OP I N I O N Reducing the pain of relocations With transferee stress levels at an all-time high because of the pandemic, movers and their customers must put their heads together to make relocations as pain-free as possible. Here, William (Bill) Taylor, Director, Global Mobility and Travel at international development consulting firm Chemonics International Inc, discusses why straightforward, transparent and empathetic move management, together with clear and abundant communication, creates benefits for all involved COVID-19 has increased anxiety among relocating employees T hings are hard for all of us and the pandemic has added stress to our lives. We all know moving can be one of lifes greatest stressors. Now more than ever it is appreciated when our partners show extra patience with our staff who are having to relocate under greater pressure than before. The world is on edge and that undercurrent is raising normal levels of stress. It may seem obvious, but Ive found that giving our transferees a few more minutes of my time here and there, to listen to them, builds confidence that Im in their corner and going to take care of them. Many have said that they have so much on their minds that its a relief to know I am on the job its one less thing they need to worry about because they know things will be handled correctly. I think movers can do the same. LEAD WITH EMPATHY BILL TAYLOR, DIRECTOR, GLOBAL MOBILITY AND TRAVEL AT CHEMONICS INTERNATIONAL 62 FF300 DecJan21 pp62-63 Chemonics.indd 62 We who work in this business know the flow and the process of moving, including whats normal and whats not normal. We handle these requests day in and day out. We tend to take our knowledge, and whats in our heads, for granted, but many shippers are new to the process and dont know what we know. As mentioned above, extra empathy for the relocating employees to walk them through the process, explain the major milestones in the move and, especially, how communication can be expected through the process, from start to finish will manage expectations and will be very welcome. COMMUNICATE, COMMUNICATE, COMMUNICATE Dovetailing with the above, its hard to communicate with the transferee too much. I think Im seeing a greater desire for communication than normal. Perhaps our employees are more worried about their things arriving in a timely fashion or having their shipments disappear. Again, this gets back to the added stress of the times anything we can do together to defuse that stress goes a long way toward a positive experience for the transferee. MAKE YOUR CLIENTS LOOK GOOD Management is constantly asking me to provide updates on the general health and welfare of the transportation network, and how it affects our transferees, who are the lifeblood of our business. Proactively offer information on topics that are relevant to whats going on in the transportation network. If there are major changes to a normal pattern or way of doing business, advise us as quickly as possible. Our management team, like every management team in every industry, is trying to look into its crystal ball to see what the future holds, through and after COVID. It is constantly reaching out for information from all corners of our business to triangulate trends in whats happening. Duty of care to our transferees features prominently in their considerations and anything that affects that relationship is welcome information. Keep your clients informed before they ask. EDUCATE YOUR CLIENTS Unless you come from a moving company or WW W. F I D I FOC U S . OR G 24/11/2020 11:35