Moving and Relocation Industry News

Relocation keeps employees engaged with their jobs and their companies by providing an opportunity to advance their careers and open their horizons. In a survey of employees who had relocated, 71% said that moving for a new role allowed them to enjoy new experiences, both personally and professionally, and 55% feel their career is on a better track now. 

These same benefits can apply to a short-term relocation, or a temporary placement for a project or training lasting less than a year. Short term-relocations provide value to both the employer and employee: the employee is given the opportunity to prove their ability as a leader and advance their career while the employer has an experienced, trusted employee in the role rather than having to recruit and train an unknown contract worker.  

How to Engage Employees Through Short-Term Relocations 

Professional development and opportunities for career advancement are key to keeping employees engaged at work. Otherwise, they are likely to look elsewhere. More than 60% of U.S. employees who recently quit their jobs claimed it was due to a lack of career advancement, according to Pew Center Research data. Changing responsibilities in general can help keep employees engaged, with recent research determining that lateral career opportunities are more than twice as important as compensation in predicting employee retention.

Being asked to relocate and lead a major project offers an incredible stepping stone for an employee who wants to increase their level of responsibility, improve their skill set and move into further leadership roles.

The Cost-Benefit of Short-Term Relocations 

If your company is opening a new office location, managing a merger or acquisition or training a branch on a new technology or process, you might benefit from temporarily relocating an employee to lead the project. A short-term relocation is ideal for a project that lasts six months to a year, where the assignment is only temporary but it doesn’t make financial sense for the employee to travel back and forth every week.

Investing in a short-term relocation for an existing employee, including storing an employee’s personal belongings and paying for temporary housing, is more cost-effective than hiring and training a contract worker who is local to the project. With over 11 million job openings and nearly two job openings for every available worker, the job market is incredibly competitive and costly. Taking the opportunity to promote from within or utilize existing talent is a smart move. It’s also estimated that recruiting and training a new employee costs three to four times the position’s salary. 

In terms of soft costs, promoting from within for an exciting opportunity like a short-term relocation can keep employees engaged and contribute to overall improved retention. LinkedIn’s 2020 Global Talent Trends report found that employees at companies that promote more internal candidates stay 41% longer than those at companies who hire more external candidates.

Managing a Short-Term Relocation with Allied

Employers can support this major opportunity with the support of a corporate moving partner. Even for a short-term relocation, there are a lot of logistics and costs involved in managing the transition to and from a temporary location. An experienced corporate moving provider with a national network of reputable agents, like Allied, can ensure everything runs smoothly and the employee is well taken care of throughout the process.

Allied, along with the support of the largest relocation network, can work alongside the HR team and relocating employee to:

• Review relocation policies
• Locate temporary housing
• Find appropriate storage if necessary
• And more

From short-term to long-term assignments, or permanent relocations, you can rely on Allied to provide a seamless transition for your employees. We have 95 years of experience in driving life’s biggest moments, including new jobs and big promotions, and are trusted by businesses across the world to manage their talent mobility programs. Learn more.