Relocation as a service activity
Supporting employees in their professional mobility is one aspect of providing management consultancy services to companies, most of which are registered under the APE code 7022Z (formerly NAF code).
The relocation services activity organises the professional/geographical mobility of a client company’s employees from a logistical viewpoint to reduce delays and facilitate physical and psychological integration:
- Advising human resources departments in their mobility practice to determine the most appropriate benefits, optimise the time needed to settle in, make the process more fluid and simplify the installation
- Accompanying employees and their families who are transferring to France, going abroad, returning to France or foreigners arriving in France
Where does relocation begin?
A relocation occurs when the employee and their family must move to a new place of work.
Who is it for?
The service is available to all: employees, self-employed, trainees, individuals, etc. It covers the following movements:
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Management of national, overseas mobility
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Assistance for incoming expatriates (from arrival to departure)
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The organisation of expatriating nationals or internationals
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Welcome of nationals returning to France
In France, this represents several hundred thousand families moving each year.
What is the nature of the activity?
The Relocation Expert is a ‘facilitator’ who supports the employee in their professional mobility project. It is paid for by the employer (sometimes via measures provided in its 1% contribution to the housing scheme known as ‘PEEC’ via the Action Logement collecting body).
Appointed as an advisor by the employer, the Relocation Expert must provide the beneficiaries with objective and impartial advice.
The expert has an obligation of best endeavours, not of result. All their actions are performed in the interest of the employee. This expert therefore receives no ‘commission’ for placing specific goods or services. So there can be no conflict of interest with regard to the client, ordering company, or final beneficiary.
The profession is not regulated, unlike that of estate agent, and the SNPRM wishes to keep the profession open. However, many abuses can be observed in the use of the term relocation for services that are only one element on the spectrum of job mobility.
The services required for its success are varied and are mainly conducted prior to the physical installation of the person in their new environment.
The ethical charter to which all SNPRM members adhere makes them act in all circumstances with integrity and loyalty in the interest of the client.
The Relocation Experts are committed to providing services that are:
High-quality
All staff are trained in the specific skills required and therefore able to provide advice reflecting their level of expertise.
Individualised
Each beneficiary receives individualised management including at least:
- Prior contact by telephone and email,
- Questionnaires,
- A welcome in person on site,
- Physical support for visits and administrative procedures,
- Follow-up for the installation and preparation for departure.
Global
The support procedure ranges from the client company’s project to the actual installation of the mobile employee’s furniture.
Nothing is left out of the logistics of family mobility and the whole process is managed by the same service provider.
Providing relocation services therefore forms a coherent whole.