Relocation – A Family Affair
June, 2008. You’ve just made a great hire. Congratulations! You’re excited about the contribution that this person will be making to your department and company. But in the back of your mind, there’s some hesitation. Will your new hire be able to sell their house? Is the family really on board with the relocation and will they make a successful transition? After all your time and effort, could you really lose this candidate? Consider this: according to the Employee Relocation Council, 71% of employees reported that the top reason for their reluctance to relocate is the housing challenge, and 61% reported it was due to family resistance.
You may even be saying to yourself, “Relocating people isn’t my job. That’s a responsibility better left to Human Resources.” If you’re in HR, though, you may be so focused on other activities that being a relocation specialist doesn’t easily fit into your day. In our expereience a successful relocation process involves both management and HR. A few well-placed questions and steps on your part during the interview process can result in a higher success rate for your new hire’s relocation transition.
First things first
In your initial talks with this candidate, preferably during the first interview, ask about the relocation difficulties the candidate thinks they may encounter. Have they thought about selling their home? What is the market like in their area? Have they discussed relocation with the family? How would it impact the spouse/partner’s career? If there are children, how would they be impacted? If the candidate hasn’t begun to think through these issues, your questions will steer them into researching what is involved in relocating. You’d rather know now–before you have a lot of time invested–if the candidate is going to back out due to relocation issues.
One of the biggest concerns candidates have in today’s economy centers around selling their house. In an earlier issue, we discussed “Offering Solutions to Candidates in Today’s Housing Market.” This article suggests creative solutions to present to candidates during the offer stage to offset some of the most common relocation problems.
Once you have established some interest in the candidate, involve the spouse as soon as possible. Identify their concerns, which will most likely include selling the house, renting vs. buying, the spouse’s occupation, school options for children, sports and extra curricular activities, finding good doctors, and any special needs the family may have.
When you know you’re interested
You’ve talked with this person enough to know that you’re looking at your next potential hire. You’re very interested. The candidate is interested. You want them to meet with the team and your boss. You’re focused on their potential integration into your environment. Here’s where you need to take additional steps to ensure that the family is just as excited about the opportunity and their successful integration into new surroundings.
- Involve a good relocation specialist. Some realtors just sell homes, while others are also relocation experts. The right relocation specialist/realtor can help with this integration and answer a lot of questions the family may have. They also have the knowledge to help blend the family’s interests with the community, and you want the family invested in the community as soon as possible.
- If your budget allows, give the potential employee an opportunity to bring the entire family to the new city. They can visit houses, neighborhoods, parks, restaurants, and any special sites and events your location has to offer. According to Mickey Matteson, CRP, an Account Executive with Recruiter Relocation in Scottsdale, AZ, bringing in the family “sets the stage that you are an employer who is really concerned with making sure the candidate and family find the job and the area to be a good fit.”
- After the visit with the relocation specialist/realtor, Matteson also suggests getting feedback from them since they have just spent a fair amount of time with your candidate and their family. They should have valuable information about what the candidate and their family liked and disliked about the area.
- If your company doesn’t have a formal process assisting trailing spouses/partners, offer to help make introductions to recruiters and/or networking contacts for assistance in their job search.
- Do you have employees or employee spouses who would make good ambassadors for the company and the city? Is there someone in your company who has recently and happily relocated their family? If so, set them up with the potential employee and family during the interview process and after the offer has been accepted. A great ambassador can alleviate a lot of fears and hesitation.
During the transition
The offer has been accepted and the candidate and family are in the process of relocation. This is probably their most stressful time, and you want to keep them looking forward—not back. The following suggestions are easily implemented by the hiring manager and will be appreciated by the candidate, even if your company has an onboarding program:
- Stay in touch with the new hire during their transition. Keep them excited and interested by letting them know that you’ve ordered business cards and a new computer.
- Take care of administrative details such as voice mail, e-mail, access to the building, etc. Being pro-active with these administrative details eliminates distractions later on.
- Discuss job duties and expectations. Talk with the new hire about current projects so that they’re involved from day one.
- Congratulate and welcome the entire family. Give them something special to look forward to. Perhaps send them tickets to an upcoming event or attraction in the new city—tickets to a ballgame or an amusement park, or a schedule of summer festivals in their new home town.
Most of all, genuinely welcome your new hire and let them know that you and your team are excited to have them join the company. Involving the spouse and family might seem like an extra step, but your chances are much higher that you will actually see your new hire on their start date.
We occasionally collaborate with a small, select group of other recruiting firm owners to create content of interest to our respective clients. This article is a collaborative piece. If you have suggestions for future articles please email dharper@harperhewes.com.
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