Strategies for Growth

Manage Relocation With Minimal Employee Turnover And Maximum Customer Satisfaction

Challenge: Manage the City-to-Suburbs Move of a 500-Employee Company Operating a 24x7 Mission-Critical Business.

To reduce its long-term operating expenses, a large services company decided to relocate to a suburban community approximately 20 miles from its current location. One third of the employees worked in the Company’s 24x7 call center, a growing profit center. A high percentage of call center employees used public transportation to commute to work and the suburban location offered fewer public transportation options. The Company also needed to address the potential for relocation-related employee turnover and maintain adequate staffing levels. Relocation of the company, especially the 200-person call center, had to be seamless and transparent to customers.

Solution: Develop a System to Forecast Employee Turnover and a Plan to Increase Employee Retention and Recruit New Employees.

Heather Edelman analyzed the data that detailed the proximity of employee residences to the new location. Working with the Company, she identified key employees whose commutes would increase significantly. Several steps were then taken to ensure a successful relocation.

Retention incentive programs were designed to retain key employees and accommodate the multi-stage call center move.
A 12-month staffing plan for the call center was developed.
Innovative recruiting programs were developed.
Systems were modified to track weekly turnover.
Employee communications were developed to involve employees in the design of their new “home” and keep them informed about details and timing of the move.

Result: No Disruption in Business

The Company executed its relocation with no disruption to the business, no unplanned loss of personnel and high customer satisfaction.