When someone finds out they are moving to a new location, they’re typically filled with a sense of excitement and anticipation. New city, new job, new experiences, and a new chapter in someone’s life.

Yet, when it comes time to start diving into the logistics, those feelings of excitement and anticipation can quickly morph into feelings of anxiety and uncertainty. All the work that goes into moving starts to add up quickly and the relocation transforms from an exciting adventure to an overwhelming, tiring journey.

This can lead to your company’s relocating employees feeling overwhelmed with their relocation and underprepared for their first day—a situation that is detrimental to both the employee and the company.

The Complex Landscape of Employee Relocation

One of the reasons relocations can feel overwhelming is the sheer number of activities that need to get done, combined with the fact that the employee usually has to work with numerous people to accomplish those activities. Just a few tasks that have to happen for every move include: packing up your current home, finding a new home, moving all of your belongings, and travelling to the new location. This doesn’t include preparing for the new job or position.

Let’s take a look at one area of this: moving belongings. This alone requires the employee to obtain a estimates from a few suppliers. If they are exploring three different van lines, that means they need to collect and evaluate three different estimates from three different people.

Now, multiply this by all the other services that might need estimates, like auto shipment, pet shipment, storage, and so on. If the employee receives three estimates for each category, they’re managing a total of 12 different quotes from 12 different people.

This is just one example of how employees are required to juggle multiple communications throughout their move. Add in communication around other relocation activities, like selling a home, finding a home, receiving new hire paperwork and booking travel, and you can see how the moving process might seem overly complex (and overwhelming) to the individual moving.

How Relocation Management Technology Can Help

Fortunately, there are opportunities for you, as the employer, to simplify the relocation experience for your relocating employees. While it’s impossible to take all the stress out of the relocation process, there are opportunities along the way to reduce stress. One of the most impactful ways to simplify the process is to manage relocations in a centralized, online location.

This means bringing the relocation experience online not just for the individuals relocating, but for everyone involved, including suppliers, company administrators, and the third party company helping to manage the relocation. Bringing all of these parties into one online, centralized location streamlines communication, allows stakeholders to complete tasks more efficiently, and ultimately helps the relocating employee feel like they are in-control of their relocation.

Let’s take a look at the scenario above (moving household belongings) and consider what it might look like if managed on a centralized technology platform. Once the supplier receives a request for an estimate, they can upload the estimate into the online platform. Instead of the employee trying to manage the influx of supplier estimates via email, they are able to access all quotes from all suppliers in a single place. The employee can then evaluate all estimates side by side inside their online account. As a result, the employees are armed with information that helps them make an educated decision efficiently.

Similarly, an online platform can help reduce stress in other areas. For instance, the HR or Mobility team administering the relocation can share new hire paperwork via the platform. This not only results in a smoother process for the relocating employee, but it also frees up time from the HR or Mobility team to focus on activities that drive more value.

With an online platform at the center of your relocation program, you enable all parties involved to do their job more efficiently, resulting in a more seamless, simplified experience for the individuals relocating. Bringing all aspects of a move online cuts down the confusion and complexity of the relocation process and empowers your relocating employee to take control of their move.