There are some RFP trends out there that I find puzzling. Now, I’m not anti-RFP. We always put forth our best efforts for the RFPs that come in. I actually find it rewarding to have an opportunity to distinguish our approach to service delivery and cost containment. What puzzles me is how complicated, long and redundant they have become – even as companies are working harder now, more than ever, to be efficient with time and costs across the board. You would hope this would lead to a more concise RFP process, but the opposite has happened.
Why is this happening?
I think that anyone who works in the relocation industry has experienced their fair share of stress on the job. Whether you are an internal relocation manager or you work for a relocation services company, it’s the job to handle as many aspects of a transferee’s move as possible in a seamless, simple and stress free way. Not only does it take a ton of experience and know-how to do so, but relocating is naturally one of life’s most stressful events and relocation professionals often bear the brunt of tempers and anxiety. Consequently, relocation environments are hot beds for stress and HR needs to proactive about helping employees through it in a productive and thoughtful way.
It’s good for relocation managers to know, and understand the fact that the relocation inspection is often a sore spot among transferees. This shouldn’t be too much of a surprise – home inspections are a sensitive topic for most homeowners – but given the high-stress combination of relocating for work AND selling a home, concerns are always intensified. In a relocation situation, transferee concerns focus on two primary areas: the cost of repairs and disclosing any negative findings to potential buyers.