Project Managers for Employee Relocations: The True Cost

Your employees are your most valuable asset. They are also your biggest expense. When relocating employees to fill critical roles within your organization you want them to be able to focus on their job—not their move. Streamlining employee relocations maximizes their productivity. Get in touch with us today for smooth corporate moves, and don’t hesitate to request a quote!

Onsite project managers are a solution to relocating key employees with minimal disruption. While the actual cost of a project manager depends on a variety of factors (company, experience, location), there is value in understanding why organizations use project managers for corporate moves.

What does a project manager do?

Project managers are onsite during a corporate move to manage the process for your relocating employees and advocate for your company. They answer questions, coordinate with crew members and other vendors, and proactively solve problems to ensure a smooth experience for your employee and their family. This enables relocating employees focus on their role at their destination.

For example, an organization was in the middle of a large acquisition when they partnered with Suddath^® to relocate one of their top executives who was critical to the acquisition’s success. With a Suddath project manager overseeing his move, he was able to focus on his role and the acquisition was completed on time with no interruptions or delays in meeting deadlines.

Another major benefit of project manager is that they remove the burden of managing moves from HR representatives. Their expertise can streamline the move process and save companies money.

How do project managers help recruitment efforts?

For every hour your employee is preoccupied with their move, they are unable to contribute to your organization. Project managers ensure that relocating employees and their families experience a seamless transition from origin to destination. By accounting for all the details and handling any day-of needs, employees are able to focus on their new role.

This can have long-lasting effects not only on employees, but your company’s bottom line. Employees (and their families) that have a positive relocation experience are more likely to stay with the company as well as willingly relocate again. However, if the relocation is handled poorly, that can mean wasted time and money if the employee decides to leave the company.

How does a project manager help HR?

While you still can’t be in two places at once, hiring a project manager is about as close as you’ll get during an employee relocation. As an HR or relocation specialist, your project manager is your eyes and ears during a corporate move to answer questions, manage expectations and oversee partners. This allows HR representatives to focus on their role with reassurance that their employees are well taken care of.

Overall, the true cost of not having a project manager may be a poor relocation experience. And this can be costly both monetarily and to your organization’s recruitment efforts.

Many companies offer project managers for employee relocations, but not all programs are created equal. Suddath only works with experienced, vetted project managers who act as an extension of your team to professionally manage your employees’ relocations.

If you’re interested in learning more about including project managers in your relocation program, please download our flyer or contact Suddath today.