Relocating staff can be a boon for your business. It can help you source new talent and retain the valuable ones you already have, open doors to new markets, as well as enhance operational efficiency. But relocation comes with some challenges, from navigating complex immigration regulations to ensuring a smooth transition for employees and their families.
Here, we’d like to not only explore the remarkable benefits of staff relocation, but address the challenges it presents, alongside some suggestions to mitigate them. We’ll also share a few key reasons why businesses decide to outsource corporate relocation to global mobility management companies – ones who have a proven track record of success in offering tailored support to transform relocation into an opportunity for growth, success and employee satisfaction.
Staff relocation benefits
Employee relocation covers any type of move for work, whether it’s within the same city, to a regional area, interstate or overseas.
According to a recent survey of over 7,500 APAC employees, over half have thought about relocating within their country (56%), while 43% would like to head overseas. Many of these moves are already underway. Almost one in three are currently relocating within their home country, while just over 15% are going aboard.
Why the mass move? For employees, a different location brings many rewards. On the personal front, it’s a chance to explore a new community, city and even, country, offering a multitude of experiences that will expand their world view.
But just as important are the professional development benefits it brings. Staff relocation provides employees with valuable opportunities for growth. It might be career advancement with a chance to take on new roles or lead teams, ones that aren’t available in their home location.
It will certainly be a skillset expansion with a natural exposure to fresh challenges and responsibilities. They’ll need to adapt to different business practices and working environments, helping them build their problem-solving, adaptability and resilience stores.
They’ll also quickly add to their cache of industry-specific knowledge, as well as their global perspective, gaining firsthand experience in navigating different markets and cultural dynamics. This exponentially increases their cross-cultural competency and understanding of global trends, something that’s highly valued in today’s interconnected business world.
As a company, the first benefit of relocation is the rewards you’ll reap from this boost in your employee’s skillset, ones that often translate positively to your bottom-line. Opening the doors to staff relocation also gives you a chance to tap into new markets and potentially expand your customer base.
The next benefit centres on the potential to improve your operational efficiency. As an example, some companies find strategically placing employees in different locations allows them to reduce response times and increase customer support availability, all to better serve their clients. Other see smoother business operations, with a positive increase in communication and coordination across different branches or offices.
In these talent-tight times, staff relocation can significantly widen the talent pool you draw from. The right corporate relocation package sends a clear signal to top candidates that you value your employees and support their career growth. It’s certainly an attractive company quality.
Great relocation packages can also help you retain the staff you have. If you can successfully support a current employee’s relocation desires, this organically enhances their engagement, motivation and loyalty, leading to higher retention rates.
Employee relocation challenges
As with anything in life, with the positives come some negatives. In relation to employee relocation, what follows are some of the possible challenges your staff may face, along with suggestions to mitigate them.
1. Adjusting to a new environment
Moving to a different location can be an overwhelming experience. Employees need to adjust to a new culture, climate and sometimes, language.
The solution: Provide a comprehensive onboarding program that includes cultural sensitivity training, and resources to help employees settle into their new surroundings. Encouraging team bonding activities and connecting relocated employees with local support networks can also ease the transition.
2. Family concerns
Relocating staff often means uprooting their families. Spouses or children may face challenges in finding schools, healthcare providers or social networks.
The solution: Provide tailored information and resources to assist with these important areas.
3. Cost of living disparities
In inflationary times, moving to a new location can result in significant cost of living differences. Employees may face financial challenges due to higher housing costs, transportation expenses or even taxes.
The solution: You can alleviate this by conducting a thorough cost-of-living analyses before the relocation, providing financial assistance packages, or offering salary adjustments to ensure employees can maintain their standard of living.
The suggested solutions involve a fair amount of program policy planning, implementation and management, something many businesses don’t have the resources to do. And that’s why many of them choose to outsource corporate relocation to an expert global mobility management company.
Top reasons to outsource employee relocation
Using a global mobility company offers several benefits over managing staff relocation in-house. Some of these advantages include:
1. Access to expertise
Global mobility management companies specialise in managing staff relocations. They possess extensive industry knowledge and experience, including staying abreast of the latest immigration regulations, understanding the complexities of moving to different destinations, and having established relationships with supply chain service providers worldwide. By leveraging their expertise, you can navigate the intricacies of staff relocation more efficiently, effectively and often, at a lesser cost.
2. Costs savings
Managing staff relocations in-house is a time-consuming and resource-intensive process. By outsourcing to a global mobility management company, you can free up your internal HR team to focus on core business activities.
Aside from time savings, you can benefit from cost efficiency. Mobility companies have well-established networks with supply chain service providers worldwide. These include moving companies, real estate agents, immigration consultants, language trainers and cultural training experts.
By tapping into these networks, you can access reliable and trusted service providers who have been vetted, resulting in higher service quality, while reducing the risk of problems during relocation. You’ll also benefit from the deals mobility companies have in place with their suppliers for volume-based moves.
3. Compliance and risk management
Relocating employees across international borders involves legal and regulatory complexities, such as immigration laws, tax obligations and employment regulations. Global mobility companies have a deep understanding of these compliance requirements and can ensure that the relocation process is carried out in full compliance with local laws. This helps you mitigate legal risks, avoid penalties and maintain a strong reputation for ethical and responsible business practices.
4. Tailored support
Each staff relocation is unique, with different requirements and challenges. Global mobility companies work hard to ensure a smooth and enjoyable employee experience, one that is specifically tailored to each staff member and their family. This includes destination services, immigration assistance, language training and cultural support.
Such support is vital for a successful move. When employees feel cared for during the relocation process, they’re more likely to be happier and remain committed to their employer (read: remain in their role!).
Further staff relocation support
Here at Grace Corporate Services, we have an experienced team dedicated to helping you curate the right relocation package for your employees and business. We can get involved at any stage of the process, or oversee it entirely, from developing a relocation policy, through to all aspects of assignment management.
Please get in touch with one of our mobility management specialists to discover more about how we can help you with staff relocation packages.
