When you’re in charge of an entire team of employees, keeping them all happy and productive can be a real challenge. Sometimes, you have to transfer employees to other teams and locations, which can lead to feelings of being left out, having lower morale, feeling isolated, or being overworked. However, with the right tools and strategies in place, you can take advantage of employee relocation and improve your team’s productivity while they’re away from home. Here are some tips from the best moving companies Seattle that will help make employee relocation work better for your employees.
Is it time to relocate employees?
If you have employees and want to relocate them for business reasons, it is important that you assess the situation before making a decision. Moving employees can be difficult on morale and is not always necessary. If you are considering employee relocation, here are a few things to consider
Evaluate Budget
The cost of moving employees is usually the largest and least predictable expense in any relocation, which is why it’s important to have an accurate estimate of how much you’ll need before you start. The good news is that with a little research, it will be easier than ever to get a clear picture of what your budget should be.
Understand Consequences of Employment Law Violations
As of April 1, 2018, all 50 states have adopted the Uniform Law on Employee Classification. It is now illegal for employers to misclassify an employee as an independent contractor or another non-employee status.
Look at Tax Implications
One of the first things that you’ll have to do is determine if the move will be considered a tax-free relocation or not. If it is, then you won’t need to report any income on your W-2 forms. However, if it’s not, then you’ll need to make sure that you are reporting any taxable income appropriately. One thing to keep in mind is that if your company provides an assistance program for moving expenses, those are usually considered taxable income.
Consider a Retention Package
A retention package is a form of one-time payment made by the employer to keep an employee from quitting. If you can afford it, this is a good way of ensuring that your employees are satisfied and stay with you for the long haul.
Educate Employees and Help Them Prepare for the Move
Relocating employees is a big decision, but it can be an opportunity for the company as well. It can help attract top talent and show them they’re committed to their employees. However, many challenges come with relocation, so it’s important that you know what you’re getting into before deciding whether or not to move people around.
Create an Action Plan with Specific Timelines
If you are considering employee relocation, here are a few things to consider before making the move.
- What is your company culture and does it align with the new location? -How will the move affect employees’ quality of life and work/life balance? -Do you have the resources necessary to support a move of this magnitude (i.e., training, onsite help)?
- Is there access to international schools in your new location?
Keep family members in mind when making decisions about employee relocation
You may be happy that your company is growing and you need more employees, but it’s important to think about the effects on the people in your organization. For example, what are the needs of your family members? Will they also have to relocate for this new opportunity, or will they stay behind while you go ahead with the move? Make sure there are benefits for spouses who do not have jobs. At a minimum, offer them health insurance coverage and a retirement plan.
Give employees choice about relocating
When the company decides to move, it must give employees a choice about whether or not they want to relocate. Though there are many benefits of moving and living in a new city, there are also disadvantages. For some people, the decision may be as easy as weighing their options before making a decision. For others, it may not be quite so simple.
Relocation is tough for anyone and when it comes to employee relocation it has its pro and cons for both parties involved. Take a holistic approach to solving the issues related to employee relocation and make the best out of the required process.
