With travel regularly named among the top three priorities for Millennials and Gen Z, businesses have woken up to the fact that offering employees an opportunity to relocate to another city, or country, for work is a key way to attract talent.

In recent years this has been reflected in a shift towards young single people being permanently relocated as opposed to families on temporary secondment. But amid the current pandemic and associated international travel restrictions, is there still an appetite to relocate?

The short answer is yes, but requirements for those moving have changed.

It is true that coronavirus has delayed plans for many businesses, including relocating staff across the world. However, in recent weeks we have seen companies coming back into the market with strategies for this year and beyond. Expectations are high – both for good quality homes and swift transactions.

Lockdown gave us all time to contemplate how we live and what we value about our homes. For many, where they live is now considered as important as the job they are moving for.

It has been widely reported that many people are keen to move to London’s outer commuter belt in search of homes with more space and larger gardens. It’s the same for people relocating to the UK.

Historically, when junior employees were relocated the trend was to be close to the office. As they climbed the career ladder they would eventually gravitate to a larger property in the suburbs. But now with many businesses looking to embrace flexible working patterns where being in a physical office isn’t a requirement five days a week, those being relocated are able to move into a home they perhaps dreamed of having further down the line because it might now be in a more affordable area.

Not everyone being relocated wants to move to the suburbs though. We are also seeing demand for apartments managed by corporate landlords that can minimise any potential headaches that come with renting.

While these homes might be smaller and in the centre of a city, they often come with high spec amenities such as an in-house gym, bike storage, bookable rooms for guests and arguably a greater community experience. The latter can be extremely important for someone in an unfamiliar area where they are looking to build social circles from scratch.

Companies have long recognised that the key to high-performing employees is to provide ‘soft’ benefits that make them feel cared for as an individual. Now, the focus for these benefits has shifted to our homes. We believe employee expectations for relocation opportunities will continue to increase.

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Further information

Contact Alexandra Lippai

Contact Savills Relocation