Several companies have made the announcement of moving into full-remote set-ups throughout the past months, however, some of them are taking it further. One example is Zapier, which has offered a new take on relocation back in 2017. This company decided to give their employees the opportunity to move to wherever they wanted, with all costs being reimbursed. Relocation packages are definitely something that attracts talent, but innovating and adapting these benefits to the current trends and wishes of your employees can prove to be even more positive. What does this mean, and what results can you expect?
A new take on mobility
The war for talent has always led companies to innovate in their recruitment processes, and one of the main solutions to closing the talent gap has been relocation. When struggling with finding the ideal candidate in their location, companies would often recruit non-locally based candidates, thus offering a relocation package to bring the candidate to where the business needed him or her to be.
Offering relocation packages has several advantages, such as opening up the recruitment process to a wider pool of candidates, as well as decreasing the time needed to fill a role. One way forward includes adapting these packages to what your employees really want. But what can your company do?
Zapier’s attempt to increase their talent pool
Zapier, a workflow automation tool company, was the first to offer a new type of relocation package, which covers up to $10,000 in relocation costs for their employees and their families, in case they want to leave the Bay Area in San Francisco, to settle somewhere else.
Zapier’s CEO, Wade Foster, shared the story of how he relocated from his small-town to the Bay Area in the pursuit of better job opportunities within the tech industry. However, due to the housing prices and general cost of living in that region, “it can be a real challenge to turn the Bay Area into a life-long home”. With that in mind, the company launched an experimental program where it is offering relocation assistance to any new employee that is currently based in that location and who wishes to relocate with their family to another place.
With this, Zapier took advantage of all the benefits of similar relocation packages, but with the increased advantage of allowing employees to choose where to live. “The recruiting industry has long offered relocation assistance to convince you to move somewhere you may not prefer,” the company shared in their press release, “We think it's time you get assistance to take a new role you'll love and move to the exact place you want to be.”
Work flexibility is here to stay
Remote work and relocation will remain some of the main working options for the future, the question is: can companies innovate on how they do it? According to the results Zapier has seen since launching their experiment, the answer is yes.
Zapier’s CEO Foster admitted that they have received over 150 applications just a few days after announcing their experimental program, which turned out to be an increase of 30% when compared to the regular amount of applications the company received in such a period of time. Moreover, several of the applicants mentioned the package in their application, which showcases that this is really something candidates are interested in. In that same comment, Zapier’s CEO shared that in the short period of two days the company received over five hundred applications for the position of an HR administrator.
Make mobility one of your employee benefits
The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly affected work set-ups, as well as company strategies, however, 2021 comes as an opportunity to innovate and challenge the processes that have been in place for decades.
According to a report by FlexJobs, 69% of employees consider flexible work options one of the “most important factors” when evaluating a job prospect, and Zapier’s experience confirmed that once again. Moreover, 30% of the surveyed respondents indicated that lack of flexibility was one of the reasons that led them to leave previous employers.
The war for talent continues to be a reality that companies need to face, and right now is the ideal time to take advantage of the benefits that location and work flexibility offer. From an increase in talent attraction to more job satisfaction, employers can make use of mobility benefits to ensure they not only attract the best talent, but also manage to retain them, and turn the new hires into loyal and engaged employees.
How can your company make the most out of this interest in flexibility?
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