Relocating an employee and sending someone on temporary assignment requires preparation, coordination, administration, and follow-up to ensure the employee transition is smooth. How do you let someone else assist you in this complex process?
Professional corporate housing providers are a full-service solution with the ability to provide a single point of contact, technology to simplify the process, and flexible billing and reporting options. From beginning to end, the provider handles all of the planning and preparation required for the temporary housing need when relocating an employee and family to an unfamiliar area. Offering a comprehensive solution to relocation companies, and the security of knowing the job is done right, is only one facet of what corporate housing offers.
Many mobility professionals already know the value of working with a corporate housing provider partner, so we asked them to share their perspectives.
Issue #1: Taking the Stress out of Moving
Studies have shown that anxieties about a new location are the greatest cause for stress during relocation. Add relocating with a family and this is an infinitely more complicated process. It is critical to create a simplified process.
Tom Colucci, CRP, vice president of strategic sourcing for Mobility Services International (MSI), said corporate housing providers reduce stress and anxiety by being available to consult throughout the entire process. “By responding to all transferee concerns as quickly as possible, with as much information as possible, [it] alleviates many concerns over what to expect, how the process will work, [and] who to contact with any issues,” he said.
“Just knowing they have a place to lay their head is comforting,” said Paul Kuchenbecker, a buyer for Re:Sources.
One mobility professional goes on to say, “the more the corporate housing can resemble the comforts of home, stress and anxiety will be reduced.... it is important because this is the one place the transferee can fully unwind and feel like [he or she is] going ‘home’ at the end of the work day, even though it is a temporary stay.”
Issue #2: The Space Factor
A temporary apartment is typically substantially larger than a standard hotel room or extended-stay lodging option. This is vitally important during a relocation or transition, because corporate housing serves as the transferee’s primary residence during the relocation.
“Our relocation evaluation completed by the transferee at the end of [his or her] move will ask questions about their stay in corporate housing,” says Colucci. “Usually, the transferee will want the additional space in corporate housing, especially if family will be visiting during their stay, along with the ability to prepare meals in their unit.”
Beth Archibald, SCRP, SGMS, president of Archibald Relocation & Real Estate Services, adds that “attention to detail for furnishings, toys for kids, food in the refrigerator on arrival, and up-to-date details of checking in with them throughout their stay,” is equally important. “[The] convenience of having their own kitchen and not having to eat out all of the time,” is just one of the reasons that a transferee prefers to stay in corporate housing over a hotel room. Undoubtedly, space is key while traveling with families.
Issue #3: Location, Location, Location
Being in an unfamiliar area is hard in the best of circumstances, and working with a provider that can supply a lodging alternative close to all the amenities someone requires while staying long term eases these challenges.
Proximity to conveniences such as grocery stores, entertainment, fitness facilities, and recreational areas can make all the difference. Providers additionally can offer advice on locations such as the quality of schools—typically a vital decision factor for employees moving with families.
Corporate housing providers also can accommodate difficult scenarios. With their established relationships with many apartment communities, these communities often are more flexible in obliging special requests than if an individual approached the apartment community directly. Archibald cited a recent situation in which “...we had a challenging rural location and only a corporate housing company came to the rescue... it was a win/win situation for all involved.”
Issue #4: Increased Productivity
Staying in a temporary apartment instead of a hotel room also can increase productivity as the employee is less stressed and more comfortable during his or her stay. There is no need to worry about moving personal items during a weekend trip back home, for example. Many companies allow families to accompany relocating employees, and with corporate housing the additional needed space is not an issue.
This arrangement results in a better work-life balance and more engaged employees. “We have had some comments from transferees that they liked their furnished apartment[s] so much that they did not want to move out,” adds Colucci.
