Corporate relocation services

A. A corporate relocation management company is a specialized service provider that helps businesses efficiently relocate their employees to new locations for work-related purposes. These companies handle the logistics, planning, and support involved in moving employees and their families domestically or internationally. Their services often include assistance with things like finding housing, securing transportation, ensuring immigration-related compliance with the right visas and work authorizations, helping with cultural acclimation, and advising on all tax and legal requirements. By taking responsibility for the relocation and moving process, they aim to reduce stress for employers and employees alike, ensuring smooth transitions to set businesses and their mobile workforce members up for success.

A. The services go far beyond just the logistics of managing a move. Corporate relocation companies work with employers to help them develop strategies and approaches to:

1. Fulfill their talent, business and budgetary objectives
2. Meet all legal and regulatory requirements to ensure full compliance in all operating locations
3. Keep them competitive in the attraction, development and retention of talent, and
4. Set their people up to thrive in their new locations and be able to meet or exceed the goals of the move.

The process of deciding what’s included in a company’s suite of relocation services typically involves the consideration of things like:

• Relocation strategy: Reviewing different assignment types and employee relocation benefit options to ensure competitiveness, cost-effectiveness, and alignment with company culture and goals.
• Immigration and compliance: Managing cross-border entry, tax compliance, and visa requirements for various assignment types.
• Property / housing support: Assisting with home sales, purchases, and rentals to secure adequate and safe housing while minimizing costs and tax liabilities.
• Destination services: Providing area tours, temporary housing, school searches and placements, and local registrations.
• Family support: Offering intercultural, language, and career training for employees and their families.
• International moving: Coordinating cost-effective transport, customs, and safe handling of belongings, including pets and vehicles, by various modes of transport.
• Expense management: Handling relocation costs like travel reimbursements, rent, utilities or school tuition in multiple currencies.
• Assignment management: Overseeing all phases of the relocation journey, from cost estimation to repatriation planning.
• Data insights: Leveraging technology to analyze relocation data and align programs with business goals.

Read more about our corporate relocation services

A. Our corporate relocation team members and services work in close collaboration with HR departments and their key stakeholders. We work to simplify the complexities of employee mobility so HR and other business unit leaders can focus on strategic talent and business objectives. By providing comprehensive relocation management, we empower organizations to attract, develop, and retain top performers.

Our relocation management services support HR teams by:

• Enhancing talent acquisition: Offering best-in-class relocation services gives employers a competitive edge in securing high-value candidates, no matter where they are located.
• Streamlining administration: We manage the logistical and administrative burdens of relocation, from cost estimation to supplier partner coordination, freeing up valuable HR resources.
• Improving employee experience: A smooth, supportive relocation process leads to higher employee satisfaction and engagement, which is critical for long-term retention.
• Providing strategic insights: Our technology ecosystem delivers real-time status updates, notifies of key action items to take along the journey and provides detailed analytics and reporting. Together with the consultative expertise of our experienced team members, we provide information to help shape global mobility strategy and improve program time and cost efficiencies.

A. Yes. As workforce norms, employee demographics and industry practices adapt over time, so do the approaches to talent mobility. Our focus is on developing flexible corporate relocation solutions to help businesses attract, develop, and retain top talent. Most organizations will use a variety of assignment types to fulfil those goals, along with getting the right people into the right roles and locations to help their business grow and thrive. Most often, businesses will rely on things like:

• Long-term assignments, defined as a year or more in a specific location
• Short-term assignments, which are typically less than a year
• Permanent transfers / one-way moves
• Local hires
• Project-based or rotational assignments
• Cross-border commuters
• Graduate, internship or leadership development programs

Some companies are also exploring options to support employees who voluntarily request to live and work in another location. Since these moves at not at the request of the business, they tend to fall outside of the typical relocation policy approaches. Assuming they meet a number of minimum qualifying criteria, however, including full compliance with all global and local tax, legal and immigration requirements, many companies will offer some level of support to facilitate the move, particularly if it means retaining high-performing employees.

A. The terms are often used interchangeably, but it’s important to understand exactly what we mean when we talk about both. Businesses typically have formal employee relocation policies, practices, and processes to facilitate the quick, compliant, and effective movement of people to get the skills they need, where and when they need them. They may oversee these moves internally or outsource some or all of the process to relocation management companies like Sterling Lexicon. The ultimate goals of the employee relocation program can vary by business need, including things like hiring for specific skills, expanding into new locations, training, or mentoring local teams, facilitating the completion of a project, or developing future leaders for succession planning.

Corporate relocation is a phrase often used to describe the formal approach a business will take to facilitate the movement of personnel and their families, too, but can also sometimes refer more broadly to the movement of an entire office, including physical assets and equipment. A bit of context around specific scenarios is helpful to understand which term may be more suitable, but an important thing to keep in mind is that both phrases refer to employee moves that are requested at the behest of the employer, to fulfil a specific business and / or development need.