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Upcoming Relocation Conferences

| March 12, 2012

Midwest Relocation Conference (MRC). 

This year’s conference host is the St. Louis Employee Relocation Council.  The date/location of the 2012 Midwest Relocation Conference (MRC) is:

Monday, April 23rd & Tuesday, April 24th
Four Seasons Hotel, St. Louis, MO

Some of the highlights includes:

  • The Fundamentals of a Global Relocation

  • Global Assignment Cost Projections and Compensations

  • Everything you want to know about short term domestic assignments

  • Global Mobility Trends

Highlights From Worldwide ERC’s 2011 U.S. Mobility Survey

| March 5, 2012

What is a “traditional” family these days?

The make-up of a U.S. family has changed dramatically over the past century. The latest figures from the U.S. 2010 Census indicate that the average U.S. household consists of 2.6 people versus approximately 4.0 in 1940. Likewise, married couples with children make up only 20 percent of all U.S. households versus 40 percent in 1970. But while the look of a family may no longer be “traditional”, the balancing act facing families is unchanged, with concerns ranging from child and elder care to spouse employment.

To take a closer look at the issues affecting domestic transferees and their families, in mid-2011 Worldwide ERC surveyed nearly 150 corporate, government and military relocation experts whose organizations were responsible for transferring more than 42,000 employees within the United States during 2011. The full survey results can be found in the 2011 U.S. Mobility Survey. Here are a few highlights from the study, which was sponsored exclusively by relocation specialists , TRC Global Mobility.

Read More

Involuntary Renters, Part 3: Possible Policy Adjustments For Reluctant Renters

| February 7, 2012

In parts one and two of this blog series we discussed homeowner transferees who are able to sell their home but cannot afford to buy another one. Since so many of these “reluctant renters” have needs that go well beyond the basic renter package, companies can find themselves with numerous exceptions and the possibility of inequitable treatment and unintended precedents. To fully address the varied needs of today’s renter population, it’s worth considering several tiers of renter benefits.

For today’s reluctant renters, potential benefits could include: Read More

TRC Celebrates 25 Years of Relocation Leadership

| January 25, 2012

Complete US / International Relocation and Assignment Management Services from five service centers worldwide

Milwaukee, Wis. (January 19, 2012)

Nineteen eighty-seven. Ronald Reagan was in the White House; Madonna and George Michael were at the top of the charts; and TRC Global Mobility began operations in Milwaukee as “The Relocation Center.”

Now, in 2012, TRC is celebrating 25 years of domestic and international relocation leadership. From simple roots as a local real estate listing and homefinding service, TRC has grown into a global, full-service relocation and assignment management company that operates in more than 150 countries worldwide.

TRC’s physical footprint has expanded globally to meet the needs of current and future clients, with Operations Centers in Milwaukee, Denver and Fairfield County, Connecticut; an EMEA Center in Frankfurt; and an APAC Center in Beijing. TRC’s client base today ranges from Global 1000 companies to start-up operations, representing a gamut of products, services and government activities.

“TRC’s key differences, including independence, financial strength and stability and transparency, resonate even more today than they did 25 years ago,” said Doug Berto, TRC’s President and CEO. “We have remained totally independent from any controlling real estate, household goods or other third-party companies. That’s allowed us to hand-pick our supplier partners and to optimize service quality and value. It’s also allowed us to focus on our core relocation and assignment management business, without following the winds of a corporate parent company.”

TRC enjoyed record growth in sales and profitability in 2011, even as other relocation firms continued to contract or moved to cease operations altogether. Added Berto: “We’ve been gratified with the response to TRC’s unique value proposition and we’re looking forward to beginning the next 25 years.”

Media Inquiries

The relocation industry is more dynamic than ever, and TRC welcomes media inquiries on our company and on today’s relocation environment. We are happy to assist with your relocation-related stories and to participate in conferences and other live events. Contact us.

Download a TRC fact sheet

Media Contact

Jerry Funaro, CRP, GMS
Vice President, Global Marketing
jerryf@trcgm.com
+1.203.925.2001

Involuntary Renters: A Growing Trend in the Domestic Relocation Industry Part 2: How To Handle Your Reluctant Renters

| January 21, 2012

Classic domestic relocation policies clearly distinguish between renters and homeowners. Renters are assumed to be younger, more junior employees, often single or married without children. Since the classic renter has no home to sell at the departure location, no home to purchase at the destination and significantly less in the way of household goods and other encumbrances, he or she typically received a modest package of benefits relative to homeowner transferees.

In part one of this series we discussed a new type of employee relocation situation: homeowners who are able to sell their home but cannot afford to buy another one. Read More

Involuntary Renters: A Growing Trend in the Domestic Relocation Industry

| January 6, 2012

Part 1: Recognizing a Reluctant Renter

In the past, relatively few homeowners became renters. When they did, it was often a lifestyle choice, such as empty-nesters who sold their large suburban home and moved into a city apartment. Today this situation is much more common — and too often an effect of the current housing market and economic conditions.

Why Homeowners Choose To Rent

In the domestic relocation services industry, some transferees cannot sell their departure home and end up renting it out and finding a rental property at the destination. Others expect their time at the destination to be limited. Still others may have been spooked by the volatile housing market in general. The most delicate employee relocation situation centers on what we call “involuntary renters” or “reluctant renters”: homeowner transferees who manage to sell their home but cannot afford to buy another one. Overall, 67% of surveyed companies in Worldwide ERC’s 2010 Transfer Volume and Cost Survey are seeing a “somewhat” to “significant” increase in the number of homeowner transferees who are opting to rent at their new location. Read More

Why Cafeteria Relocation Benefits Are Making a Comeback

| November 20, 2011

Part 2: Cafeteria Relocation Benefits – Cost Savings

The Potential for Relocation Cost Savings

As we mentioned in the prior blog, a desire for flexibility is the most common reason for companies to embrace a cafeteria approach. However, the potential for cost containment can be another powerful motivator.

In a typical relocation program, companies might be providing “one-size-fits-all” benefits that employees neither want nor use. In a cafeteria program or a hybrid tiered/cafeteria program, benefits tend to be better aligned with actual needs, frequently with a cap on the total benefit amount. According to the Worldwide ERC® survey, Relocation Assistance: Transferred Employees, 45 percent of companies using a cafeteria approach place a ceiling on the value of the selections made. That figure has increased from 39 percent in 2004; the ceiling typically depends on the job level of the employee.

For companies more focused on cost containment, cafeteria menu items often are tied to the core home selling and home finding processes, with limited “soft service” options. An example would be a self-move package for a new hire.

Who Selects the Benefits?

A cafeteria approach does not necessarily mean that the transferee has the deciding vote. In fact, the Worldwide ERC survey, Relocation Assistance: Transferred Employees reports that in 84 percent of organizations with cafeteria plans, the business unit or division selects the specific benefits. This helps balance the employee’s wishes with the competitive environment and allows the company to tailor benefits to attract the best candidates for the position.

Read More

TRC Expands Footprint, Staff in Northeast to Support Continued Growth

| November 8, 2011

Expanded Eastern Operations Center and added relocation professionals to serve longtime and new clients –
Shelton, Conn. (November 7, 2011)

To support current and future client needs and to house its growing Northeast region staff, TRC Global Mobility has relocated its Eastern Operations Center to a spacious new facility in Shelton, Connecticut.  This full-service office now includes professionals in operations, inventory management, expense administration and marketing.

“We’ve grown at a brisk but manageable pace in the Northeast region”, said Doug Berto, TRC’s President.  “This has been particularly gratifying given the still-dicey economy and the downsizing that many other companies are experiencing.  We’re looking forward to continued growth in the coming year.”

TRC’s expanded Eastern Operations Center is located approximately 1.5 hours from New York City and 2 hours from Boston.  The office is easily accessible from the Merritt Parkway, Interstates 95 and 84 and airports in Hartford, Westchester County, New York and New York City.  The almost-new space was built out with state-of-the-art technology and telecommunications and is now fully operational.

TRC’s Eastern Operations Center is located at 6 Corporate Drive, Suite 444, Shelton, Connecticut 06684.

Why Cafeteria Relocation Benefits Are Making a Comeback Part 1: Flexibility

| October 26, 2011

With so many impediments to relocation today, from traditional issues such as spouse career concerns to more recent problems such as “upside down” homes, companies, employers and relocation management companies are clamoring for a more creative, flexible approach. Without creativity and flexibility, many moves simply won’t happen.

This is where “cafeteria”-style relocation benefits come in. A cafeteria approach can help meet employees’ needs for flexibility, control overall program costs, and most importantly, enable companies to achieve their business objectives in a challenging environment. Cafeteria relocation benefits had a flash of popularity in the 1980s and 1990s but faded from the spotlight as more structured, tiered polices gained favor. Read More

Cultural & Language Training in Relocation

| October 12, 2011

Careful cultural assessment and training can mean the difference between a successful assignment and a costly, failed one. Companies commonly invest $1 million or more in an international assignment, yet about 30 percent of assignees end up returning early – and an alarming 70 percent fall short of the goals established for the assignment. Too often, these failed international relocation assignments are blamed on poor housing choices, unhappy spouses and children or misdirected emotions, when in fact the real reason is cultural disconnection.

Select the right candidate

One of the mistakes companies commonly make is to pick the candidate with the best technical qualifications, with little consideration of how he or she (and his or her family) will function in a different location and culture. For example, it’s typically assumed that a hard-charging, effective New York executive will be equally successful in Tokyo. In fact, taking an employee out of his or her comfort zone can disrupt both professional and personal rhythms, upsetting the family unit and compromising workplace effectiveness. To succeed in a markedly different environment, the candidate (and his or her family) must possess flexibility and a sense of adventure.

Before an offer is made, a certified cross-cultural training provider can use targeted tests and exercises to assess the family’s flexibility and adaptability for an international assignment. Human resources professionals and hiring managers can use this information to determine the likelihood of a successful assignment and even to build a pool of vetted, prospective assignees.

Read More

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