the Armstrong Company

Bruce Waller is a relocation executive, keynote speaker, best-selling author and podcast host. As the Vice President of corporate relocation for The Armstrong Company in Dallas, Texas, Mr. Waller helps global HR professionals arrange employee relocation and transportation services. As a volunteer leader, he serves as the Assistant State Director of Texas SHRM, a state council that serves 31 chapters and more than 22,000 members across the state of Texas. Bruce is the author of four books - Find Your Lane, recognized by BookAuthority as the “Top 100 career change” books of all time” and his latest book "Drive With Purpose" is #1 New Release Best Seller. Since 2020, Bruce has interviewed over 200 high-performance leaders on his podcast “Life in the Leadership Lane.” He is a recipient of many distinguished awards like the Stewardship Award, UniGroup’s highest honor in sales leadership, Top 100 Global Mobility “Most Admired Service Providers”, Saul Gresky Relocation Professional of the Year and Texas SHRM Volunteer Leader of the Year.

Each workplace follows exclusive policies that define the company’s expectations. Changes in this environment impact employees and the decision-makers and a seamless transition is necessary to keep the workflow productive. In this matter, relocations can be cumbersome, entailing apt planning. Bruce W. Waller pinpoints the basics of initiating streamlined relocations through intriguing metaphors and lists in this article. He has emphasized proactive planning and communication to facilitate relocations successfully.

Adjusting with fluctuations

As Hem saw his friend getting into his running gear, he said “you're not really going out into the maze again, are you? Why don’t you wait here with me until they put the cheese back?” 

“Because you just don’t get it”, Hem said. “I didn’t want to see it either, but now I realize they’re never going to put yesterday’s cheese back. It’s time to find New Cheese.”

I love the book “Who Moved My Cheese? by Dr. Spencer Johnson. It is a great story about an amazing way to deal with change in the workplace and your life. We are currently dealing with it in many industries, including mobility. Many companies are reviewing their programs and strategizing with their partners for policy alignment to help achieve business goals.

“Many companies are reviewing their programs and strategizing with their partners for policy alignment to help achieve business goals.”

Our world has changed over the last few years. Remote work is up, mortgage interest rates are high and moving talent has decreased significantly. However, we have seen this multiple times in the past. In 2008, the real estate market crashed and people stopped moving before it regained momentum a few years later. What can we do when things change – when our cheese is moved?

Recently, I surveyed many mobility program leaders to get their perspective on the success of a relocation program today and how they can go beyond their policy to boost impact in today’s environment. Here is their response when asked to define, discover, measure and live it!

How do you define success for relocation?

• Smooth transition of an employee and family.

• The employee can begin the onboarding and work while getting relocated to a location.

• The transferring employee had a great experience with little to no disruption.

• The ability to quickly settle in a new place and focus on a new job.

• Expectations were met. It is all about meeting the expectations in case the traveler and stakeholders are left guessing the next step.

What are some must-haves for a successful program today?

• Well-thought-out policy;

• Strong communication;

• Strong relocation partners;

• A Strong network of supplier partners to deliver services seamlessly.

What have you discovered to serve the talent relocating?

• Being genuinely interested in making the assignment seamless for the employee.

• Being available for the employee; letting the employee know that she/he is not alone;

• Having empathy.

• Providing good communication with vendors and employees.

How do you measure impact?

• The calls and personal notes we receive,

• Our volunteer work,

• And the relationships we’ve built.

Lastly, what is one thing you do outside the policy to help make more impact? 

• Be available. Taking calls early in the morning and late in the evening to help,

• Showing support,

• We start their green card sponsorship from their date of hire,

• Having a human-to-human discussion on my own experience.

As you can see, creating an impact is easy and difficult at the same time.

Early in my career, I met a family in their home to complete a survey for their upcoming relocation to Canada. This was exciting for them as they were going back home, but also very emotional to leave.  During the survey, the husband and his 5-year-old boy walked around with me while I inventoried items. I also tried to engage the little boy to encourage him about the upcoming move. When I finished the survey, I went back to the office, grabbed a coloring book and a box of crayons and sent an overnight package addressed to the little boy to try to show him that moving would be fun! The next day the dad called to share his gratitude and awarded us the relocation. It wasn’t policy to send a coloring book – but I saw an opportunity and took action.

You see, we can all impact in any environment when we go beyond success in any role we play. We need to look for new cheese. Now, what can you do today to impact this ever-changing environment?