Ask any human resources professional and they’ll tell you: getting the right people in the right jobs is only half the battle. The other half? Retaining them. Given the current era of low unemployment and the increasing cost of replacing employees (almost twice the cost of single employee’s annual salary!) employers are finding it harder to fill their open positions and investing more than ever in recruiting. That’s why we’re so focused on making sure every moment of your employee’s relocation experience is top-notch—because their family, community, and home are far more poignant priorities than ping pong tables and Friday Jean Days.

We know this from our 2018 benchmark study on global mobility and corporate culture where we learned that 46% of employers use relocation as a tool for retention. Relocating the right people to the right places doesn’t only help companies reach business objectives either. When used as part of a forward-looking talent management program, it can spur career development and help keep employees engaged. But for this to happen, relocations need to be properly executed, with care and empathy. Let’s take a closer look at how relocation, when done right, can help retention.

Happiness Equals Productivity

If you’ve suspected that happiness promotes workplace productivity, the data is right there with you! Gallup reported that companies with engaged employees outperform their unengaged counterparts by more than 140%. Similarly, a 2014 study of more than 700 people across four different experiments confirmed that happier people are more productive. It’s proven time and time again—happy employees = happy customers = more revenue.

And because of how personal and intimate a relocation is for your employees, the impact can go far deeper. If your employees are worrying about their home not selling or the logistics of moving, they’re not focused on their work. If they feel ignored or are fighting over a misunderstanding about a reimbursement, they might even feel far less engaged than before the promotion that precipitated the move.

That’s why it’s imperative your relocation program partner is doing everything they can to ensure each of your employee’s needs are being tended to with care. At WHR Group, everything we do revolves around making your employees’ moves streamlined with high-touch service, support, and empathy.

Relocation with Empathy

Anytime someone relocates for work, there’s many sensitive factors that pop up. For example, maybe their house isn’t selling for as much as they anticipated, or their kids don’t want to leave their school, or their spouse is worried about finding employment in a new city. All of these are vital concerns and if left unaddressed, could significantly undercut the promotion and relocation benefits they received. This is why it’s critical your employees and their families are treated with empathy and responsiveness.

Our service model was designed to address the top concerns families have during a relocation before they become problems. We also train every professional who works with relocating employees as “counselors.” Their role and focus is to manage not only the timing and details of the move itself but also help each employee through any personal issues and concerns accompanying the move. Our goal is to make each employee as comfortable with the move as possible, so they can do their best work and know their company is concerned about their well-being.

Tailoring Each Move to the Needs of the Employee

Experienced counselors are only part of the story when it comes to focusing on the needs of your relocating employees. WHR Group also customizes the tactical aspects of each move to the needs of each employee, while also working within the parameters of your benefit program.

We do this because no two relocations are the same. A well-established family of five could require a full-service van line on the day of the move, while a single college graduate might be better served with a U-Haul or POD, which requires fewer resources and can get to the destination faster. Using our best-in-class proprietary technology, our experienced counselors easily and quickly adapt to the needs of each employee while still working within your company’s pre-arranged benefit budget and requirements. Giving us more time to provide high-touch, one-on-one, and caring support to your employee and their family’s immediate needs. It’s how we create a flexible, employee-centric relocation experience that can meet real people when they really need it.

For a relocation program to boost employee productivity and positive feelings about the organization, it needs to be administered with care and forethought. It’s why we value hard work, empathy, proactiveness, and trustworthiness in everything we do and from everyone we employ. We invite you to learn more about our high-tech, high-touch practice and how we can help your relocating employees feel great about their move.

When you’ve been in the relocation business for more than two decades, you learn that you need to be a little like Goldilocks when incorporating technology into a relocation program. Too little technology, and your clients struggle with the logistics of moving their employees. Too much technology, and they end up wasting time figuring out how to make it work – and start to feel like they aren’t a priority.

We believe that when it comes to something as important and ultimately as personal as relocating, technology should support the relationship, not replace the relationship. All of us at the WHR Group are committed to saving our clients time, lowering their costs, and increasing their happiness – and our technology plays a big part in accomplishing these goals. That’s why we built our technology in-house, to adhere to the unique needs of our clients.

Building the Program Within the Technology

When bringing technology into a relocation program, the worst thing you can do is try to fit the technology into the program. You end up with limited functionality, customization, and having to settle for half-measures and workarounds. Or, worse, you have to try to adjust your internal processes to accommodate the limitations of the tech.

We take a different approach. During implementation, we talk with you about every last detail of your program and policies; including best practices, benefit recommendations, and your preferences in how you want to run and analyze your program. We then build all of these details directly into the technology, so that when you and your relocating employee go to use it, it’s already working within the parameters of your exact policy.

For example, consider the specific timing requirements for a relocation. For a relocation to be time-efficient and cost-effective, the timing of the individual stages – from the sale of a residence to property storage to moving day – has to be precise (if moving day is a Wednesday, you can’t have the trucks show up on Tuesday or, worse, on Friday). The challenge lies in controlling for the myriad policy possibilities: Every policy is different in terms of timing, and an out-of-the-box solution won’t be able to address your policy’s exact needs. The answer lies in crafting a client-focused and customizable solution: We build technology around your specific relocation program details, taking into account the timing details of the benefits you select and creating a timeline accordingly. By creating proprietary tech that responds to your specific needs, our technology serves as an extension of our personal client relationships.

Another example might revolve around relocation data reporting. Let’s say you decide you want your data split out by cost centers instead of location. In our initial discussion, we make sure we understand exactly how your reporting data should be formatted and then set up the tech accordingly. That way you’re not wasting time trying to reformat the data or adjust your own internal systems to accommodate us.

And these aren’t the only ways our technology can facilitate both the relocation and your needs:

• Project management. The predictive workflow system is completely customizable, tracking over 3,000 data points and 300 critical events in the relocation process
• Data security and compliance. Our implementation of the over 260 controls outlined by NIST SP 800-53 proves our dedication to data security and compliance.
• Expense management. Many companies allow you to submit expenses through a mobile app. But far fewer take the important next step: comparing a submitted receipt against the predetermined policy benefit and automatically alerting a relocation counselor if there’s a misunderstanding.
• Invoicing. Our program automatically submits invoices on your preferred schedule and in a way that works with your internal systems (down to the order of columns within Microsoft Excel), helping to increase accuracy and efficiency.

Ultimately, technology is an extension of the company that uses it. At the WHR Group, we take a holistic, personal approach to our client relationships. Whether it’s through our two-person counseling teams, our no-voicemail policy, or our commitment to prompt issue resolution – we make sure you can feel care and support through every interaction.

Want to take that technology for a spin? Map out how much a relocation might cost with our free Domestic Relocation Cost Estimator, or explore what your company’s relocation policy might look like through our free Domestic Relocation Policy Designer.

If you were to consider your organization’s top priorities, what would they be? Chances are, recruiting talented workers is at the top of your list. And for good reason – for most companies, hiring and keeping the best people is the surest way to achieve their organizational goals and future growth.

The question is: How do you go about it?

The trick is providing benefits that today’s employees want. The same Metlife survey found that benefits were a key driver of happiness at work – so long as they were customized to meet employee needs. They recommend employers offer a benefits program where “employees have the ability to build packages that are personalized to their individual needs and that can be changed as their needs evolve.”

Our Global Mobility and Cultural Benchmarks study found that one area where a more flexible and customized approach could pay significant dividends in recruiting and retention is in your relocation program. We learned that while 87% of survey respondents believe their relocation program is focused on employee satisfaction, only 28% would describe their programs as flexible (“easily adapting to needs”). While there are many reasons to consider consistency over flexibility, including ease of administration and cost stability, giving employees more choice in their relocation benefits can go a long way toward happier and more engaged employees.

Here are some thoughts on creating a more flexible relocation program:

Know your options.

There’s a lot more to relocating than calling a moving van. From house hunting and helping with renter and mortgage agreements, to relocating the beloved family pet, you have a vast array of options to build out a comprehensive relocation program. And we’ve learned relevant choices are especially important if you’re working with a strict budget.

Don’t be afraid to ask.

According to the Willis Towers Watson survey mentioned above, 97% of employees prefer to choose their own benefits instead of having their employer choose for them. Rather than assuming which benefits to provide, why not survey your relevant employees and ask? The answers might surprise you, especially if you have a younger or international workforce.

Learn from the data.

Take a closer look at your past relocations, both recently and over time. Do you see any developing trends? Which benefits are your employees choosing most? Of the ones they’re not choosing, is it because the benefit doesn’t fit their needs or because they don’t understand the offering? Are there issues that keep coming up across different relocations that you can head off at the pass?

Be aware of your competition.

Just like you do with your company’s main area of focus, it’s good to know what your competitors are up to. By getting a handle on what others in your industry are offering, you can establish where the guiderails are – and where you can add can add extra value. If you know both what your competitors are offering and what your employees most want through internal surveys, you can really home in on creating a relocation program that provides maximum value.

To get the most value for your relocation program, your employees need to know what it is and how they can use it. Not only will more people take advantage of your relocation benefits, but even those who don’t will understand the investment your organization is making in their well-being. Be sure your recruiters can also speak to the value of your program.

The most important point about evaluating any benefit plan – relocation or otherwise – is that your people are your most important asset. With any benefit decision you make, make sure your employees and their families are treated with empathy and responsiveness. That doesn’t mean blowing a hole in your company’s budget. Just make sure that your relocation benefits package choices are all focused on the same thing – helping your employees put their families in the best position for success.

If you’re thinking of retooling your company’s relocation program, we have some free tools to get you started, from estimating relocation costs to building a benefits-focused program. And if you have any questions along the way, feel free to reach out to us because we’d be happy to help.