Relocation Essentials for Recruiters & HR Professionals

Transcription

1 Relocation Essentials for Recruiters & HR Professionals CERC Pacific Region June 8, Global Recruits: Closing the deal Case study Meet Clara -- Health Break Relocation Policies Policy Design Typical Benefits Relocation Programs Agenda 3. More important stuff Offer letter clauses Costs Relocation administration and management 1

2 Case Study The Candidate: Clara, an engineer Husband: Jacques, a registered nurse Son: Paul, 7 years old Daughter: Natalie, 4 years old Home: Geneva, Switzerland Clara Annual salary: 70,000 Swiss francs Personality: Smart, highly ambitious, career-oriented Super Mom: juggles a successful career with being a good mom Motivation: An international relocation would look good on her resume Good for the kids to learn English. She and Jacques were in Vancouver for a ski vacation 8 years ago and liked the city 2

3 The Company Company: headquartered in Vancouver with offices in Calgary and Seattle Recruiter: Steve Source: Clara s resume was posted on Interviews: Phone interviews with the team VP Engineering met her in person while in Geneva for a Conference Feedback Feedback on Clara: Perfect fit for the role; great technical experience Leadership potential Concerns: Company has never moved anyone from another country before (only within North America) Think Clara might be expensive Think Clara will be a tough negotiator and hard to close 3

4 The Offer Salary $64,000 CAD Standard company benefits: MSP, extended health, dental RRSP: 5% company contribution Relocation assistance: Flights for the family from Geneva to Vancouver Movement of household goods Temporary furnished accommodations for 30 days To: Steve From: Clara Importance: High! The Response Attachments: 4

5 Approach Make your candidate feel like you understand and care: Be sensitive! Be aware of the cultural differences between the candidate s home country and Canada Explain everything Don t assume your candidate knows how things work in Canada Over-information is better than under-information The more you provide up front the better (relevant information) Be realistic Don t over emphasize the positives or hide the negatives Salary Explanations Company s compensation philosophy and how the salary was determined what is fair to local market? What means keeping an employee whole? Statutory deductions (Tax, EI, CPP) potentially higher taxes, but lower mandatory contributions to Employment insurance, Health Insurance and Pension Canadian tax system and tax credits Non-working spouses, child tax credits, etc. 5

6 Salary Explanations Payment cycle (semi-monthly, bi-weekly) Candidates may be used to getting paid more/less frequently Impact on cash flow considerations Number of pay periods Canadian annual salaries = 12 months In some countries, salaries based on 13 months. Be careful if negotiating monthly salary. Provide cost of living information Very helpful if candidate lives in a more expensive location Benefits Overview Provincial health care (MSP) Cost to employee, if any (may be dependent on company policy) What services are covered Company Benefits Plan (extended health, dental, etc.) Employee contributions, if any What benefits are covered and payment/reimbursement process Insurance: Life, AD&D, short- and long-term disability could be a benefit the employee has not had in the past or used to a very different model 6

7 Benefits Overview RRSP Contributions Some countries have similar system (rare), others have different mechanics Tax benefit Have alternative for 1 st year: RRSP eligibility based on previous year s income, which does not exist in year 1 Taxation Provide general information to create awareness Avoid getting involved in discussing personal situations Impact on personal tax situation (eg. Investments, stock options, property) Children and marriage Tax credits for family likely very different Get professional advice Tax consultation with an international tax consulting firm Do not use your in-house tax accountant Assistance with filing 1 st year tax return in Canada and for home location 7

8 Anticipate FAQs Housing neighbourhoods, cost Transportation buying a car, public transit Schools special needs (eg. Language) Medical system finding a doctor, benefits coverage Cost of living isn t it expensive to live in Vancouver? Spousal employment Your time Avoid spending hours and hours of your time on research and communicating the information individually to every candidate Create or obtain helpful information materials (summaries, web resources, government brochures etc.) Streamline communication process (re-use templates, step-by-step instructions etc.) Get expert assistance Contact a destination service provider to cover area orientation and settling-in assistance 8

9 Agenda Recap 2. Relocation Policies Policy Design Typical Benefits Relocation Programs 3. More important stuff Offer letter clauses Costs Relocation administration and management Relocation Policy Design Align company culture, HR strategy, and relocation philosophy Company culture Relocation Policy HR Strategy Relocation Philosophy 9

10 Policy Design Key Questions External influences: How hard is it for us to attract good candidates? (Employer of Choice) Where do we want to be compared to competitors? (Benchmarking) Internal Influences: What s our budget? How much money can we afford to spend on relocations? What s our cost model? Do we want to keep employees whole or do we expect cost sharing? Are we treating certain employee groups differently than others? Based on position: executive, manager, or rare skillset Type of employee (new hire or internal transfer) Do we have the internal resources to manage the relocation process? Typical Relocation Benefits Prep Arrival Home House-hunting or Look & see trip Pre-move tax consultation and First year tax return filing Travel (flights or mileage/gas and meals/lodging if driving) Moving of household goods and storage, cars Temporary accommodation, rental car, meals Private medical insurance to cover MSP waiting period Tax gross-ups on taxable benefits Miscellaneous allowances Home sale/home purchase costs Duplicate housing costs/lease break or mortgage penalties Home purchase assistance 10

11 Relocation Programs Traditional All employees receive the same (usually fairly generous) benefits simple administration, great consistency drives higher cost; often need for exceptions same treatment for all might not fit company culture Tiers Two or more policies based on level within company, skillset, internalexternal, homeowner renter, etc. benefits tailored to employee type/level consistent within groups lower costs than traditional program complicated when too many tiers Relocation Programs Core + Specific basic benefits for all employees plus extra benefits as desired cost containment flexible creates inequity, encourages squeaky wheels inconsistent handling throughout the company 11

12 Relocation Programs Capped or Budget Benefits provided up to a specific dollar amount (usually limited to nontaxable items or budget includes gross-ups) easy forecast of total cost cost savings if budgets are set low flexibility for employee to choose what he/she needs difficult to administer counseling intensive due to tax issues constant tracking of budget required time intensive inaccurate estimates for household move or home closing cost are likely Relocation Programs Total lump sum Lump sum provided for the entire move (less statutory deductions) Employees choose how to spend the money to best fit their needs little administration flexibility for employee immediate access to funds employee can claim tax deductions with tax return all responsibility left to employee no ability to track cost or monitor providers not the best value for the money (re: all non-taxable items) 12

13 Relocation Programs Combination of program options Incorporates the positive aspects of each of program s strengths: direct billing of big ticket items (e.g. move) reimbursement of specified items (e.g. home sale) small lump-sum to cover miscellaneous expenses tiers for different employee groups as needed Nuts and Bolts Offer letters protect the company Clauses to include: Contingent upon immigration approval Temporary/permanent position (immigration status?) Responsibility for work permit renewals Assistance with Permanent Residency Description of relocation benefits or reference to policy Repayment clause (handcuffs) Repatriation Termination 13

14 Costs Average relocation costs (CERC survey 2005): Domestic home-owner: $40,000 - $60,000 CAD Cross-border home-owner: $50,000 $100,000 CAD Cost of Failure Money Time: spent on recruitment, relocation, training Morale Cost Containment Obtain quotes from service providers agree on acceptable deviations Limit the amount of service providers negotiate volume discounts more leverage when discussing issues Negotiate corporate rates with nearby hotels, rental car companies etc. Incorporate caps on certain relocation expenses (e.g. home sale/purchase) 14

15 Taxable Benefits Significantly different tax regulations in Canada vs. U.S. Some room for interpretation Clear statement of who is responsible for tax on taxable benefits Educate your managers: beware of easily given, but costly, promises Different methods for gross-ups Eg. standard flat rate, individual tax rate or full gross-up Full gross-ups add up to 77.6% to the expense Relocation Administration & Management In-house Direct interaction with relocating employee Sense of control over the process Expense management Management of and communication with various service providers Policy owner Outsourced Partially or fully outsourced Employee deals with relocation management company Management of expenses and other providers taken care of Remain policy owner, e.g. approver of exceptions 15

16 Dazed and confused?? Questions? Now: fire away! Later: Nina Brachmann Marlene Jan Thank you! 16