2020 will be a year to remember for so many reasons. From the COVID-19 pandemic to the U.S. presidential election, and everything in between, 2020 will be a year that no one ever forgets. As our company reflects on this past year, we wanted to share how the changing world has affected us and how we have persevered in what has been one of the toughest of times for so many companies.
25th Anniversary
Solely owned and operated since its inception, WHR Group, Inc. (WHR) celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2020! Founded 25 years ago by Roger Thrun to service and support in-house relocation departments, WHR has grown significantly from its early beginnings. WHR now services some of the largest organizations in the world and has relocated hundreds of thousands of employees. Having the same owner for over 25 years provides our clients with a stable partner they can count on since clients don’t have to worry about their relocation management provider changing hands.
International Expansion
In addition to our 25th anniversary, we had another reason to celebrate in 2020. WHR opened offices in Basel, Switzerland, and Singapore. Our Basel office supports clients and their transferees in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, while our Singapore office supports the Asia Pacific region. As an international leader in the employee relocation industry, we felt these expansions were crucial to support the needs of our global clients. Along with this international expansion, WHR joined EuRA (The European Relocation Association).
COVID-19 Pandemic
In March, when the Safer at Home order was issued by our Wisconsin Governor, WHR employees were sent home to work remotely. Just before everyone left the office that day, we had an all-staff meeting where our Owner, Roger Thrun, made promises to WHR employees. He promised that no one would lose their jobs or be furloughed in 2020 due to the pandemic, and he promised that all employees would continue receiving their full salaries regardless of the changing economic landscape. All promises were kept.
Once the Safer at Home order was lifted, WHR employees were given the option to work in the office on a weekly rotational basis (to minimize the number of employees in the office at the same time). In other words, alternating weeks half the staff was allowed in the office while the other half work remotely. To facilitate this back to work effort and keep employees safe, WHR installed a hospital-grade technology, also used by The Johns Hopkins Hospital, that provided a real-time social distancing alert; real-time hand hygiene alert and hand sanitizing stations; and real-time tracking/tracing if anyone became infected with the coronavirus.
Even during the coronavirus pandemic, WHR still experienced a 7% increase in employee growth during 2020.
Business Ratings
WHR is globally rated among the top 1% of professional service organizations, measured by our Net Promoter Score (NPS). In 2020, WHR received its highest ever transferee NPS Score of +80. Our client NPS score has maintained +100 for the last two years. NPS is adopted by two-thirds of Fortune 1000 companies and measures both transferee and client loyalty.
Additionally, WHR received its Better Business Bureau accreditation this year with an A+ rating.
Top Workplaces Award
For the seventh consecutive year, WHR was named a Top Workplace by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. WHR’s passion of Advancing Lives Forward™ dictates how we treat our clients and employees. We believe in challenging, engaging and empowering our employees to grow their careers and be successful. WHR is proud of this seven-time recognition and our talented team.
Community Support and Philanthropic Contributions
WHR provided charitable monetary contributions to the following organizations in 2020:
- St. Marcus School – Milwaukee, Wisconsin. WHR’s ongoing contributions help inner-city K3-8th grade students. St. Marcus is the largest urban Lutheran school in the U.S.
- Mayo Clinic – Rochester, Minnesota. WHR’s ongoing contributions are specifically targeted to help pancreatic cancer patients who have been told they are out of options. Mayo Clinic’s revolutionary pancreatic cancer research lab is saving lives with its personalized chemotherapy program.
- Karts 4 Kids benefiting Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital – St. Petersburg, Florida.
- Froedtert Hospital Foundation – Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
- Basilica and National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians at Holy Hill – Hubertus, Wisconsin.
- Milwaukee Film – Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
- Kidney Cancer Association – Chicago, Illinois.
2021 and Beyond
WHR looks forward to serving the needs of our global clients and their transferees in 2021. With the help of our dedicated employees and trusted service partners, WHR will continue Advancing Lives Forward™ and Making the Complex Simple.
For more information about WHR Group, Inc. please contact us as sales@whrg.com or 800-523-3318.