Tag: Relocation Costs

Categories
Corporate Relocation Domestic Relocation Global Relocation

3 Ways to Save with Global Mobility Programs

Amazing London skyline with Tower Bridge during sunset

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 Domestic Relocation Services and Global Relocation Services. You may also contact a GMS mobility specialist to get program details customized for your company’s specific needs.

Categories
Corporate Relocation Domestic Relocation

Managed Cap Programs – A Better Alternative to Lump Sum Programs

Managed Cap Programs – Lump Sum payments might seem like the fastest and easiest method of providing employees with the funds they need to move. However, Lump Sum payments come with their own unique set of problems. Some of the challenges include:

  • Transferees often left alone in the relocation process
  • No cost controls and often budgetary overages
  • Limited process or service structure
  • Non-taxable benefits are lost
  • Frustrated transferees means elevated HR involvement and escalations

In many cases, when transferees are presented with a lump sum, they try to retain as much of the lump sum for themselves. Not being experts in the relocation industry, the transferees seek out the least expensive providers and usually get the proverbial service for which they paid. In their attempt to cut corners – combined with an unfamiliarity with all that is involved with a corporate relocation move, their frustration with the service providers equates to more calls to their HR departments.

Fortunately, a Managed Cap Program can not only alleviate many of the problems associated with a Lump Sum, but it provides more useable funds for the transferee by addressing each line item of the relocation processes and taxing only the applicable services. Let’s see the difference between a $15,000 lump sum payment and the same $15,000 from a Managed Cap Program:

 

Managed Cap Programs provides 50% more relocation funds than standard lump sum programs

 

The amount of tax withholding from the Managed Cap Program is only $1,949 versus the $6,300 deducted from the standard Lump Sum scenario. The Managed Cap Program provides the transferee with $4,351 more for relocation services.

On top of wanting the obvious tax savings and happier transferees, there are five characteristics common with companies that elect to move away from standard Lump Sum programs and into Managed Cap Programs:

  • High focus on cost containment and savings
  • Limited resources for mobility management
  • Lack of structured programs and/or policies
  • Limited quality-assurance management
  • Need to attract and develop talent

If this sounds like your company, it would benefit you and your employees to contact Global Mobility Solutions and learn how we can quickly implement a mobility program custom-tailored for your needs.

 

Accessibility by WAH

Looking for something?