A Top Workplace for the Fifth Consecutive Year!

by | May 7, 2018 | Press Release

As you may have heard, we have some exciting news! WHR Group has been named a Top Workplace by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for the fifth consecutive year.

We are humbled and proud to have received the Top Workplaces Award for the fifth year in a row, but for us, it isn’t about winning; it’s about our employees. “The reason why we go through this is so that we’re giving our employees an anonymous way to give us feedback,” said Janessa Penneau, WHR Group’s Human Resources Manager. Our priority has always been giving our employees an opportunity to voice their opinions about the company they work for and using that feedback to make WHR Group even better.

What is a Top Workplaces List?

 

The Top Workplaces lists are based solely on the results of an employee feedback survey administered by Energage, LLC (formerly Workplace Dynamics), a leading research firm that specializes in organizational health and workplace improvement. Any company can be nominated and it’s free to participate.

 

We use the survey to give all our employee’s a voice, and while the survey is not mandatory, we had an unheard of 100% participation.

 

Here are just some of the great things our employees had to say about WHR Group in the Top Workplaces 2018 Survey:

 

“I enjoy the people I work with and find meaning in assisting our clients/transferees through a stressful period.”

“I feel I am always challenged. There is always something new to learn.”

“I like problem solving and helping people.”

“It’s a great place to work. My projects keep me busy all day and I get to do a lot of multitasking which keeps things interesting all the time.”

“I like it here and I think the job is fun and rewarding.”

“[I] believe that my manager takes an active interest in my personal and professional growth.”

 

The importance of a great workplace culture

 

Did you know the average person spends roughly 90,000 hours working over their lifetime? When you spend that much time working you want to be happy doing it. But, according to the Gallup World Poll, less than 20% of workers feel actively engaged at their place of employment.

 

These statistics are the reason why it is so important to focus on culture in the workplace. As a relocation management company, WHR Group helps other organizations find and retain the best talent, which we couldn’t do without finding and retaining the best talent for ourselves. Our goal is for our employees to enjoy coming into the office, to be engaged, and to be proud of the work they do, because, honestly, WHR Group wouldn’t be where we are today without them.

 

What does this mean for our employees?

 

You can’t have great culture without great people.

 

Being placed on a Top Workplaces list for five consecutive years is truly amazing and, really, it’s because WHR Group takes the feedback it receives from its employees and acts on it. “There’s been many things that we’ve done over the years, but I think one of the biggest things that continually gets developed is our communication with our staff,” according to Penneau.

 

WHR Group’s passion has always been Advancing Lives Forward. We embody this not only for our client’s transferees, but for our employees. We look to challenge, engage, and drive our employees to be successful, to grow in their careers, and provide opportunities for them to do so.

 

What does this mean for you?

 

We’re all about putting the right people in the right positions and when we hire someone we are looking to see if they’re hardworking, proactive, trustworthy, and most importantly, empathetic. At WHR Group, we believe relocation can be taught, but to be an empathetic person, that is inherent by nature.

 

“What WHR Group does, is pretty simple, we Advance Lives Forward. That’s what we’re about. Whether it’s our clients, whether it’s our transferee, whether it’s our own employees, whether it’s the vendor partners that we work with, we want to make things better than they were when we got them, and that’s what we feel that we do,” said Paul De Boer, President at WHR Group. “We help people through a very significant, emotional life event – that’s changing the location where they live, where they have roots, where they’re grounded in a community. To be able to take them from that point to a new point, get them settled, get them established, in a very good manner and in a very customer service and customer centric way – that’s what we do and that’s what we deliver on.”

 

WHR Group emphasizes relationship building, both within our organization and outside of it. Our employees truly are behind our success and our growth year over year. The Top Workplaces award is special to us, but not as special as the employees who made it happen. So, here’s to WHR Group’s employees: Thank you for being fantastic.

See the common core values of all WHR Group employees that allow us to achieve an award winning culture.

Business Travel During a Winter Storm: Improvements at JFK Airport

by | May 3, 2018 | News

Ever hear of a snow ‘bomb cyclone’? Well, if you traveled by plane in January of 2018, you know what we’re talking about. The harsh winter storm that hit the northeast United States left hundreds of travelers stranded and in the dark on what to do next. The Port Authority, the joint venture that manages LaGuardia Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, and other transportation infrastructures, reacted slowly to close terminals causing mass confusion and chaos.

But there is good news for business travelers.

The Port Authority announced on Monday that JFK Airport has implemented new procedures to follow during winter storms that will mitigate impact. “The measures announced [Monday] represent another critical step to enhance performance at JFK in future winter storms,” said Port Authority Aviation Director Huntley Lawrence.

These new measures include:

  • A new planning procedure for airlines that will establish a specified “storm window.” This window will be used to determine if flights will be cancelled.
  • The JFK Emergency Operating Center (EOC) was established in January and operates on a 24/7 basis during all winter storms.
  • JFK created an airport-wide inventory of equipment to be used during winter storms, which will be deployed as necessary to airlines, terminal operators, or ground-handling organizations.
  • New baggage service obligations were implemented, which includes a baggage service office that meets international best practice standards.
  • Operators are required to certify that all relevant equipment is fully fueled and checked for storm readiness.
  • JFK will now provide employees access to heavy duty buses prior to, and during, winter storms, ensuring they can get to the airport on time.
  • The airport will spend $3.5 million on four snow blowers and $1.4 million on four snow plows prior to the 2018-19 winter storm season.

From a logistics perspective, The Port Authority is confident that these measures will ensure smooth travels during the 2018-19 winter storm season. Lawrence said, “what happened in January cannot and will not happen again.”

Choosing a RMC: Why Bigger Isn’t Always Better

by | Apr 10, 2018 | News

Moving is never easy.

There. It’s out in the open – a truth that your employees will certainly recognize. While there are many factors you cannot control in the process of transitioning your company’s most precious resources – its people – from one place to another, the relocation provider you select is, and the decision is of critical importance. Your relocation management company must be an extension of your culture and share in your commitment to your employees. After all, the relocation company will be delivering your company’s policy, essentially becoming the “face” of your brand.

rmc relocation, WHR Group

It might seem as though choosing one of the high-powered major national firms would be your best bet but think again. Experts say smaller relocation companies – sometimes called “boutique” or “right-sized” firms – can provide better service, adapt more easily to your company’s corporate culture, and deliver a better value for the price over their larger competitors.

Service With a Personal Touch

Whether your employees are moving across town or across the globe, it’s certainly going to be difficult for them to keep their heads in the game business-wise with dozens of details in flux – especially when there’s a family involved in the move. Thanks to their lithe structure and employees empowered by fewer layers of approvals, these smaller relocation companies are uniquely capable of providing the type of responsive service that will help allay those moving jitters, and in turn, enable your team members to maximize their productive time.

“With smaller companies, the consultants typically handle smaller caseloads than do larger relocation firms,” says Brenda Sunoo of Workforce magazine. “They’re likely to deliver on their promises for consistent, customized, flexible, and personalized services. With the more complicated relocation cases, the staff at smaller companies will be accessible and quick to solve unexpected problems.”

A second point many leading experts mention regarding service is that with a “right-sized” firm, your employees are more likely to have their needs met by a single point of contact, generally backed up by a second team member, at all times. Most employees in the midst of a move find it troubling to have to keep up with the details from so many different inputs. Having a single point of contact is much easier on the nerves, returns your employee to productive time, and leaves him/her with a more positive experience of the relocation as a whole.

A Better Cultural Fit

Customization is another point of differentiation. While colossal multinational relocation companies may well have all the bells, whistles, and tools you’re looking for to serve your employees, will they pick up on important nuances of your business that may require altering those tools in order to help them best serve you?

If the answer to that question is no, this can mean exponentially different degrees of frustration for your employees, and your in-house team could be dealing with processes that should take minutes but can turn into hours. Smaller, “right-sized” providers have the ability to absorb important details about your company culture and fine-tune their services, working hand-in-hand with your team to effectively become your partner in relocating your employees. Many times, individual counselors bond with the employees they’re working with and form real relationships that go well beyond the job.

A Difference at the Bottom Line, Too

While these personal touches are the all-encompassing hallmarks that will matter to your employees, you’ll generally also see a bonus when it comes to the bill: Smaller relocation companies characteristically work on a streamlined operational framework, which in turn means cost savings. Plus, you’ll find that these companies’ suppliers operate in a similar manner, meaning competitive quotes and decreased costs when it comes time to pay the bill.

Additionally, you can be confident the vendors your relocation company chooses are chosen strictly on their merits – not because your relocation company also holds a stake in the van line, the storage company, or another provider within the supply chain.

So, there you have it: When it comes to corporate relocation companies, very good things come in small packages. Much like the concierge at a fine hotel, this job is truly about service, and that “servant’s heart” is at the foundation of success. Coupled with the kind of flexibility in customization that only an agile, right-sized team can offer, it’s the “it” factor that makes them truly the force to reckon with in the relocation landscape.

Go In-Depth Into the Importance of Culture When Selecting a Relocation Management Company

Click Here

5 Simple Ways to Cut Relocation Costs

by | Apr 5, 2018 | News

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 relocations.

Here are 5 simple ways to cut relocation costs right now.

 

Review, Review, Review

When was the last time you really took a hard look at your relocation program? If you’re thinking it’s been more than a year, it may be time to complete a review. Ask your current relocation provider for recommendations if they aren’t already providing them proactively.

Plus, when’s the last time you benchmarked your program against your peers? To stay competitive in the war for talent you need to know how your policy stacks up against others in your industry.

Have you considered introducing caps?

If it’s policy to offer benefits like a home sale bonus or a loss on sale allowance for your employees, consider placing a cap on these items if you aren’t already doing so. Caps will help reduce allowances in excess and simplify the benefit across all employees.

Two words…Exception Management

Your current relocation provider should be analyzing your company’s exception requests, and if not, it’s time to ask. At WHR Group, our Client Services Managers track and report on exceptions on an ongoing basis. We review commonalities and offer solutions based on our findings. You should ask: Are the exceptions being requested “wants” or are they “needs”? These are all things that need to be addressed when handling exceptions for your transferees.

Add a little competition

Ask yourself, does your relocation provider use certain vendors all the time? Conversely, does your relocation company have a vested interest in using those specific vendors? If so, is your provider being transparent with you about these revenue sources? At WHR Group, we’ve found that by being independent we can use vendors that offer the best service at the most competitive price. That’s why we introduced our Move Management Platform, or MMP™, so our clients can save even more without compromising the white glove service standard WHR Group is known for.

Make sure you’re receiving all available tax benefits

There has been a lot of tax changes this year. While moving expenses are no longer tax exempt, there are still areas within the relocation industry where you can still receive certain tax benefits, especially if you are offering a home sale program. Offering a direct reimbursement of home sale expenses may sound like the easiest option, but with no tax benefit, it may not be the best option for you or your employee. You may be better off using the Guaranteed Buyout or Buyer Value Options. And, as long as these programs adhere to IRS requirements, your company can still benefit from certain tax savings.

 

Interested in learning about the other ways WHR Group is helping our clients save money? Contact us today at [email protected] or 800-523-3318.

Learn More about Exception Management and How Being Flexible Can Help Ease the Transition of Your Employees

Click Here

Preparing Your Expat For Assignment

by | Mar 27, 2018 | News

Relocating for work has its trials in even the easiest of transfers, but moving to a new country typically comes with significant challenges. Aside from the logistics associated with a big move, there are numerous other factors you should consider when preparing your expat for assignment.

As you prepare your expat for assignment abroad, you can help to ease the transition by putting things in motion well in advance. Regardless if the assignment is short-term, permanent, or rotational, you can help them understand what they’ll be facing and set them up with programs for success in their new host country.

Is your employee ready to move abroad?

Before you designate any assignments to specific employees, you should have defined selection criteria for who is chosen. When making this determination, it helps to do an assessment by asking yourself a few questions:

  • Is the employee prepared to move to a new country? Is the family ready?
  • Do the employee and his or her family have a full understanding of challenges they’ll face? Are they equipped to handle them?
  • Is the employee culturally astute? Do they possess a global mindset?
  • Do you have a formal diagnostic tool for an employee and family to take prior to selection?

One study suggests 40 percent of expats find being away from family and friends to be a challenge, with 20 percent saying it’s difficult to make new friends. Thirty-two percent of children had difficulty being away from loved ones, with 28 percent saying they had trouble making friends.

You want to be sure your employees don’t fall into these statistics. You can ensure this by providing the right coaching, training, and education.

Providing coaching, training, and education

Employers can equip employees and their families with the knowledge and tools they’ll need to relocate to another country. Preparations you can organize and provide for your employees include:

  • Business coaching – Even though they’ll be working for the same company, consider the cultural differences that span international borders. Business practices, social norms, and etiquette will differ from country to country. Give your employees the tools needed to learn the ropes in their new location.
  • Cultural training – The more employees and their families learn about their host country and its people, the better prepared they’ll be to interact within their community when they arrive.
  • Language classes – It’s important to consider employees may not be familiar with the primary language spoken in their host country and, even if they are, are likely to be a bit rusty. Help them and their families by enrolling them in language classes.

Providing your employees with these skills and knowledge will greatly raise their probability of success as they assimilate into their new environment. Relocation management companies can help you to set these up.

Consider the work culture and prepare them

Be sure each employee has sufficient time to meet their new team prior to moving. You can set up an online call or video conference to allow everyone to meet and get better acquainted. This will help reduce any discomfort or awkward interaction after the relocation is complete.

Remember, once employees accomplished their relocations and are settled in, the preparation doesn’t stop there. To help them succeed in their new roles, it’s helpful to provide ongoing training and support. And, once the assignment is complete, you should also consider repatriation assistance.

 

In our 24 years at WHR Group, we put our customers’ needs first and have been proactive in facilitating a seamless relocation. Preparation is one of the best benefits you can offer. We understand the importance of helping employees to know what to expect. It will help reduce any anxiety and/or apprehension, along with increasing their comfort level, guiding them to success.

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 [email protected].

Explore the Top Expat Assignment Typed for Your Mobility Program

Click Here