Managing HR global mobility wasn’t meant to take up the whole week, but it often does. A new hire needs to be in Denver in three weeks. A senior engineer is moving to your London office. A VP just accepted the job, but only if the family can relocate before the school year starts. Suddenly, your HR department is scrambling to find movers, answer tax questions, track immigration deadlines, and explain to a spouse why their belongings are delayed in customs.
An independent relocation management company like NRI Relocation works alongside your HR team. NRI Relocation and RMCs are more than just a vendor. We help you set a successful HR global mobility strategy and manage the daily tasks of employee relocation, so human resources can focus on the talent and avoid burnout.
What Is Global Mobility in HR?
Global mobility in HR is the function that moves employees within the country or abroad for business needs. These employee moves might be for short or long periods, or even permanently. BCG estimates 2.4 million skilled workers were mobile last year. HR global mobility covers policy, logistics, compliance, tax treatment, data, financial management, and the human side of employee moving.
Today’s HR teams do much more than handle the occasional executive move. Today’s corporate relocation management includes scenarios like remote employees who move to new states and create unexpected payroll tax issues. HR sponsors international hires. They oversee group moves when offices are consolidated. Today, global mobility scenarios are more complex and require much more work to manage.
Common Employee Move Scenarios For Human Resources Teams
- New hire relocation
- Domestic internal transfers
- International assignments (long-term, short-term, commuter, and rotational)
- Permanent transfers and one-way international moves
- Group moves and office consolidations
The Role of HR in Global Mobility
Human resources sits at the intersection of every stakeholder involved in global mobility: the employee, family, finance, payroll, tax, legal, immigration, recruiting, and the employee’s manager. This is why HR global mobility has such a strategic role.
Human Resources Need to Manage Every Part of Relocation:
- Corporate relocation policy design and exceptions
- Communicating offers, benefits, and timelines to employees
- Booking corporate relocation services from offer to repatriation
- Coordinating payroll, gross-ups, tax reporting
- Immigration timelines and compliance
- Track program budgets, costs, and ROI
- Ensuring employee relocation equity
That is a wide range of tasks that all require specialized knowledge. That’s why many human resources departments turn to a relocation management company so they can focus on the overall people strategy.
The Global Mobility Services That HR Must Manage
Global mobility requires more relocation services than most HR managers realize. Here are all the corporate relocation services required before, during, and after the employee move. A relocation management company can coordinate all these services for a human resources department.
Pre-Decision and Candidate HR Relocation Services
Before the offer is signed, candidates need to understand what the move involves. Arrange pre-decision visits and area tours, so candidates can make the right decision. Corporate relocation cost estimates help hiring managers build the right offer. Assess the needs of the employee’s family to increase the rate of global mobility relocation success.
Corporate Relocation Policy and Authorization
Match the assignment or employee move to the correct relocation policy benefits based on the employee’s seniority, family structure, and needs. Next, authorize the relocation and initiate the relocation services. A smooth initiation gets the move started as soon as the candidate accepts.
Household Goods Move Management
Moving the employee’s household goods includes a survey and choosing the right mover for the employee’s needs and budget. Insurance, claims, storage, international shipping, customs paperwork, and clearance are all managed for the employee.
Real Estate Home Sale, Home Purchase, and Rental Assistance For Employees
Employees who are homeowners may be offered a BVO, GBO, or an amended-value home sale program. Employers also assist with mortgages and connect employees with Realtors who specialize in corporate relocation to find and sell homes.
For renters, employers can assist with finding rentals at the destination.
Global Mobility Destination Services
Destination services help employees settle into a new city. This includes area orientation, school searches for families, and support with tasks like setting up utilities, registrations, banking, and driver’s licenses. For international moves, destination services may also include cultural and language training.
Corporate Temporary Housing and Travel
The employee receives corporate housing for the period between homes. Travel, transportation, and vehicles are managed for the employee’s family and pets for a smooth transition.
Immigration and International HR Relocation Support
Employers must coordinate visas and work permits. International assignments also require tax and payroll management to coordinate between home and host countries, ensuring employees are paid correctly and the company remains compliant.
Employee Relocation Expense Management and Gross-Up
An HR relocation program captures receipts, reimbursements, and reconciliation and applies the correct tax treatment for each location, handling federal, state, and international rules. HR relocation programs also require year-end relocation tax reporting.
Relocation Policy Development for HR Professionals
A clear HR relocation policy is one of the most important things human resources can do to manage an HR global mobility program. A relocation management company can use its experience to craft the right policy that balances the company’s priorities with employee care.
Common Relocation Policy Structures
- Fully managed: All relocation services are provided and managed by an RMC
- Core/flex: A managed budget cap with a menu of relocation benefits that the employee selects from
- Lump sum: Employees are given a flat dollar amount to manage their own move.
- Reimbursement: The employee manages their own relocation services and submits receipts for reimbursement.
All these relocation policies can be tiered by employee seniority and family structure. The policies will also differ depending on whether the relocation is domestic or international.
How Human Resources Should Choose the Relocation Policy
An HR relocation and global mobility policy should define:
- Who is eligible, at what level, and for which benefits.
- Define family and dependent benefits.
- Have flexibility and clear rules for exceptions.
- Choose the tac assistance and payroll methods.
- Specify the duty of care and plans for emergency scenarios.
- Address DEI and equitable application of the policy.
- Include repayment agreements to protect the company if an employee leaves soon after moving.
A relocation management company like NRI Relocation will co-author policy with your HR team, benchmark it against industry data, and refresh it with changing best practices.
What “Successful” HR Global Mobility Looks Like
Human resources’ global mobility goal should help you hire for hard-to-fill roles by removing location barriers that limit your candidate pool. It removes geographical barriers to the company’s growth. It should also build a stronger leadership pipeline by giving managers international and domestic mobility experience.
A successful HR global mobility program is cost-effective, drives employee satisfaction and retention, and provides equitable benefits for all employees who need to relocate.
Here are some common KPIs to measure global mobility program success:
Global Mobility Program KPIs
- Cost per move (By policy tier and destination)
- Assignment success rate
- Employee NPS or relocation satisfaction
- Policy exception rate
- Time from offer to employee arriving at the destination
- 12- and 24-month retention of relocated employees
- Compliance incident rate
Why Human Resources is Outsourcing Relocation Management
HR Managers Are Drowning in Relocation Work
Managing one relocation can take 40 to 80 HR tasks over more than 90 days. Multiply that by the organization’s annual moves, and there are multiple full-time jobs hidden in just one human resources role. Managing the expenses, compliance, and duty of care for dozens of different corporate relocation services, from moving and temporary housing to immigration to destination services and more, adds up quickly. Those tasks become even more time-consuming when there is a challenge, policy exception, or compliance issue to overcome.
In addition to the many corporate relocation services, even the best HR manager can’t build the supplier network, regulatory knowledge, and expertise needed for every move. Each employee relocation, like Atlanta to Amsterdam or San Francisco to Singapore, has its own vendors, tax rules, and issues. Trying to handle it all is risky.
Every hour spent on HR global mobility coordination is time human resources isn’t using for recruiting, retention, performance, or culture. This is the strategy that human resources is evaluated on and moves the business forward.
If this sounds familiar, your organization’s global mobility program has outgrown internal DIY. It’s time to seek the help of a relocation management company.
In-House HR Relocation Management is Costly
The case for outsourcing corporate relocation is a budget conversation. Hiring an RMC drives more ROI than human resources expects.
Every hour your HR team spends on coordinating employee relocation has a real cost that adds up quickly, even with just a few relocations each year.
Working with a Relocation Management Company (RMC) gets companies access to negotiated vendor rates for relocation services like moving and temporary housing that most organizations cannot get on their own.
Relocating employees are also more productive when they have the support of a dedicated relocation consultant, instead of spending time trying to manage a move themselves. Companies that provide managed relocation services often see higher employee satisfaction and better long-term retention. A failed global mobility assignment can cost anywhere from 50% to 300% of the employee’s yearly salary.
There are also the hidden costs of compliance risk. Penalties for tax or employee law mistakes can be high. An RMC has the expertise and controls to catch these errors before they become bigger issues.
When you consider the time saved for HR, vendor discounts, higher productivity, fewer failed assignments, and better compliance, the savings add up to much more than the management fee.
RMCs Protect Human Resources From Compliance Risk
For a small or mid-sized business, a mishandled international move can result in five-figure penalties and personal exposure for officers. An RMC provides infrastructure to manage compliance that a small HR team can’t easily build on its own.
Common Compliance Errors Made When HR Manages Relocation Themselves Include:
- Tax treatment of relocation benefits
- W-2 reporting and relocation gross-up calculations
- Immigration documentation and timing
- International tax residency and coordination
- Posted worker compliance
- Employee data privacy
- Duty of care obligations
Relocation management companies provide expertise across many countries, including partners who are specialists in risky areas such as tax and immigration documentation, audit trails, a single system of record, and regular compliance reviews.
Dedicated Global Mobility Expertise
Every employee has a dedicated relocation counselor who responds to their concerns and plans for their specialized needs. RMCs provide a single point of accountability across more than 30 vendor categories, so human resources always know who to contact if a challenge arises. The RMC provides around-the-clock duty of care, so if something happens, HR is not the one getting the call.
Relocation management companies, by extension, provide HR with compliance, tax, and immigration experts when needed, without having to hire them directly.
RMCs are data-driven and provide clear reports, dashboards, and a single source of data truth.
Outsourcing relocation doesn’t mean HR gives up control. It allows HR to focus on the global mobility strategy and the overall program, rather than just handling each move. A good RMC aligns with your processes, supports your employees, and reports to your HR leadership. A good RMC like NRI Relocation becomes your HR global mobility specialist, without you needing to hire for the role.
Why an Independent, Right-Sized RMC Beats the Big-Box Alternative
Not every RMC is the right partner for an SMB. Human resources needs to hire a relocation management company that fits their company, culture, and goals.
The Problem With Large RMCs
If your company handles a hundred moves at a relocation management company that manages ten thousand moves each quarter, you’re considered a small account. Small accounts often get less experienced counselors, slower responses, rigid technology, and policy templates that don’t fit SMB needs or culture.
The Problem With Small Relocation Companies
Small relocation companies don’t have backup teams or compliance systems. There’s a single point of failure if something goes wrong. A relationship with the relocation company’s CEO isn’t enough for risk management.
The Right-Sized Independent RMC
With an independent relocation management company like NRI Relocation, human resources works with senior relocation counselors. You have direct access to leadership for quick decisions. Our policy design is flexible and custom to your organization, not based on generic templates. Technology is modern and simple, without losing the emphasis on personal, direct service. Independent RMCs use vendor-neutral sourcing, so we’re not promoting certain services for our own goals. Invoicing is transparent, so you always know what you’re paying for.
Frequently Asked Questions About HR Global Mobility Management
What does an HR global mobility specialist do?
A human resources global mobility specialist manages a relocation policy, coordinates employee relocation services, ensures compliance, coordinates with payroll and finance, and supports the employee through every stage of a move. Most SMBs partner with a relocation management company to assist with or provide these services.
When should an HR team outsource relocation?
If your human resources department is managing more than five to ten moves a year, running international assignments, dealing with policy exceptions on a regular basis, or spending too many HR hours managing relocation, your company has outgrown DIY. The compliance risk alone usually justifies hiring a relocation management company well before the cost case does.
Do small and mid-sized businesses really need a relocation management company?
Yes, maybe even more than enterprises do. Large companies have global mobility teams. SMBs don’t. An RMC gives a growing company the same compliance infrastructure, vendor leverage, and employee experience that Fortune 500 mobility teams get without the cost of building it in-house. A relocation company can also scale the program as your company grows.
Resources for HR Global Mobility Leaders
How to Start a Partnership with a Relocation Management Company Like NRI Relocation
Here’s what it looks like to start working with a relocation company like NRI Relocation to manage your global mobility program and make human resources’ jobs easier:
Step 1 — Discovery call. We learn your current state, volumes, pain points, and what successful relocation looks like for your human resources team.
Step 2 — Policy and program assessment. We benchmark your current policy and program against industry data and identify areas for improvement.
Step 3 — Design. We work together to build the relocation policy, integrations, and reporting. We bring the expertise, and you tell us what’s important to your organization.
Step 4 — Launch. Fast implementation, including training your HR and recruiting teams. We will expedite the launch to accommodate your upcoming employee relocations.
Step 5 — Run. We take all the relocation tasks off your plate and manage every detail. We are your single point of contact, the experts you can rely on, and the advocate for your employees.
Step 6 — Improve. We continually seek to improve your relocation program through reporting, surveys, vendor evaluations, industry benchmarks, budget analyses, and regular meetings.
Managing Relocation Isn’t a Human Resources Side Job
Let’s connect and take the burden of relocation management off your human resources team. We’re independent, right-sized for SMBs, and built to be part of your organization, not just another vendor.