If employers had relocation policies that were tailored to meet the needs of their staff, they may have a better time convincing employees to accept relocation and transfer requests.
The typical transfer family has definitely changed over the years. It used to be the working father, the stay-at-home mom, and the kids – maybe a dog. Today, transferees can be men, women, single employees, spouses that both work – you name it. And each employee comes with his or her own unique personal issues that may affect a move.
A good human resources department today will address the needs of all the employees individually rather than focusing on the traditional nuclear family. That means that, while there can be a base to the relocation policy, each aspect of it is actually tailored for the individual. This helps the employee as well as the employer in staying competitive against other potential companies that might hire said staff.
The main objective of relocation assistance is to make the transfer of a valuable employee easy, cost-efficient, and as seamless as possible. Obviously, relocation policies must be reviewed for each transferee since individuals will always have diverse needs.
Throughout the year, managers and HR executives should review the relocation policies currently in place and modify them with the changing times. During each review, officials should decide whether relocation policies will be addressed informally or formally, what options the company might financially support, and what conditions would require such policies to be put into effect.
Lance Grooms
