Moving to a foreign country to start a new job or hiring talent from abroad is surely an exciting possibility but it can lead to stressful situations on both ends. This is why we made this list of 5 things to consider when dealing with corporate relocation.
Starting a new job is often frightening – now consider leaving your motherland, friends, family and way of life at the same time. This is one of the times when people are at their most vulnerable and when they need support the most. What better moment than that one for the employer to show what they are made of? On the other hand, being in the shoes of the employer, gives another point of view. Hiring an employee distantly and paying for the expenses or a part of them. It is a serious investment and should be thought through and through.
Negotiating the relocation package is one of the first things that the employee is going to see from their new employer. A carefully made relocation package can show not only that the employer pays attention to detail but also that they value their employees. It gives the right direction for a fruitful future relationship, and can significantly benefit the internal marketing efforts.
The relocation package is an excellent sign for judging a future employer. Are they going to hire a professional relocation company? Or will they try to delegate the move to an existing employee who will have to learn how to relocate someone on the go? Are they going to cover the cost of the relocation and help the new employee with the adaptation in the new country? Relocation packages vary and often depend on company policy and on the position of the employee. Here is a list of some things that can be included in the relocation package:
We advice on negotiating the relocation package before the move. So that it fits both the needs of the employee and the possibilities of the employer. After deciding on the best relocation package to suit your needs you are ready to calculate the cost of the move.
Often when considering relocation people don’t have a clear idea how much it is going to cost them. The relocation package is a great starting point – what expenses will be on the company and what on the employee? Usually when the relocation is done internally the costs are not calculated in advance and often stay hidden. Many additional costs come up and make it all the more difficult to track. Here are some of the costs to consider:
Moreover, if the relocation is done internally the time that one of the existing employees is going to dedicate to it should also be considered. It may create additional bustle in the office and lead to overdue work and missed deadlines. Deal with this by hiring a professional relocation company. This way the company will know the cost of the relocation from the beginning and can show their future and existing employees that they value their skills and time.
Choosing the perfect moment for the move can be a life saver. Most people choose to move during the summer when a lot of people are on vacation or are spending time with their families, which means that everything happens slower, many moving companies are fully booked and the prices are usually higher. This is why we recommend making the move off-season – between October and April.
It is also a good idea to pick the middle of the month for the move. Why? The beginning and the end of the month are usually the busiest for the business and people have enough on their heads. Moving in the middle of the month means more people will be able to help with the relocation and welcome the new employee. Same applies to mid-week moving – it gives enough time for the employee to settle before the weekend and provides them with the opportunity of starting fresh on Monday without any delays.
Cross-cultural teams mean more fun, more ideas, and exchange of valuable experience. However, they can also lead to misunderstandings.
Firstly, embrace the fact that there are cultural differences and address them. They can manifest in many ways – language, expressions, culture, behavior, business etiquette, values, ideas, even words and gestures. There are cultures where being on time for work is not so essential and others where punctuality is extremely important.
After you have acknowledged the diverse cultural backgrounds of the team, set rules – what is appropriate for your company? What are the right ways to communicate in the office and with business partners?
We advise on over-communicating – when having a diverse team it is better to over-explain yourself than to be misunderstood. Make sure your words are understood. More importantly that the person to whom you are talking to knows what you are implying with them. People tend to use expressions and ideas linked with their culture, language, background and this can cause confusion in a cross-cultural team.
It is a good idea to invest in team-building activities outside of the office – they are a great way to improve the communication, and the cooperation between team members, and to speed up the adaptation period for a relocated employee. Shared experiences often lead to creating inside jokes and helps clear the cultural differences.
Each country has specific migration laws and Bulgaria is no different. Although the European Union eased the process of hiring talent from member states there are still important details to watch out for.
However, when relocating a person from a country outside of the EU things are completely different. Acquiring work and residence permit, as well as Visa type “D” is usually a tedious process connected with waiting for and communicating with government agencies, keeping up to date with the laws, and watching out for deadlines.
When it comes to legal procedures there are also two sides of the coin. On the one hand, there are regulations for the employee. They depend on their experience, position, country of origin. And on the other hand, there are laws concerning the employer – the number of foreign employees the company has hired, the size of the company, the type of company activity, type and level of the position. It should also be determined whether to apply for a joint work permit or for a blue card.
Preparing and managing the documents is a vital part of the relocation process, and one that can easily go wrong and lead to a delay for the employee, to stress, loss of money and time, this is why we suggest hiring a professional relocation company to take care of the documentation for you.
