Yes, the core purpose of your relocation program is to support your organization’s recruiting initiatives. But for better or worse, your employees’ relocation experience will play a role in their retention prospects, too. It’s up to you to make sure that it’s for the better!
Think about it: a great relocation experience will set the scene for an enduring employer/employee relationship, while a botched one may do the opposite.
It’s not enough to offer relocation benefits that look impressive from the outside. A strong relocation program will not only help convert candidates into new hires…but convert new hires into loyal, long-time employees. Consider these five factors.
1. Sound Upfront Info = Good Decision-making
When you invest in an employee’s relocation, you’re hoping for a long-term ROI.
When that fails—when recently relocated employees give notice—it’s very often due to one thing: they haven’t acclimated. They (and often their family members) still feel like strangers in a strange land.
That’s why your relocation provider should shower incoming employees with a wealth of essential local information, so they can quickly learn the area and make informed decisions about where to live.
For example, at UrbanBound, a whole section of the employee platform is dedicated to providing accurate, hyper-local information—about the housing market, city and neighborhood profiles, school ratings, demographics, etc.
The goal: help them find a home that will feel like home, so they’ll truly settle in.
2. Smooth Move, Flying Start
Of course, you want your newly-relocated employee to show up rested and raring to go on Day One. Starting off on the right foot starts with a smooth, well-executed relocation.
For this reason, it’s important to choose a relocation provider that will guide employees through the process, leaving nothing to chance.
That’s why at UrbanBound, we support employees’ relocation with a combination of touch and tech: cutting-edge, step-by-step technology and a team of experienced relocation specialists.
This ensures that relocations unfold as planned, freeing employees to focus on their new job and team, setting the stage for their long-term success.
3. No Supplier “Surprises”
Another way to set incoming employees up right is to connect them to dependable, top-performing suppliers. Because frankly, an employee’s choice of mover and real estate agent can make or break their relocation experience.
Say, an employee chooses an unreliable mover—there’s a lot of them out there—and their household goods go astray. Or, their agent drops the ball and their closing is delayed.
That poor employee will arrive frazzled, panicked and possibly angry—which may color and even curtail their relationship with their new employer.
That’s why at UrbanBound, we’ve developed our own rigorously screened network of movers, real estate agents and related suppliers. And we make it super-easy for employees to connect with them—no pit falls, no surprises.
4. A Head Start on Onboarding
In order to stick around, employees must feel like they belong. Yes, your recruiters seek out candidates who are strong cultural fits, but there’s still an adjustment period for new hires.
Onboarding matters here, and a proactive relocation program will include some onboarding-like elements—introducing employees to the organization, even before they arrive.
For example, employees relocating through UrbanBound will find tons of helpful information about their new employer waiting for them in their portal. The faster they get to know the company culture, workday practices and more, the faster they become part of the team. And stay part of the team.
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5. Fact: Compassion Boosts Retention
According to multiple HR studies, the key to retaining employees is to show them, over and over, that you care about them as people as well as workers.
In recent years, employers have explored many ways to do just that, from boosting wellness benefits and improving work/life balance to offering employees better defined career paths.
In that vein, offering quality relocation benefits—including warm, personalized relocation support—remains one of the best ways employers can demonstrate that they care from the start.
At UrbanBound, our focus is providing employees with an exceptional relocation experience that leads to enduring employer/employee relationships. All while helping employers cut their costs.
Want to know more about how we do it? Let’s talk!
