What Do You Need to Consider Before Relocating Employees Abroad?

Relocating your employees domestically is a tough task for a seasoned HR team, but relocating them abroad is on a completely different level. Your company plays an important role in making sure that the employees do not struggle with the logistics involved and can transition into a new lifestyle easily.

In this article, we’ll take a look at some key considerations employers should highlight when it comes to relocating employees abroad.

Finding the Right Housing

In many situations, landlords and property managers prefer that the company signs the lease, rather than the employees themselves. If that’s the case, be sure to include this in your employee’s relocation package. As different employees have different needs, some key questions come into mind include:

• Do they need easy access to public transportation?
• Do they have children and need to live near good schools?
• Are they bringing their pets and need to live in pet-friendly accommodation?

Housing issues can easily be dealt with should you hire corporate relocation companies like ARC. Relocation companies that work globally have a strong network of real estate agents in target locations that can do a better job at finding suitable properties for their clients.

Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay 

Securing All the Necessary Paperwork

Depending on the country, it can take weeks or even months for the appropriate working permits and visas that allow your employee entrance into the country to be approved. 

It’s critical that all this paperwork has been planned ahead. Chances are, your employee would want you to cover the costs associated with obtaining a visa as well as handle the complex legwork. 

If your employee already has a family (and pets), highlight this in your discussion with your employee to determine who will cover their visa and immigration-related costs as well as identifying what sort of visa each family member will need.

Communicate With the Other Office

When you’re relocating employees, they will need time to adjust to a new office, especially in a new country. Be sure that the party on the other end has enough time and resources to give the employee a warm welcome and teach them what they need to know. 

Keep them updated with how the logistics on your side are going. You wouldn’t want your employee to join them when their office is occupied with work. It would also be easier for your employees to make new friends this way.

Providing Post-Relocation Support

Your employee will have a lot to learn. Difficulties in adjusting are very common when it comes to relocating. This includes settling in with peers, culture shock, and communication issues. 

As an employer, you should take the initiative to identify any problems your employees are facing, and find solutions to their problems. For example, if there’s a language barrier, help them look for language courses that fit their time frame.

Failure to do so can be detrimental to your employee’s well-being. Your company might be their only link to home, and without the right support, you risk your employee losing their loyalty to you and this will affect work performance negatively.