits of managing from home, do listen to your employee’s request for relocation and allow them the opportunity to work from a place of their choosing. Leave the process of relocation to a professional relocation company like WHR and retain your company talent.

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.