Helping Employees Relocate: 4 Ways A Mobility Team Can Support A Spouse

An interstate employee move is an obvious way to make sure you have the right people in the right place, but it's important to make sure the move is successful in every way. While many companies offer generous relocation packages, some organizations overlook some of the more stressful aspects of a move for a worker's family, especially when it comes to looking after the employee's spouse. Find out how your mobility team can look after your employees and their spouses with the following relocation tips.

Build direct relationships

There's no reason why you should only have an indirect relationship with an employee's spouse. In fact, it makes sense for your mobility team to build practical, direct relationships with wives and husbands while their partners concentrate on settling into their new working location. While the employee is busy at work, you can help the spouse deal with some of the problems that might otherwise become an unwelcome distraction. For example, it can take time to find details of a local broadband or telephone provider. Direct communication with a spouse can help resolve the issue, so your employee has one less thing to worry about.

Collect the contact details for your employee's spouses, and get permission to speak to the wives and husbands directly. Face-to-face contact is ideal, but even regular contact via email or telephone can help. Maintain the relationship before, during and after the move, to make sure the spouse has the support he or she needs, allowing your employees to focus on the needs of the job.

Invest in the right support services

An employee's spouse will probably have different priorities than your employee. First and foremost, spouses want to find the right homes in the right places while their partners think about work. Spouses also want to know that their children have access to the right schools, and they want to make sure they know where all the local facilities are. You can support your employees' families by doing the research and helping them become orientated with a new area. In fact, many specialist mobility companies offer these services, so it's worth reaching out to a local provider for more advice.

Support networks are also important. In a new town or state, wives and husbands may feel isolated, especially if their partners are working longer hours because of a new job. Your mobility team can offer to introduce other workers' families and research details of local groups that may interest them.

Offer employment support

Wives and husbands of existing employees often make ideal job candidates. They often understand something of your workplace culture, and you're less likely to need to heavily vet them if you already employ their partners. Research also shows that relocation assignments are generally more successful when a spouse can develop a social and professional identity outside the family.

Of course, support from your relocation team doesn't need to stay within your company. Some spouses will, quite understandably, want to work for other local employers, and your hiring team can often help seek out new opportunities for them. A recommendation from somebody in your recruitment team can make the process quicker and less stressful, which is good for everyone.

Actively seek feedback

Feedback is a vital part of any relocation team's aims to improve. Feedback from your employee is useful, but the spouse often has a different perspective that forms a vital part of the process. What's more, a spouse is more likely to give you a completely honest answer because he or she doesn't worry about what the boss thinks!

Seek feedback immediately after the move, but get input from the spouse months after a move, too. It takes time to settle in after a move, and early feedback may only prompt glowing praise or negative feedback based on one or two experiences. Above all, ask employees' spouses what they would do differently next time. This can help your mobility team shape what they do and how they use specialist companies to offer the right services.

Support for a spouse during an interstate relocation is vital. Talk to an employee relocation specialist, such as those at Bekins Van Lines Inc, for more advice and information.

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