Category: Global Relocation

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Corporate Relocation Domestic Relocation Global Relocation Relocation Challenges

Top Things to Consider to Ensure a Smooth Group Move

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Smooth Group Move – Dwight D. Eisenhower once said that “Planning is everything.” The initial blueprints for the 1944 invasion of Normandy, in which the general moved over 132,000 ground troops across the English Channel, were first presented in July of 1943. Even though your group move will not be of D-Day proportions, it will still require advanced planning and ongoing support to accomplish your mission.

Group move success is not just measured in how many people you move from point A to point B. You need to ensure that your business goals are met. These may include the retention of talent, meeting budget guidelines, minimizing disruptions, and guaranteeing the happiness of the transferees and their families.

 

Key considerations for a smooth group move should include and are not limited to:

  • A proven methodology and customized solutions
  • Risk avoidance and compliance
  • Decision-making support to maximize acceptances
  • Robust tools and resources that ensure efficient communication
  • Total management of the relocation process

 

Although there are specific steps that can be taken in each unique phase of an employee relocation, there is some overall planning that must be considered to ensure a successful group move.

 

Inclusion and Alignment

It is important to start with developing customized resources for you and your employee population considering the move. This approach allows for stakeholders to fully understand the relocation programs available, the process and host location insights for decision making.

Your RMC needs to work with you to create and implement a strategy and project plan tailored to your business needs, organizational culture and employee demographics. Service options should include:

  • Employee surveys to assess the needs of your transferees prior to program development.
  • The design, development, and implementation of corporate relocation policies that focus on competitiveness, cost efficiencies and alignment with goals and objectives.
  • Budget development and oversight that identify and quantify mobility cost with other best practice group move programs, as well as provide savings and containment recommendations.
  • Site surveys of the new location with special attention to schools, housing, cost of living, etc.
  • Announcements and communications templates to ensure that transferees are properly informed every step of the move.

 

Pre-Decision

You want to make sure that you move the right talent to the right place at the right price. It can save a lot of time, money and heartache to ensure that this happens before you actually relocate an employee. Your RMC should support your pre-decision efforts by providing:

  • In-person, group policy overview and briefings
  • Customized web-based resources specific to the destination location
  • Live resource centers at both the origin and destination locations
  • Group area orientations that include housing tours, school visits, etc.
  • Assignment/relocation offer letter coordination
  • A summary and debrief of all pre-decision activity, findings, and recommendations

 

Pre-Move Planning

Once you determine which employees are participating in the group move, your Relocation Management Company (RMC) should help you and your transferees understand what is involved with the process of getting to the destination location. Services should include:

  • Household goods shipment surveys to take into account all of a transferee’s personal belongs to be shipped and deliver an inspection-based cost summary to be used for budgeting, accruals, and cost impact analysis.
  • Global relocation analysis reports include a comparable analysis of consumables, transportation, goods and services, housing costs, etc. in order to provide realistic expectations of the cost of living in the destination location versus the origin location.
  • Educational assessments offer comprehensive consultations with the relocating families and follow-up discussions about schools and education concerns the families may have.

 

Putting the Planning into Action

  • Policy counseling and needs analysis is conducted with every smooth group move. During this initial conversation, your RMC should conduct a comprehensive needs assessment and provide a detailed review benefits and procedures, as well as identify any special needs that will need to be addressed. They should also discuss any concerns that the employee may have about relocating so that the RMC is best prepared to help along the way.
  • Global Expense Management to manage and track your relocating workforce. By managing the expense submission and payment process, you should be able to track and report on 100% of mobility expenses for your company, including payment to vendors and local agencies.Key Benefits:
    – Easy to use platform for client and employee
    – Online submission of relocation expense reports
    – Expenses audit to policy and/or assignment letter
    – Auditing and payment of all vendor invoices
    – Timely (within 2-3 business days) payments
    – Single payment source, eliminates your administrative burdens
  • Home Disposition can provide your employees with global home sale and property management assistance services.
  • Destination Services ease transition to countries worldwide, freeing up the employee to concentrate on the business mission. Your RMC should deliver a comprehensive and worldwide array of global relocation services including area tour/orientation, home finding, school search and settling in.
  • Global Travel Services allow your RMC to coordinate global travel services with client or network partners, including: airport transportation, rental car, airline travel and hotel.
  • Meet and Greets arranged at the destination airport provide pick-up and accompanied transfer to the residence. Includes: Ground transportation for relocating employee and/or family to a hotel, temporary housing, permanent residence or other destination per instructions. This service can be provided as part of a bundled area tours, home-finding or settling-in program, or provided à la carte.
  • Area tours and orientations provide an overview of the new community and local amenities to assist in deciding about the assignment. This could include any of the following: Welcome packet and information on assignment location, tours of neighborhoods and typical housing, school tours and information (if applicable), locating grocery stores, medical facilities, places of worship, etc., security briefing.
  • Home finding assistance with finding suitable housing in accordance with personal preference and policy, facilitate the preparation and signature of an appropriate lease and manage all move-in formalities. This could include any of the following: Needs analysis, pre-screening properties (within budget), accompanied property viewings, lease negotiations, utility connections, walk-through support, and furniture rental assistance (if needed).
  • Auto leasing/purchasing service programs and long term rental solutions provide assignees with car leasing/purchasing of new/used vehicles, any make or model. In many cases, local credit scores, or even driver’s licenses, are not required.
  • Schooling searches will help assess the suitability and availability of local area public or private schooling and to assist with registration and entry requirements. This could include a briefing on different school systems, organizing appointments with administrators, assisting with enrollment, etc.
  • Global transportation services provide multiple estimates to drive competiveness without compromising quality.
  • Global temporary housing coordination assists the relocating employee in selecting and securing temporary accommodations within policy. Based on your relocation policy, accommodations may include hotel, extended stay and corporate housing at different facilities around the world.

 

Continued Support Once Your Transferees Reach the Beach

After the transferees involved with your smooth group move reach their destination, your RMC should continue providing value-added programs to ensure that they and their families thrive in their new location.

  • Settling-in assistance can provide an orientation to the new community, local amenities, utilities and government registrations. This could include bank account set up, driver’s license and vehicle registration, public transportation assistance, smart phone transfers, telephone and utility setups, registration of public utilities, assistance with sourcing local services, expatriate networking association assistance, and more.
  • Trailing spouse/partner family assistance addresses concerns about the job market for the accompanying partner, finances, children’s education, family healthcare, eldercare, and much more. At the same time, your company needs the right talent to fill critical positions and achieve business objectives. Understanding your employee’s concerns can help them make the right mobility decision. The right decision means better return on investment for your organization’s mobility program and a smoother transition for the employee and family.Programs include, but are not limited to, the following:
    – Spousal/Partner Career Assistance
    – Career Continuation Assistance
    – Job Search Strategy
    – Career Continuation Assistance
    – Entrepreneur Support
    – Locating Community Networks, Services, and Activities
  • Cultural and language training can be offered through instructor-led sessions or self-paced, web-based learning. This allows transferees and their families to understand the cultural nuances of the destination location and effectively communicate with the people there.

 

Planning is the Key to Victory

You might think that this looks like a lot of planning to pull off a successful and smooth group move. You’re right. However, a world-class RMC with award-winning breadth of programs and customer service can easily guide you through every step of your move – whether relocating one employee across state lines or moving a small army of talent across the English Channel, to ensure a smooth group move.

 

For information about how Global Mobility Solutions can make your smooth group move easy and stress-free for you and your employees, please contact us today.

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Corporate Relocation Global Mobility Global Relocation Global Relocation Challenges

Increase the Success of Global Assignments with Language Training

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Global Assignment Success – Moving top talent from one location to another has many hurdles. Global relocation has its own set of unique challenges. Of them, overcoming language and cultural differences are two of the most important. Without an understanding of how to properly communicate with business contacts in a host country, your transferees will not be able to accomplish anything positive and will not be effective ambassadors of your company. Austrian-British philosopher, Ludwig Wittgenstein explained, “The limits of my language means the limits of my world.”

To overcome these obstacles and have global assignment success, companies with global reach enroll their transferees in cultural and language classes. By having talent properly prepared, companies understand that their transferees will be able to immediately communicate with contacts upon arriving in their host countries. This has been proven to reduce limitations for transferees and increase the success of global assignments.

Individualized instruction can range from a self-paced, online class to live, instructor-led, virtual session. Not only can the employee take the course, but the whole family can engage in the training. Group lesson for employees are typically offered on site at a company’s facility or a physical location of the company’s choosing.

Companies value metrics and want to see their employee’s progress. Many programs have trainers who track the student’s progress at regular intervals and report it back to the company. Cultural and language training providers benchmark progress to internationally recognized assessment scales, such as the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) scale. Instructors are trained to administer assessments on the four major language skills: reading, writing, listening and speaking. Evaluations are also a key component to our philosophy of continuous improvement.

As a leader in the corporate relocation industry, Global Mobility Solutions (GMS) offers an array of cultural and language training options. To learn about how GMS can prepare your global transferees for success, please read our PDF.

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Corporate Relocation Domestic Relocation Global Relocation

3 Ways to Save with Global Mobility Programs

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Save With Global Mobility Programs – The saying goes that it takes money to make money, and global mobility is no exception. Even though you understand that the talent you on-board or relocate will help your organization grow and prosper, getting the transferees from their origin to their destination locations can be expensive. Don’t be discouraged, there are several ways to save when creating your global mobility policies.   Use a tiered approach Not all employees are equal, therefore their relocation compensation shouldn’t be the same. It would make sense to pay the recent college graduate new hire substantially less than the amount awarded to a seasoned, executive-level employee. Additionally, not everyone requires the same amount of time to complete his or her move. Services can be tiered with regard to what they offer. For example, home-finding tours can be broken into half-day, one-day, or two-day options, then offered accordingly per your mobility policy. Tiered categories can be sorted by homeowners versus renters, or by how many school-age children a transferee has. Allowances for the shipping of household goods and vehicles can also be tiered based on the transferee’s position and distance to the destination location. It is very important to clearly state the various tiers in the company’s relocation policies. Tiered policies have been proven to reduce costs versus standard lump sum programs. Below is an example of a tiered relocation policy based on position seniority:   Tiered-Policy-Sample global mobility programs     Bundle your services As a company builds a relocation policy, it has many different services from which to choose – Pre-decision alone has over 30. By bundling various services together, such as home sale, household goods shipping, community tours, mortgage assistance, etc., companies can see significant savings. Typically, bundling can save companies up to 20% of what the services would cost individually.   Outsourcing Lastly, by outsourcing mobility management needs to trusted, experienced, relocation experts, HR personnel can remain focused on department-specific tasks, such as enforcing company policies, finding new talent, and administering benefits and compensation. When expert mobility coaches guide transferees and their families through the relocation process, less calls are made to or by the human resources representatives. Generally, when working with a mobility management company, transferees arrive at their destinations happier, less stressed, and ready to work. In short, it saves sanity.   To learn more about the benefits of incorporating a mobility management company into your global mobility programs, please read Global Relocation Services. You may also contact a GMS mobility specialist to get program details customized for your company’s specific needs.
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Corporate Relocation Corporate relocation tips Global Mobility Global Relocation Visas and International Travel

The Price of Noncompliance

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The Price of Noncompliance – When it comes to relocating employees across international borders, not having the right paperwork can turn an exciting opportunity into a nightmare for not only the travelling employee, but for the sponsoring company, too. Besides just having transferees stuck in travel limbo, errors in work permits, visas, passports, and other work/travel/residency documents can result in heavy fines and penalties for companies.

 

Here is a short list of the punishments doled out by various countries when companies are in noncompliance, such as being caught with non-compliant employees.

 

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Company may be refused permission to sponsor future foreign employees; existing 457 status workers and their dependents may have visas removed.

 

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For hiring a foreign worker without authorization, the employer is subject to $50,000 fine and/or two years imprisonment. For misrepresentation or counseling of misrepresentation: $100,000 and/or five years imprisonment. Employee may be deported and/or barred from future entry to Canada.

 

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Fine for company of up to €75,000 per noncompliant employee plus additional penalties including debarment from continuing the business for up to five years.

 

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According to Law §17 “OWIG,” the employee may be fined up to €1000. According to Law §30 “OWIG,” the employer may be fined up to €500,000 for an offense of negligence, or up to €1 million for an offense with intent.

 

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Fines for company of up to 60,000 HKD. The authorities can order the closure of the company for up to five years.

 

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For employer, a fine of up to 3 million yen and/or incarceration for up to three years for illegal entry, overstaying and hiring foreign workers without authorization. For engaging in activities outside those authorized, an employee is subject to a fine of up to 2 million yen and/or incarceration for up to one year, plus barred from future entry to Japan.

 

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Fines for company of up to 20 million won or two-year incarceration.

 

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Fines for company of up to €60,000. The authorities can order the closure of the company for up to five years.

 

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Fines for company of up to £10,000 per noncompliant employee.

 

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The employer is subject to a fine of $110 to $1,100 per employee for technical paperwork violations. The employer may be fined from $375 to $3,200 per employee for an employer’s first intentional violation, and up to $16,000 per employee for repeat offenses, in addition to criminal charges and penalties.

 

Global Mobility Solutions (GMS) will provide organization and collaboration of client documentation and manage the entire visa and immigration process. Upon request, we can track and obtain visa renewals, extensions, and cancellations, as well as assist the employee and family members in obtaining and/or canceling work permits, residency cards, visas, and registrations at appropriate consulates, to ensure there are no issues with noncompliance.

 

Learn more about the myriad of GMS programs designed to ensure that your global relocation efforts go smoothly, with as little stress and costs as possible. Talk with a relocation expert at Global Mobility solutions now: 1-800-617-1904.

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Corporate Relocation Global Relocation

5 Ways to Avoid an International Faux Pas

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5 Ways to Avoid an International Faux Pas – Whether it’s writing in red ink in Korea or stabbing food with a chopstick in Japan, violations of cultural norms and traditions, no matter how unintentional, can lead to stares, anger, and even the loss of business. Here are 5 Ways to Avoid an International Faux Pas to help you avoid being the bane of your host country.

  1. Silence Your Steins in Hungary
    Clinking of beer glasses has been frowned upon in Hungary for over 160 years. The ban was established after Austria defeated Hungary in the 1849 war and Austrian generals celebrated by clinking their glasses and drinking beer. Upset Hungarians pledged to not clink their glasses for 150 years. Although the vow has expired, Hungarians, who really enjoy their beer, still refrain from clinking glasses.
  2. Giving Yellow Flowers in Russia Can Leave You Blue
    Certain colored flowers have different meanings in Russia, so be careful when presenting a bouquet to a friend or business associate. Unlike in the United States in which it signifies friendship, yellow flowers stand for deceit or the end of a relationship in Russia. Avoid giving red carnations, too, as Russians typically use these flowers on graves.
  3. Using Salt is Worse Than a Mummy’s Curse in Egypt
    One of the fastest ways to insult your Egyptian host is to dash your food with salt. Egyptians believe that if you need to season your meal, you think the food tastes bad.
  4. You’ll Receive No Good Fortune Giving These Gifts in China
    All associated with death and funerals, the Chinese consider the giving of clocks, handkerchiefs, straw sandals, and flowers to be morbid and highly inappropriate.
  5. Punctuality is Not Valued in Venezuela
    When invited to someone’s home in Venezuela, do not show up on time. Early is worse! It is customary to arrive 10 to 15 minutes after the requested time. Those who come early – or even on time – are typically viewed as being too eager and greedy.

Do you want your transferees to avoid other international social disasters? Global Mobility Solutions (GMS) offers a myriad of Intercultural Training and Development programs designed to help your transferees and their families understand and quickly adjust to the cultural nuances of their new host countries. Our flexible, customizable training will reduce the anxiety associated with moving to a foreign region and increase your transferees’ readiness to perform and interact with the businesspeople in their new locations. GMS also has youth and teen cultural training so that the children of your transferees can assimilate easily into their new schools. At Global Mobility Solutions, we don’t just specialize in moving your employees all around the world, we ensure that they are prepared to perform when they arrive at their destinations, and they will know 5 Ways to Avoid an International Faux Pas.

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Corporate Relocation Domestic Relocation Global Relocation Relocation Technology

Innovative Relocation Mobile Apps: Powerful Tools for Those on the Move

Innovative Relocation Mobile Apps – The odds are high that you are reading this post on your phone. While desktop computer user activity has remained relatively stagnant for the past eight years, time spent on mobile devices has more than doubled since 2008. Currently, mobile internet usage has surpassed desktop as the most used digital platform. Just look around. Observe the crowds at train stations, sporting events, restaurants, and, unfortunately, theatres, and you will witness the multitudes of people with their faces glued to the glowing screens of their mobile devices. As a society, we have come to rely on our phones for news, weather, directions, entertainment, and, yes, communication. Now phones can play an important role in corporate relocation.

Through the innovative mobile app for myrelocation.com, transferees have an array of decision-making, tracking, and expense management tools at their fingertips. Transferees have anywhere, anytime access to tools like:

MyRelocation.com mobile apps innovative relocation mobile apps
Moving Cost Estimator – A quick and easy tool that can aid a transferee in anticipating what his or her moving costs will be. This is especially helpful if a transferee has a capped or lump sum policy.

Buy vs. Rent Calculator – This simple to use, dual calculator illustrates what a transferee can expect to pay, over a given period of time when renting a home versus buying a home (spoiler alert: buying wins in almost every scenario). Users don’t even have to type anything in! They can just move the slider to view multiple scenarios.

My Initiated Services – Gives the transferee a snapshot of all of the services and contact information associated with his or her relocation. This at-a-glance feature answers the questions, “Which company is going to ship my household goods?”  “What’s my realtor’s phone number?” “Where is the place I’m staying for my corporate housing?” and more. It’s all on one page – in one place – in an easy copy/paste format.

Innovative relocation mobile apps such as the myrelocation.com mobile app put the power of managing a move in the palm of your transferees’ hands. To learn more about how myrelocation.com can not only guide your transferees, but help you better manage the logistics and expenses involved with relocation, please visit https://gmsmobility.com/relocation-technology for details and demos.

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Corporate Relocation Corporate relocation tips Domestic Relocation Global Relocation Relocation Challenges

5 Reasons to Outsource Global Mobility Management

Outsource global mobility management – As companies continue to focus on ways to reduce assignment costs, examining operational effectiveness for improved quality and costs savings has become more relevant, particularly with programs managed in-house and/or partially outsourced.

  1. Cost Management: often times, in house programs do not consider or do not have the processes for tracking and reporting mobility costs, which often results in misrepresentation of mobility costs and government fines.
  2. Cost Savings: Outsourcing mobility will generate cost savings from a variety of sources, including policy recommendations, fees vs. in-house operational costs and direct costs e.g. home sale, shipments, etc.
  3. Courtesy Enhancements: In-house programs typically do not offer “no costs” solutions such as pre-decision, expatriate auto lease programs, expatriate home purchase programs and other value add services companies gain from fully outsourcing.
  4. Core Responsibilities: Outsourcing non-core competencies, allows human resources, compensation and benefits and/or recruiting professionals to focus on their core business duties by eliminating the administrative burden of managing the relocation process.
  5. Compliance: Mobility programs offer significant tax and compliance advantages.

These are the top 5 reasons to outsource global mobility management.

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Corporate Relocation Domestic Relocation Global Relocation

Global Mobility Solutions Wins Relocation Award For Third Consecutive Year

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Mar. 10, 2016 – GMS Wins Relocation Award 2016 – For the third year in a row, relocation management provider Global Mobility Solutions (www.gmsmobility.com) has earned top placement on HRO Today’s Baker’s Dozen Customer Satisfaction Survey. In their 2016 survey of the relocation management industry, HRO Today rated Global Mobility Solutions as the second best overall relocation management provider in the industry. As the largest customer survey of its kind, the Baker’s Dozen has become one of the industry’s most trusted talent management resources. You can find the complete survey results here.

“GMS is proud to be named at the top of the relocation management industry for the third year in a row” said Global Mobility Solutions President Steven Wester, CRP, SGMS-T. “This is validation of our consistent performance, the exceptional customer service provided by our employees, the breadth of our global mobility services, and the depth of our client relationships. We are truly honored and deeply grateful to our clients for giving us the opportunity to partner with them.”

According to editors at HRO Today “Rankings are based solely on feedback from buyers of the rated services, we collect feedback annually through online survey which we distribute directly to buyers through our own mailing list.” The annual survey analyzes relocation management providers under three categories: service quality, deal size, and breadth of service. Service quality is given the heaviest weight followed closely by breadth of service and finally size of deals. These results are then averaged together to determine the top overall providers in relocation management.

GMS Wins Relocation Award 2016

GMS clientele gave the company high ratings in service quality and breadth of services, driving the company to a number two overall placement in the industry for the second time in the last 3 years. As the nation’s premier publication on human resource operations and outsourcing, HRO Today’s annual publication of the Baker’s Dozen list is a much-anticipated event. Incorporating sound scientific methodology, the surveys underpinning the list are designed to offer meaningful and actionable feedback on what constitutes true customer satisfaction, making HRO Today’s 2016 survey a must read for both human resources and procurement professionals.

About Global Mobility Solutions
Founded in 1987, Global Mobility Solutions is a relocation management company that specializes in supplier management and relocation program development. The company’s relocation services include global assignment management, domestic relocation management and a range of pre-decision solutions.

Contact:

Thomas Belnap, Marketing Director
800-617-1904 ext. 8832
[email protected]

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Corporate Relocation Domestic Relocation Domestic Relocation Trends Global Relocation Global Relocation Trends

GMS and Partners Donate 50,000 Meals to St. Mary’s Food Bank at 2016 Forum

2016 Global Mobility Solutions Partner Forum and Awards Dinner Features Insightful Discussions, Recognition for Top-performing Suppliers, and Philanthropy SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., March 02, 2016 – Global Mobility Solutions (https://gmsmobility.com/) recently hosted its annual partner forum, an event recognizing members of its Premier Alliance Network – an elite partnership of transportation and relocation service providers. This year’s forum was branded as #TrendUp; the forum focused on emerging trends within the relocation management industry. “GMS continues to grow, thanks in large part to its exceptional network of partners,” said President Steven Wester. “The relocation industry as a whole is rapidly evolving and keeping abreast of future trends has never been more important. Our partner forum is an opportunity to deliver practical business insights, honor top-performing suppliers within our network, and extends our support to noble causes in the communities we all serve. This year’s event was a big success on each of those fronts.” The highlight of this year’s forum was the much-anticipated client panel. Suppliers held a lively Q and A session with human resources management from Fortune 500 companies, as well as one of the largest nonprofit health care providers in the world. GMS recognizes outstanding contributions to its clientele through Partner of the Year awards. The primary criteria for these annual awards include customer satisfaction and on-time service – key indicators of quality and reliability among relocation providers. Partner of the Year award winners for 2016 included the following: •    Global Services – Nomad Temporary Housing •    International HHG – Chipman International •    Domestic HHG (Silver Tier) – Merchants Moving/Atlas •    Domestic HHG (Gold Tier) – Hilldrup/United •    Domestic HHG (Platinum Tier) – Armbruster/Mayflower

GMS President Steven Wester (left) and GMS Transportation Director Ann Knapp (right) Award Armbruster Moving and Storage (center) with Platinum Partner of the Year AwardGMS President Steven Wester (left) and GMS Transportation Director Ann Knapp (right) Award Armbruster Moving and Storage (center) with Platinum Partner of the Year Award at 2016 Forum | #TrendUp.

In addition to the client panel and Partner of the Year awards, a trio of workshop sessions provided an opportunity for participants to gain insight into some fast-emerging trends in the relocation industry, led by experienced subject matter experts. Chuck Matthews, Chief Executive Officer of WGM Holdings and a member of the FBI’s InfraGard partnership, headed a session on cyber security for small to mid-sized businesses. According to cyber security firm Symantec, 60% of cyber attacks target SMBs, resulting in billions in losses annually. Matthews offered background on the origin of these attacks and their continuously evolving levels of sophistication. The session focused primarily on what managers and owners can do to protect their valuable assets, not to mention their reputations, against digital fraud and hacking. Other sessions included “Standards Please,” in which GMS Vice President of Domestic Services Nancy Kritzer illustrated the importance of consistent standards in communication. Meanwhile, performance analytics as a critical tool for the modern enterprise was the theme of “Measuring What Matters” with GMS Vice President of Global Services John Fernandez. Every year, the partner forum allows GMS and its Premier Alliance Network an opportunity to demonstrate their shared commitment to philanthropy. For GMS, that commitment has included significant efforts to end childhood hunger in local communities. This year’s forum featured both an online pre-forum raffle and an in-forum raffle that resulted in a donation of over 50,000 meals to St. Mary’s Food Bank in Phoenix to help eliminate hunger. “We are so thankful for this amazing gift,” remarked Lisa Goin, Chief Development and Communications Officer at St. Mary’s Food Bank. “Here in Arizona, there are nearly 500,000 children who literally do not know if they will have dinner tonight. This gift will help feed 50,000 of them a nutritious meal.” About Global Mobility Solutions Founded in 1987, Global Mobility Solutions is a global corporate relocation services company that specializes in workforce mobility. The company’s corporate relocation services include global assignment management, domestic relocation management and a range of pre-decision solutions. Global Mobility Solutions is a back-to-back winner of HRO Today’s 2014 and 2015 client satisfaction survey, and rated number 1 in the relocation management industry for breadth of services. Contact: Thomas Belnap, Marketing Director 800-617-1904 ext. 8832 [email protected]
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Corporate Relocation Domestic Relocation Global Relocation Relocation Challenges

Relocation Myths!

Couple on floor next to moving boxes

Sam Hoey: Relocation services policy consultant at Global Mobility SolutionsSam Hoey
Relocation Policy Consultant
at GMS for over 20 years

The Emmy nominated series MythBusters aims to uncover the truth behind popular myths and legends by mixing science, curiosity and ingenuity to create an experiment. As much as I would love to do an experiment to find out if Diet Coke and Mentos will make your stomach explode or if it is possible to beat a lie detector test, I am actually going to bust some common relocation myths heard in the relocation industry. As a professional relocation policy consultant, I have witnessed how some myths encourage mistakes when creating corporate relocation policies. These myths sometimes negatively impact a host of policy elements, including household goods move, transferee support services, language training limits, and even reimbursement considerations, which commonly stem from generalizations. Let’s uncover the truth behind some of these commonly held generalizations.

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Myth 1: Every company needs a relocation policy.

If you infrequently transfer employees and your transfers are mainly US Domestic an “offer letter” is as effective as a standard policy. When writing the “offer letter”, it’s important to clearly define the benefits offered. However, if you transfer more than a handful of employees annually then a well defined tiered relocation policy is recommended.[divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”1″]

Percentage of companies without official relocation policies

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Myth 2: Lump sum programs save the company money.

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Although a lump sum is a perfect solution for the college graduate new hire, it is rarely recommended for a more professional level of employee. The fact is, by cutting a lump sum check the employee often cuts corners with their relocation and then pockets the additional money. There are also tax disadvantages with the lump sum. If the company is not grossing up the lump sum, there are FICA taxes required to be paid by the company. If the company is not offering tax assistance, the amount of taxes that are withheld are significant and the employee is then paying tax on a benefit that is non taxable if the funds are used for the household goods move. There are also liability concerns with the employee choosing to rent a UHAUL and moving themselves. Bottom line is that the employee ends up being more stressed and unable to focus on the job since they are coordinating all aspects of their move.

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Myth 3: Unpacking is a dream come true.

Reality is, unpacking can be a nightmare. Unpacking in the moving industry consists of the crew removing everything out of the boxes and placing it on the closest flat surface. It will be placed in the correct room, but will not be put away in cabinets or closets. Many people prefer to unpack at their leisure, prioritizing the most critical items first, and have it out of sight until they have time to get to it.

A recommended solution is to replace unpacking with debris pick-up which involves having the mover come pick up the boxes and materials when the unpacking is complete.   An additional advantage is that it saves the company between $300 and $1,000 per move.
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Myth 4: Millennials only want self service options. 

[clickToTweet tweet=”While millennials love online resources, we find they lean heavily on relocation coaches.” quote=”While millennials love their online resources, we find they lean heavily on relocation coaches.” theme=”style3″]

I’ve heard time and again that millennials are all about self service, and would rather manage their own relocation via digital resources rather than speaking with a live relocation consultant. While millennials do tend to use more online resources than previous generations, we find this statement to be extremely false. In fact, most Millennials often need even more hand holding than the standard executive transferee since it may be their first time moving, first time buying or selling a home and may be inexperienced with relocation in general. Due to the newness of it all, they may have personal questions about how to navigate through breaking a lease or what neighborhood would best suit their lifestyle, etc.

Millennials will still rely on social networking websites like Facebook and LinkedIn to make virtual friends or connections at their new location even prior to moving there.[divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”20″]

Myths 5-12:

We put the industry’s most common assumptions to the test in our latest white paper for 2016.

These 12 Relocation Myths can hinder your relocation program, and even the effective management of your employee's relocation services!

 

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