“Domestic Doomsday.” I had never heard this before, but one of our clients dropped the term while discussing their employee relocation program.
“Even with your lump sum population?” I asked. “Of course! How productive can an Associate or VP be when they’re sleeping on an air mattress for two weeks?” my client responded.
While this is an extreme (and an obvious half-hearted) viewpoint of this year’s moving busy season, it’s true that mobility, benefits, and people managers are in a delicate spot with employees.
It’s a story of the red-hot national real estate market meeting the already strained trucking & moving industry. What has followed are excessive delivery dates (five weeks sometimes), shoddy contractor packing, and price hikes.
This is terrible timing for corporate leaders in charge of relocations as companies are on hiring frenzies and opening offices and operations that were shut down last year.
As someone sitting on the service side of the industry and hearing stressful stories from mobility leaders and their employees, I can offer a few pointers to help in expectation setting:
Full Service / Managed Moves:
- Consider client-directed movers: a lot of Relocation Management Companies will spread moves around their contractors. Vet movers for their control over supply train and give them volume through your RMC program. Finding one to two movers in your area that can dedicate resources will give your program some delivery flexibility.
- If international, consider sending necessary belongings as baggage on flights
- Weigh the costs of putting a family in temporary housing vs. paying for an entire/dedicated trailer for moving
Lump-Sum
- Partner with a “preferred mover” that has control over the supply chain and dedicated resources for your lump-sum population
- Advise self-movers to book a U-Haul or truck at least five weeks in advance
Mobility leaders do a fantastic job of setting expectations for managed and lump-sum moves. Relocating employees usually misunderstand moving and see it as a simple operation of “picking up items and moving them from point A to B on the same truck.” Most families do not realize the complexity of moving or common busy season service issues until they’re delivered a quote. This season it’s important to explain the circumstances further in advance and connect your employees with their Move Manger or RMC contact ASAP.
At Findlay International, we expected the craziness of this season and are successfully moving employees with precise delivery dates and dedicated crews. Our FI Program is unique to the industry and our clients can pass along its benefits to their employees.
Please reach out if you are in a pinch with a move or keep experiencing service issues (e.g. long delivery times for your top employees) or with questions related to moving this busy season!
