Employee Workforce Mobility

For the purposes of this article, let’s define employee workforce mobility as the relocation services involved to transfer employees and/or their families from one location to another. This is a reality for most of us, which is overall positive. You increase your talent pool exponentially, and with that comes increased productivity and job satisfaction. The following needs to be looked at to maximize success. 

Good planning and preparation is the key to a successful move/assignment. The organization will be concerned with offering the opportunity to the right individual and the total costs. The employee will be concerned that their needs are met to manage the move financially,  and that they have the right resources in place to find appropriate schools and affordable housing. If this is an international assignment immigration needs will need to be addressed, and whether international or US domestic tax issues also need to be addressed. For those individuals moving to another country, you will need to look at intercultural training and potentially language training. This may need to apply to the entire family, not just the employee. 

Next, Home Country Services involves the services needed to depart the home location. Once the organization and employee have agreed upon the move, the process begins. The employee may have a home to sell or lease and may need financial help with breaking. The actual timing of the move should also be decided upon. This may be impacted by a business project deadline, or children finishing a school term prior to the move. In many cases the employee may move ahead of the family temporarily as a potential solution to both of these circumstances. If intercultural training and language training are needed and offered, there is often more success in the employee and family completing this training prior to physically moving to the new location. This can also help to build emotional confidence, which can be an issue for some moving to a foreign country. The physical move timing should also be considered at this time. Appointments can be set with a freight forwarder or van line to fully understand the time needed for this aspect of the move, and also perhaps plan a garage sale to get rid of items you may not need in the new location. 

Host Country Services

Host Country Services are those services needed in the host location, and likely where the employee will have the most curiosity when (and even before) they accept a move. Many organizations will allow a home finding/orientation trip as part of the relocation process. This gives the employee the opportunity to visit schools, discover potential neighbourhoods that will work for them, understand commuting options to work, as well as get the lay of the land when it comes to shopping, medical facilities, and other services needed. The organization can offer destination services, or set up a meeting for the employee with a rental resource or real estate agent to assist with the employee’s agenda for their trip. In the event the employee does move ahead of the rest of their family, many companies will provide temporary housing for a specified amount of time to limit duplicate housing costs. Depending on the time of the physical move, the employee may need to place items in storage with the mover until they are ready to move into their permanent home. Most relocation policies with temporary housing benefits will mirror the same time limit for storage of household goods for this reason. 

Whether you are an organization who is new to what is involved with moving someone from one place to another, or very familiar with what is needed and have relocation policies already set up, Mobility Empowered has the resources and flexibility to support your  workforce mobility goals. We have the knowledge and experience to find the right resources for your employees, and help set up or modify any existing program if needed. Our suppliers are second to none, based on their performance, cost, and area of coverage. Alternatively, if you have an existing relationship with specific suppliers we are happy to maintain them so they will be accessible through our platform at no additional cost to you.