Partnering with your RMC – The Importance of Cultural Fit

by | May 22, 2018 | News

Selecting a Relocation Management Company, or RMC, is about more than just finding the right supplier for your company; it’s about finding the right partner. Your RMC is going to be in direct communication with your relocating employees, which means they should share your company’s values and principles. For instance, if your company values transparency, you wouldn’t want to work with a mobility company that hides details from you or your employees, would you?

Cultural fit is one of the most important factors in selecting an RMC, and yet, we don’t often see this as a high priority qualifier. Most global relocation companies have no problem handling different levels of volume or services, and pricing is generally similar. However, companies that partner together to relocate employees should fully understand and appreciate one another’s values. When corporate cultures align, it enables two companies to build stronger and better business relationships.

The Importance of Cultural Fit

Many corporate and government organizations choose to go out to bid for a relocation provider in the form of a Request for Proposal (RFP). This allows them to compare service offerings, find the best pricing, and fully vet each RMC based on factors that are most important to them.

Generally, most corporate relocation RFPs don’t ask culture-related questions, which is unfortunate because this makes it difficult for companies to ascertain whether the RMC would be a good match. During the RFP process, it’s important to narrow down the list of potential RMCs to those that can give relocating employees the information, support, and overall level of service they need in a way that supports your own company’s philosophies.

As you research RMCs, ideally, you don’t want to solicit dozens of bids but try to pinpoint the companies you can see yourself building a strong and long-term relationship with and focus on hiring one of these.

How to Assess Cultural Fit

It’s imperative to find a partner you can trust. If both partners don’t see value in the relationship, it’ll never work and, before long, you’ll find yourself back at square one. If the RFP doesn’t really address culture, you’ll want to ask yourself some questions to help you to determine if you are selecting the right RMC for your business.

  • What is the RMC’s mission and vision?
  • Are the RMC’s values compatible with my company?
  • Does the RMC share the same values/principles as mine, and do the company’s employees exemplify these values?
  • Do any differing philosophies clash or are they workable?

As you start the selection process, try to find out each RMC’s story. Each company is unique and no two will share the same exact culture; however, by taking the time to go the extra mile to find compatibility, you’ll save yourself a lot of time and expense. Strive to research the roots of each one and learn where they are heading – if they are traveling a path that aligns with your principles, you’ll save yourself a lot of headache down the road. You can liken it to a Goldilocks philosophy. Don’t go for an RMC that is too large or too small, you want to find one that is “just right.”

Schedule In-Person Meetings

While details may look great on paper, it’s important to schedule some in-person meetings before finalizing your contracts. This step is as important, if not more important, as the RFP itself because by meeting with the RMC you’ll be better able to size up if your two companies are truly a good culture fit. You’ll often have to use your gut when signing on a new business partner, so it’s a good idea to set up meetings early in the process and be sure to communicate often. As with any relationship, there are bound to be a few bumps along the way; however, by establishing a solid partnership from the beginning, any obstacles that emerge can be solved more easily by working together.

At WHR Group, we believe it’s essential for organizations to find the right cultural match when selecting a global mobility company. We value hard work, trust, empathy, and proactiveness and have been working for more than 24 years to provide our customers with the services they need. Our core values are real, which is why we incorporate them into everything we do, from how we interact with our clients, to how we interact with relocating employees, to how we interact with each other.  To learn more about the services we offer and our company’s culture, contact us today.

relocation request for proposal

State of the Canadian Housing Market

by | May 15, 2018 | News

Overvaluation and price acceleration continue to plague the Canadian housing market. According to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), the housing market continues to have a high degree of vulnerability for the seventh consecutive year. The Housing Market Assessment (HMA) analyzes four main factors to determine vulnerability, or imbalances, in the housing market: overheating, price acceleration, overvaluation, and overbuilding.

Bob Dugan, Chief Economist with CMHC, states “our market assessment continues to show a high degree of vulnerability at the overall national level due to moderate levels of price acceleration and overvaluation existing together.”

Only weak signs of overbuilding and overheating were detected for Canada as a whole, with both indicators well below their threshold levels. However, the sales-to-listings ratio lies above the threshold of overheating and has for at least two quarters over the last three years.

What this means for individual markets

Victoria, Vancouver, and Toronto all scored high vulnerability in overvaluation, indicating that house prices are elevated compared to price levels supported by personal disposable income, population, interest rates, and other fundamentals. And with Amazon’s recent announcement to expand its Vancouver tech hub, housing prices could soar. Vancouver’s supply of available rentals has remained below 1 percent for three years in a row.

Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, and Regina exhibited high evidence of overbuilding. In Edmonton, imbalances in ownership and rental markets were detected. The inventory of completed but unsold units also continued to drift around threshold level, while the apartment vacancy rate remained at threshold level.

For the fifth straight quarter, vulnerability in the Montreal housing market remained low. The level of personal disposable income, combined with the accelerated population growth among young adults, indicated that home prices have remained at justified levels. Still, given the marked tightening of supply and demand, the Montreal resale market is moving ever closer to overheating, which is putting a strong and steady pressure on prices.

“We just have our eye on [Montreal] to see whether price growth remains sustained and maybe spreads to more neighborhoods within Montreal,” said Dugan.

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.

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