Are Your Employees Prepared to Relocate?

People around the globe are on the move, making the current job market a small world. Corporate globalization is becoming much more common, raising the amount of company personnel being sent overseas each year.

In the past, landing an out-of-town position or a transfer to another country might have meant waving goodbye and packing a suitcase. However, today's human resources managers recognize the importance of making the move a smooth transition by properly preparing the employee and their family.

Recent surveys reveal that most companies believe employee relocation will continue to grow in the future, and suggest that “attracting” candidates is becoming the real challenge. This implies that in order to “attract” the candidates, the company must react to their multiple relocation needs. If done properly, the candidates will feel confident about their upcoming relocation and the chance of their assignment becoming a success increases.

"If an assignment fails, we cannot recover the costs," said Rich Love, manager of human resources services for BAE Systems PLC, a defense contractor based in the United Kingdom with large operations in the United States.

Adding to the expense of the relocation is the lost productivity due to the lack of efficiency during the relocation process. If the employee is not settled properly, how can they perform at work?

"Even if the person speaks the language, they might be spending an inordinate amount of time learning day-to-day survival strategies," said Love. "That person can't possibly be productive if they are trying to figure out where to shop, language nuances, currency conversion, cultural and business practices, the school system, the health care system and other details."

Adding to the pressures, there might be several major conflicts for an expatriate to reconcile. Immigration paperwork, tax issues and interest rates in different areas of the country or in different countries are some of the details that can make or break the success of a relocation.

Many companies now hire relocation specialists or an outside firm to help relocate an employee. These specialists provide the employees and their families with a myriad of services to help prepare them, including: a relocation candidate assessment program, intercultural training, language training, pet transfer options, preview trips and area orientation just to name a few. Most relocation companies also help with finding the proper schools for the children and provide spousal career support.

“Our mission is to settle the relocating employee into their new environment as quickly as possible, to ensure that person becomes effective for their employer,” said David Muir, CEO of Crown EMEA, who is based in Prague.

In a lot of situations, you have two professionals in a family and one may have to leave his or her job in order to accommodate the relocation. What if the other person is a doctor? Do they give up their practice? Can they even get a work permit in another country? How will they function being left alone in a new home or rented apartment in a strange town or a whole new country?

The tough questions and real life situations are taken into consideration by the relocation experts. Resume preparation, local business networking and continued educational opportunities are a few examples of career support. There may also be volunteer opportunities that a trailing spouse can take advantage of to keep busy and get better acquainted with their new environment and social situation. The comfort of the whole family comes first.

“It is extremely important to focus on family support and making things happen for that family,” said Muir. “Having moved my family from UK to USA and then Czech Republic over the recent years, I have appreciated help in such minor details as finding a gas bottle for the BBQ!”

There are a multitude of reasons that can make or break a relocation. It's important to be certain that the transferred employee and all family members are well-prepared to deal with their roles in a new state or country.

With the fast pace of the job industry there is no time to waste. Employees and their families need a strong foundation when they decide to relocate – it can be the difference between a positive or negative relocation experience.

One source: Global Relocation Trends 2002 Survey Report – Sponsored by GMAC Global Relocation Services and National Foreign Trade Council

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