WHR Group Releases Employee Relocation Benchmark Results

by | May 25, 2021 | Press Release

MILWAUKEE, Wis., May 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) – WHR Group, Inc. (WHR), a leader in the global employee relocation industry, conducted a Global Mobility Benchmark study surveying some of the largest U.S. companies from a variety of industries. Findings shed light on how companies have changed their employee relocation policies, even during 2020 and a pandemic. Respondents included corporate staff working in HR, mobility management, talent management and benefits/compensation departments. Some findings include the following:

 

  • Relocation benefits are still going strong even with the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • 85% of companies offer some type of home sale benefit to transferees.
  • 67% of respondents have experienced a talent shortage but include their mobility program in candidate recruitment strategies.
  • Lump sum benefits are trending but often used as a complement to basic relocation benefits versus a standalone benefit package.
Over 57% surveyed have an international relocation program, and 88% have expatriate or international permanent transfer policies. Over 50% found immigration laws to be the most challenging part of international relocations with Africa and Asia reported as the most challenging. For Africa, immigration laws and political climate were reported as creating the greatest challenges. For Asia, immigration laws and language barrier created the greatest challenges. Temporary housing; destination services and settling in; household goods; Visa and immigration assistance; and tax assistance are considered core benefits for international transfers and assignments.
Of the 68.5% offering destination closing costs, 76.5% don’t cap this benefit, even though capping the support is a way to control organizational costs. Most companies reported creating benefit packages based on the average transferee, not always considering individual cultures and family dynamics. This can lead to policy exception requests by employees.

 

Download WHR’s Complete Benchmark Report

About WHR Group, Inc.

WHR is a privately owned, client-driven global employee relocation management company distinguished by best-in-class service delivery and cutting-edge, proprietary technology. WHR has offices in Milwaukee, Wis., Switzerland, and Singapore. With its 100% client retention rate for the past decade, WHR continues to position itself as the trusted provider in global employee relocation. https://whrg.com,  LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

 

Media Contact: Mindy Stroiman, Corporate Writer
262-523-7510

In Memory of FBI Special Agents Daniel Alfin and Laura Schwartzenberger

by | May 20, 2021 | Press Release

In 2014, WHR Group, Inc. (WHR) began working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as an employee relocation provider. One of the very first transferees we assisted was Special Agent Daniel Alfin.

The world was saddened to hear that FBI Special Agents Daniel Alfin and Laura Schwartzenberger were killed in the line of duty on February 2, 2021, during a raid in Sunrise, Florida, while serving a federal search warrant in a crime against children investigation. Unfortunately, we’ve seen too many tragic events like this in our country.

At WHR, we are reminded daily that we are all just humans helping humans. We truly believe that random acts of kindness, big or small, can have a huge impact on the world. WHR is honored to make a donation to the FBI Agents Association (FBIAA) in memory of Special Agents Alfin and Schwartzenberger. The FBIAA advances & safeguards the careers, economic interests, conditions of employment and welfare of FBI Agents & retired FBI Agents by providing services through the Memorial College Fund and the Membership Assistance Fund including:

  • Internal advocacy within the Bureau
  • Legal representation
  • Legislative advocacy
  • Financial support to members

Our donation also honors the sacrifices made by so many FBI Agents around the world to protect and serve our nation.

About WHR Group, Inc.

WHR Group Inc. (WHR) is a privately owned, client-driven global relocation management company distinguished by its best-in-class service delivery and cutting-edge, proprietary technology. WHR has offices in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Switzerland, and Singapore. With its 100% client retention rate for the past decade, WHR continues to position itself as the trusted provider in global employee relocation. To learn more about WHR, visit https://whrg.com, or follow @WHRGroup on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

WHR GROUP, INC. NAMED TOP WORKPLACE FOR THE EIGHTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR

by | May 19, 2021 | Press Release

For the eighth consecutive year, WHR Group, Inc. (WHR) was named a Top Workplace by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. WHR’s passion and founding principle supports Advancing Lives Forward. This passion dictates how we treat our clients and employees. We believe in challenging, engaging, and empowering our employees to grow their careers and be successful. We want our employees to enjoy coming to work and take pride in their work. WHR is proud of this eight-time recognition and our talented team!

Top Workplace awards are based solely on the results of employee survey feedback administered by Energage, LLC, a leading research firm that specializes in organizational health and workplace improvement. What makes this award so special, and humbling, is that WHR’s employees provided the survey feedback.

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Colorado Rockies to the Swiss Alps – it’s all coming together

by | May 7, 2021 | News

By Jenny Elsby

Its been a couple of weeks since my last post, and its been a busy period!

I managed to move out of my temporary housing, and into my long term house on the outskirts of Basel. Its lovely to no longer hear boy racers, in their BMW’s driving past my window at 1am in the morning with their music blaring, and of course to be living in an area bigger than 30sqm! There are of course down sides too, namely the fact that I now have a 45 minute commute, albeit an easy one with one direct tram, but namely the fact that my apartment is huuuuge, and its empty! When my husband and I decided to move back to Europe, we decided not to ship any of our furniture; knowing that our American size furniture would likely not suit a European apartment. Whilst it has been liberating to sell or donate everything, it is now the reason why I am sleeping on a mattress on the floor (waiting for my husband to arrive to build the bed), and that an IKEA sofa is the only piece of furniture in my living room. Curtains, TV’s, Dining Tables, and other pieces of furniture are all on the shopping list and are going to be assigned to my husband as a “to do” once he arrives.

Speaking of arriving, this is the other exciting part. After 3 long months, the Swiss Authorities finally granted my husband his Swiss visa. The canton where I lived sent me approval my email, which I then sent to my husband. He sent this together with his passport to the Swiss Consulate in San Francisco, and they issued his visa, hurray!!!!

We have only been apart 3 months but it has felt like a very long time, and although we have been preparing for the move for a year, now it’s starting to get real! Until this point for him, it was always something that would happen in the future, and now with his visa in hand, it has started to dawn on him that this is happening! Cue that he needs to start emptying our house, and getting this, and our car ready for sale. This also means getting the logistics finalized for importing our animals; which has always been our priority! Time to follow up with our banks, insurance companies, pet relocation companies, realtor in the US, and more to finalize the move.

On the Swiss end, because of the quarantine requirements for Americans entering the country, I have been stocking up on the food and other items needed to sustain the family for 10 days. Knowing that like many European fridges, my freezer is just about large enough to hold two pizzas and not much else, that does somewhat limit our options. But regardless, I throw myself into stocking up on supplies, to include lots of pasta! I even venture out to the Asian stores in the vicinity of of our offices, where not only do they do a great selection of hot Indian food, but they also sell a good selections of spices, which will make my seasoning loving Louisiana husband very happy.

Time to book my flight, and of course my PCR test!

INTERNATIONAL HR ADVISER (Spring Issue) – Relocating Internationally During COVID-19: Brew City To Lion City, And The Colorado Rockies To The Swiss Alps

by | Apr 14, 2021 | News

Relocating Internationally During COVID-19: Brew City To Lion City, And The Colorado Rockies To The Swiss Alps.

WHR’s Linden Houghtby & Jennifer Elsby speak with International HR Adviser about their experiences relocating during COVID-19.

As Global Mobility professionals, we all know the logistics of moving expatriates from A-B, but none of us have ever faced managing international relocations during a global pandemic. We’d like to share our personal international relocation experiences over the past six months, in hopes that it will offer advice if you are currently relocating your expatriate colleagues during this global pandemic.

Arrival And Quarantine In Singapore

Like so many others planning to move or travel internationally last year, 2020 required us to adapt and adjust our international expansion plans. As a result, my personal and professional move to Singapore was postponed by about six months. Instead of moving in June, I did not arrive in Singapore until the end of December. As you may know, Singapore had enacted strict procedures for allowing travelers into the country to minimize the spread of COVID-19 within the city-state. This includes entry approval requests, PCR testing and mandatory quarantines. Preparing for my flight and the subsequent quarantine was both daunting and stressful, but while there are many requirements, Singapore does have a system in place to make arrival and quarantining a smooth process.

As we know, anytime you are moving your expatriate employees internationally for work, having all necessary documentation in order is crucial, and even more important
now since many additional documents are required. All my documentation was presented and reviewed countless times
from airport check-in, to transfer, to my quarantine hotel.

Once I arrived at my designated quarantine hotel where I would be spending the next 15 days, much of the worry I had regarding the experience dissipated as I was lucky in my hotel assignment. I could put my worst-case scenario fears to rest. I was assigned a room with large windows overlooking the Singapore River, a small desk with a chair, and enough floor space for a yoga mat. Much better than some posts in various Facebook groups led me to expect.

Not that spending 15 days in one hotel room is easy or an experience I look forward to repeating any time soon, but the hotel staff did a phenomenal job taking care of me during my stay. The Wellness staff called daily just to check in and see how I was doing and if I needed anything. The hotel also organised virtual events and activities for those in quarantine including a New Year’s Eve Zoom party; towel folding competitions; Singapore themed crossword puzzle; and exercise/yoga classes.

I know that everyone’s quarantine experience will be different, but here are some tips that helped me through mine:
• Manage your expatriates’ expectations – do not expect a 5-star hotel experience, even if staying at a 5-star hotel
• Take your own cutlery – I do not know why, but having something other than plastic utensils was very nice
• Pack snacks – we were served three meals a day, but it was nice to have some snacks
• Take things to do – books, puzzles, knitting, drawing, whatever you enjoy doing to help pass the time and break up the days
• Be prepared for it to get hard – I compared my stay to a CrossFit workout: the first third is not bad, you are confident and motivated; the second third is painful, and you may want to give up; but the final third gets easier as the end is in sight
• Stay in contact with family and friends – video calls/texting were great distractions from feeling stuck or isolated without any direct human contact in days.

For anyone planning to travel internationally who will be required to quarantine, know that you are in good company and that you can do it! Taking some time to prepare can make a world of difference!

Making It Home

Unpacking my suitcases for the last time and stocking my fridge were relatively small tasks, but doing those things made me feel more grounded and comfortable than I have been since leaving Wisconsin in late October. I did not realize that I was carrying an extra layer of tension or discomfort until it melted away by feeling at home again. The past few months have been an incredible adventure and opportunity. I am very thankful for going to both Switzerland and Singapore for WHR’s international expansion, but it has not been without its challenges. After a while, living in temporary apartments and hotels got wearing and the thought of having to pack and unpack yet again was daunting. These feelings motivated me to secure my long-term housing, truly unpack and get settled. While I knew I was ready to feel less transient and more like I was actually living in Singapore, I did not expect to feel such a difference so quickly upon moving into my new home…

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