HRO Today Baker's Best 2016 - 42

TOP RELOCATION PROVIDERS
needed to ensure an optimum relocation experience, "
says McCain.
More Important Now
While assuring a positive relocation experience for
new hires has always been important, it is more critical
at present. In the current war for talent, companies
cannot afford the possibility of a dissatisfying
relocation experience, due to the employee " flight
risks " that this may foster. " Employers tend to focus
on compensation, but the more important issue is
effectively manag[ing] the emotional impact of the
relocation, " says Heisha Freeman, executive vice
president of MoveCenter, a relocation management
firm. " The new hire or transferee needs to feel a sense
of control [and] that their concerns are understood and
addressed. "
The challenge is that all people are different. Some
individuals need a bit more hand-holding when
it comes to dealing with the stress of moving to a
new place. Others feel a thrill and love the sense
of adventure that a new environment offers. " The
problem is that many companies treat the relocation
experience as if it were one and the same, when each
employee has different expectations and concerns, "
Freeman says. " Everyone needs to be treated on a oneby-basis. "
In
this treatment, relocation management firms listen
closely to the employee's specific worries to create a
relocation experience that will ease these anxieties.
Chief among these concerns today is the impact of
relocation on a family. " It used to be all about the
home value and still is to a degree, but what has really
risen to the top of why people turn down a relocation
experience-both new hires and current employees-
is family, " says McCain. " My dad worked for General
Electric, and we moved five times when we were
children. He'd just say, `Kids, start packing' and we
were off. Today, families don't want to uproot unless
they're sure the move is the right one for all the family
members. "
Gail Rabasca, vice president and managing director of
worldwide operations at MSI Global Talent Solutions,
shares this perspective. " The big questions are
emotional: Will the children adapt well to the new
location? Will their education not suffer, and will my
spouse find meaningful work? " she explains. " If the
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BAKER'S BEST 2016 - www.hrotoday.com
She adds, " These are highly emotional concerns that
affect a person's peace of mind [and have] possible
negative consequences for their productivity. "
Managing the Impact
Fortunately, the relocation experience can be
managed to mitigate the recruitment, retention,
and productivity risks. This explains why many large,
multinational corporations are turning to relocation
management service providers. Their value proposition
is to consider each employee's concerns in pre-decision
consultations and then put forth a strategy to manage
them. " You're trying to eliminate the surprises [by]
ferreting out what makes the new hire stressed about
relocating, " McCain says. " You can then plan for these
bumps in the road. "
Like the other relocation management firms, Graebel
Relocation sits down with a new hire to perform an
initial needs assessment. For example, the assessment
may indicate which real estate professionals properly
match the family's needs for the origin and destination
locations. " We mitigate concerns with the unknown
by furnishing [the relocation plan with]factual market
information and demographics of the new location, "
says Teresa Valadez, Graebel senior vice president of
global client development.
To alleviate the employee prospect's concerns over
the new location, Graebel or its service providers
often provide pre-hiring tours of the new area and
post-hiring assistance with settling-in, all while
paying attention to the children's unique needs and
the family's social, cultural, and religious wishes. " All
service providers in our supply chain must be sensitive
to our high standards, " Valdez says.
The providers also must be equipped to do more
than properly perform services. A case in point is
real estate agents. " Based on what they've learned
about the individual from the needs analysis, the
real estate professional should recommend resources
and connections to local events such as dining,
entertainment, and family-oriented activities, "
Valdez explains. " For instance, a family interested in
the outdoors could be provided with a resource that
relocation is temporary, the transferee is concerned
about his or her career path-the quality of job they
will return to. "
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