Employee Relocation

Guide to Employee Relocation

How to relocate your workforce efficiently between offices in the United States
By Christine Reeves

Employee relocation from one office to another is likely to be a necessity at some point, given ever-changing market conditions. Whether you are relocating employees to staff up a new office, or moving your entire operation to be closer to your suppliers or customers, employee relocation is a gesture of confidence in your workforce. When you value employees enough to relocate them instead of simply hiring new ones, you want to make the relocation as painless as possible.

There are a number of employee relocation services available, depending on your geographic location. When it comes to your valued employees, corporate relocation companies are helpful, but you will want to oversee the relocation process to be sure your people get the best care.

In addition to buying and selling houses, renting temporary quarters and moving household goods, employee relocation also involves changes to contracts and benefit packages. Here are some things to consider before undertaking an employee relocation:

1. Cost of living differential between locations.
2. Seamless health insurance coverage during a corporate relocation.
3. Transferring union and professional association affiliations.

Action Steps

The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Help your employees sell an old house and buy a new one Regardless of the current housing market, when you are doing an employee relocation you want the processes of selling the old house and buying a new one to go quickly and smoothly.

I recommend:  Unless you are in the real estate business, your best bet is to contact a corporate relocation specialist like ERA to help your relocating employees sell their current home and purchase one in the new location.

Find temporary housing for employee relocation Of course, it is important to keep your relocating employees comfortable during the transition, and employees who are moving with families will have additional accommodation needs like pet-friendly apartments and access to schools.

I recommend:  Using a large corporate housing provider, such as Bridge Street World Wide can cut down on your stress by making several choices available to the employees you are relocating.

Coordinate a moving service for household goods Many corporate relocation companies contract out for moving services. If you want a more reliable and less expensive alternative, hire a moving company yourself. You'll want to stick with a large and reputable mover, one that specializes in corporate relocation.

I recommend:  Moving Explorer provides online tools and makes it easy to get quotes and compare rates on moving services.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• When engaging employee relocation services, keep your relocating employees in mind. Moving is stressful, even in the most positive circumstances. Your employees not only have to be concerned with a new office, co-workers and job duties, but they also may be responsible to a spouse and children.
• Market the new location to your employees who face relocation. Get all the information you can on schools, neighborhoods, employment opportunities for spouses and social outlets. By being a positive resource for helpful information, you can ease the transition for your employees and maintain a larger percentage of their productivity during the transition.