How Partnering with an RMC Can Contribute to an Exceptional Workplace Environment

Today’s talent marketplace is more competitive than ever and is defined by a workforce that places a high value on a flexible environment and progressive corporate culture. As HR leaders strive to meet these expectations in their hiring and retention strategies, they are partnering with relocation management companies (RMCs) to help craft and implement mobility programs that reflect their people-centric cultures.

Tyler Doole, Vice President of Account Management for Corporate Relocation International (CRI), sees the increase in organizational / RMC partnerships as a shift in corporate mindset.

“As the mobility landscape has changed, the requirements and interaction with HR partners, their talent acquisition partners, and the employees that they are trying to bring on board, has massively changed,” says Doole. “That's where RMCs come into play. Where we once started with household goods moving services and home sale programs, we later became an extension of their talent acquisition arm, and eventually an extension of their HR arm.”

Partnerships between organizations and RMCs can produce individualized, impactful relocation programs that give organizations the upper hand when competing for the best talent in the industry while also considering in-house employee transfers. RMCs bring a wealth of data and experience to the corporate mobility space, providing policies that highlight the individual nature of every employee relocation. For HR leaders, having an RMC involved in all phases of the relocation process is an unparalleled advantage.

“An RMC can help make a relocation process simpler, especially for the moving portion of the process - one of the most stressful events a person can experience,” says Doole. “Lessening the impact of a move not only benefits the individual but benefits the company because they can get that new or relocated employee integrated into the culture and their environment in a short amount of time. There’s inherently less stress with this approach.”

Besides enabling a quick adjustment period for the employee, the RMC/ organization partnership can positively impact the areas of employee productivity, job satisfaction, and budgetary objectives. These favorable outcomes can be directly attributed to a solid policy framework, built around valuable employee feedback and honest user experience.

“The hallmark of being a healthy organization is definitely listening and communication,” says Doole. “Client organizations that foster an openness with their employees and encourage them to discuss shortcomings, concerns and suggestions within their relocation program are often regarded as great places to work.”

With communication being a key component to a successful relocation, RMC teams are gearing up for the influx of new hires by perfecting their approach to the employee/consultant relationship, with a nod to an organization’s cultural norms.

“In many cases, we (RMCs) are an employee’s first impression of their new company, which means we truly need to be an extension of their culture,” Doole continues. “I think a lot of companies recognize the importance of that first impression and have started incorporating us in those conversations earlier in the process, allowing us to be a good steward of their culture, and their company overall.”

Despite all the benefits of a mobility program partnership, there are some organizations who prefer to keep their relocations on a more hierarchical level, maintaining more control over the program’s implementation. Doole makes a case for sharing the responsibility by partnering with an RMC.

“There are some clients who treat us like a vendor, while others treat us like a partner, and there's a distinction between the two,” says Doole. “Those who treat us as a partner tend to be far more successful in terms of fostering a healthy work environment and a healthy organization because they (provide opportunities to) see and hear their employees’ concerns and (as a result) feel comfortable reaching out to us for solutions that work best for them.”

For organizations embarking on a mobility program revamp, consider the advantages of partnering with an RMC. By drawing on the expertise and experience of an RMC, your organization will develop effective mobility strategies that attract and retain the finest talent in your industry, while cultivating an exceptional workplace environment.