Are you thinking about moving your employees abroad? Are you looking for relocation consultant? In this article, we are going to tell you what exactly is employee relocation, and why it is better to use a relocation consultant or Employer of Record to transfer your team.
Let’s get started.
What Does Relocation Mean?
So, what is relocation? That’s a great question. When companies need to relocate an employee to another part of the country or the world, they need help from a relocation company or Employer of Record.
If an employee is moving within a country, it could be anything from selling a home or breaking a lease to finding a new home and shipping the household goods to the new location. But that’s just a small part of what Swapp Agency does. Working in more than 170 countries, we support employees who relocate to various regions of the world.
If an employee is moving overseas, there’s a need to obtain work visas, immigration paperwork, and often they need to learn how to speak a new language. We also help relocate employees discover simple things such as how to get groceries and how to get children enrolled in a foreign school along with hundreds of other details.
What kind of background do I need and how would I know if I would be a good fit?
Swapp Agency is always looking for bright individuals who enjoy continuous learning and can deliver excellent service. We have a very diverse workforce with people from many different backgrounds. If you are interested in learning more about our opportunities, you can connect with us through our website.
Now, let us walk you through the history of employee relocation to show you all the benefits of relocation services.
History of Employee Relocation
So, how exactly did the relocation industry begin?
The relocation industry started to take root post-World War II.
As organizations needed to move their key talent to different parts of countries, initially, companies would simply pay to move a person’s possessions and get them to the new location. However, as people owned homes and had other ties to their communities, this became a more complex process than simply getting them to the new location.
The relocation industry started to formally take root in the 1960s. Organizations started providing buyouts on employees’ homes and got involved in reimbursing other expenses as well.
Some of the financial aspects of moving had favorable tax treatment, so over the next decades the industry matured, and companies started to outsource the function. While internal employees can provide these services in-house, it was deemed more cost-effective and a more efficient use of company resources to outsource these services.
Forward to the 70s and 80s, different relocation management companies were formed with some focused entirely on outsourcing.
How Can Employer of Record Help You with Relocation?
Today, there is a huge mix of competition and cooperation in the relocation industry. As Employer of Record look to increase their revenues they are looking to provide a higher degree of service and management of the relocation. An Employer of Record has local, on-the-ground knowledge and experience to support the employee through the relocation process.
There are so many players and functions involved in a relocation. It makes a lot of sense for a company to use an Employer of Record as it gives the employer one main contact point for all their relocation needs.
An Employer of Record works with many different types of providers for every employee relocation including realtors in the old and new location and third-party services like auto shippers. For example, mortgage companies, title companies, spousal support providers, travel coordination, temporary living providers, school selection, and many other providers. An Employer of Record will also provide their client company with payroll and tax services.
As domestic markets for relocation services matured, another aspect of mobility was also growing. Companies were crossing borders to establish a presence and attack new markets. This meant that employees were crossing borders to set up the organizations, hire local workers, established businesses and governmental relationships, etc.
Once cross-border assignment management was needed, Employer of Record jumped in to fill this need by providing all the domestic services, but also providing international coordination including:
- immigration assistance;
- compensation management;
- payroll services and reporting;
- destination service providers;
- language and cultural training;
- tenancy management;
- ongoing assignment support.
Ultimately, Employer of Record has become partners for their clients and act as their backroom for all the relocation functions either domestically or internationally. These relationships are critical in driving the human capital needs of clients and getting their workforce aligned with the strategic direction of the company. This has become more than just an administrative function, this is aligned to fully supporting a company’s bottom line.
So, finally, there are a lot of organizations that can guide you through this entire process. Employer of Record is one of them. They can provide you with relocation services in more than 170 countries. Swapp Agency has a huge experience in supporting companies in the relocation of their staff. We will use all our expertise to support you in your move to any country in the world.
Wrapping Up
Employee relocation is the transfer of employees, even their families to a new location by a relocation consultant or relocation company. There are domestic relocation and international relocation. If you’re considering grabbing new markets, the most logical course of action is to send one or two of your key employees to a chosen location whether it’s the same country or foreign.
It’s exciting when you have one person taking care of you in every aspect of your relocation. Providing Employer of Record services, Swapp Agency basically helps businesses from all over the world with relocation, payroll, benefits, and compliance. So, all you need to do is have an amazing hire that you want to hire somewhere in the world remotely and we’ll be able to do all the rest.