Employee Relocation – HR Issues

Where your employees are vehicles of valuable knowledge embedded in your organisation it is of paramount importance to make any office relocations as pain free as possible for your workforce.

There is a plethora of information regarding managing change within a business but nothing can compare to managing in action and something as big as relocating. To fully embrace the benefits of your business relocation your staff must be 100% on board.

An office relocation can be stressful for staff and create a multitude of changes for any organisation. There are a number of things to consider including staff consultations, employment law and changes to employment contracts. An office will usually create a massive task for HR managers who will play a central role in fully preparing staff for a myriad of changes.

Things to consider:

• Announce the move – Staff will not appreciate secrecy, be clear for reasons. Communication is key.
• Employment Law – Your staff have certain rights when it comes to relocation. When an employer moves, employees with a mobility clause in their contract have to move unless they can prove the request is unreasonable. A mobility clause says that employees have to move within certain limits, unless completely unreasonable.
• Hold forums – Allow staff to let their views be heard and this will enable any problems to come to light to be overcome.
• Reluctance to change – There will inevitably be those staff members, usually those who have been at the organisation the longest, who will not be willing to change or will find it harder to adapt to a new environment and perhaps new ways of doing things, allow extra consideration for these employees.
• Settling-in Period – There are bound to be a few hurdles in relocating, once everyone is in the new premises some staff may take longer than others to settle in. It is important to allow your staff time to settle in and act upon any feedback and suggestions from staff to make their working lives as easy as possible.

To speak to one of out industry experts about your business relocation, get in contact today.