DEI Considerations

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Considerations for Mobility Programs

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Considerations for Mobility Programs 2 Organizations around the globe are seeking to cultivate workplaces that are diverse and inclusive and provide an equitable environment for all employees. There is a real opportunity to align organizational DE&I initiatives with mobility programs. Following are some of the approaches and should align with your other employee-facing considerations that organizations have taken, policies, such as compensation, medical bene昀椀ts, and areas of impact to consider when aligning etc. One thing to keep in mind is that these updates organizational DE&I goals with mobility programs could have unintended consequences of expanding and policies. policy bene昀椀ts and costs, so there needs to be a We will take a deeper dive into four key areas: clear understanding of program impacts before 1. Policy review policy updates are made. For example, “household member” may legally be de昀椀ned or interpreted to be 2. Processes and procedures review broader than “dependents.” So, while it is important 3. Vendor alignment to ensure policy language is also inclusive, and 4. Analytics companies should consider an expansive view of bene昀椀t application, speci昀椀c terms must be de昀椀ned to Policy Review be consistent with the scope of bene昀椀ts. Consider the following examples: When looking to align DE&I goals with mobility • Make gender invisible when it is not relevant for the initiatives, organizations should review their mobility communication policies as a key means to support these e昀昀orts. • Use multiple references like ‘spouse/partner’ or Several areas to examine are how mobility policies ‘household/dependents’ where appropriate; some are di昀昀erentiated, the language used in the policies, prefer ‘household’ or ‘dependents’ in place of ‘family’ and the bene昀椀ts being o昀昀ered. • Reference parent/legal guardian in place of ‘mother’ Appropriate Mobility Policy Di昀昀erentiation or ‘father’; some prefer ‘household members’ in Organizations should design mobility policies place of ‘dependents’ that di昀昀erentiate by measurable ways to ensure consistency of application for individuals within the same bene昀椀t level, and to avoid unintended discrimination. For example, use: Organizations Lagging in DE&I E昀昀orts • Mobility purpose/driver (strategic leadership, project-based work, developmental, etc.) • Job level • Salary band • Job type 71% • Type of move: short-term assignment, long-term assignment, permanent move Policy Language Organizations may be expanding or changing of respondents somewhat or strongly agree that their de昀椀nitions of family/household/dependents, their organizations are behind where they should and mobility policies should be using the same be in DE&I e昀昀orts. terminology. The language used in mobility policies – SHRM and Harvard Business Review Survey

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Considerations for Mobility Programs 3 Provide additional time with the Destination Policy Bene昀椀ts Ensure that mobility support is being provided in Services Provider (DSP) for hands-on support for: ways that are meaningful to all groups. Consider the • Single parents following examples of expanded support: • Employee or household members with disabilities Expand spouse/partner support to be a more • Households with elderly members • Pregnant household members or with newborns inclusive bene昀椀t that provides transitional support for the accompanying family/household. (e.g., lactation needs, birthing classes, programs Provide 昀氀ights for a family member to assist with a for babies) • Medical conditions or illness home 昀椀nding trip or 昀椀nal trip for single households or single parent households. • LGBTQ+ employee and household needs with Allow 昀氀exible timelines to accommodate for shopping, restaurants, networking, support organizations, welcoming neighborhoods, etc. disabilities, de昀椀ned hardship situations, medical • Finding religious and cultural institutions conditions, pregnancy, or ill family members. O昀昀er additional support for return trips home for Consider widening the concept of support for unaccompanied employees, as some employees will de昀椀ned hardship situations, ill household members, not have family or household members moving with or divorced parents with shared custody. them to help but could bene昀椀t from the support of a Provide split family support programs when friend or family member to help with the relocation spouse/partners are not recognized in the host and acclimation to the new location. location or where conditions in the host location are not suitable for accompaniment (dangerous, isolated, etc.). Provide a mix of bene昀椀ts that can be tailored to the individual needs of the employee and their household: • Specialized cultural training • Specialized acclimation support: Transition Assistance Provider, Destination Services Provider (DSP), etc. • Connection with local support groups • Shipping considerations – Lactation needs – Accessibility goods: wheelchairs, ramps – Service and support animals • Modi昀椀cations for long-term accommodations modi昀椀cations – Ramps – Supports, handles – Electronics • Additional considerations for temporary housing – Unit selection for families with single parents or who have elderly parents living with them

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Considerations for Mobility Programs 4 Processes and Procedures Review for relocation services: destination services provider, household goods shipping, visa & immigration, When looking to align DE&I and business initiatives, cultural training, etc. organizations will want to look at the processes and Data Collected procedures that support their program and polices to ensure they are as inclusive as possible. For example, Review the types of data points being collected consider the following: and reported out to ensure they align with Location Challenges company initiatives. It is important to understand how regional laws and Communication Templates cultural di昀昀erences may impact relocating employees Review existing communication templates, letters, and accompanying household members and address etc. to ensure they are meeting company initiatives. ways to provide additional support for impacted individuals. Example of considerations are: Vendor Alignment • Locations that don’t recognize or welcome same sex partners It is important to communicate DE&I initiatives with • Locations that are challenging based on gender mobility partners and vendors to ensure further • Locations that are resistant to particular religious alignment with organizational goals. Vendor alignment or cultural groups may be challenging as some vendor relationships • Locations resistant to skin tone, race, or gender may be outside the scope of relocation teams, can be di昀케cult to achieve in all locations, and actual diversity Authorization Forms may be di昀케cult with localized providers who may not Apply the same logic used with developing your view diversity in the same way. For example, consider mobility policies, as appropriate, to the language some of the following ways organizations have had and data that is collected and provided to relocation success aligning with vendors: vendors: RMC, immigration, tax, destination service Minority and Disadvantaged providers, etc. Owned Businesses Needs Analysis/Intake Forms Identify and partner with minority- and Apply the same logic used with policies as appropriate disadvantaged-owned vendors such as certi昀椀ed small to the language and data that is collected as part of businesses or women-owned businesses. any needs analysis or authorization questionnaire

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Considerations for Mobility Programs 5 Diverse Employee Populations Analytics Support supply chain e昀昀orts to identify and partner Leverage your mobility data to assess your mobility with vendors who support a diverse employee program’s alignment and progress in achieving your population and/or utilize other vendors with diverse organization’s DE&I initiatives and goals. employee populations. Window into Mobility Population Setting Expectations Leverage your mobility provider’s reporting Review organizational DE&I initiatives and capabilities, tied to your HRIS data, to provide insight expectations for vendor alignment with into mobile population demographics and whether mobility partners. your mobility program is supporting the company’s Analysis/Update/Implementation DE&I goals. Engage mobility partners/vendors to analyze their Track Utilization & Impacts scope of work and update necessary documents/ Track utilization rates for DE&I focused support, processes to ensure alignment with organizational quality scores, employee sentiment analysis, goals and initiatives. exception requests and escalations, along with manager feedback on performance, to determine if support is having the desired impacts to the employee experience and success in their new location. Gap Between Perception and Execution of DE&I Initiatives and Goals 87% of organizations say they track diversity, but: 58% 41% 32% do not recruit from of executives do not of organizations do not non-traditional regularly communicate encourage and support geographies and the value of DE&I open conversations colleges about DE&I – SHRM and Harvard Business Review Survey For further information on aligning DE&I initiatives with your mobility program, or assessing your overall mobility program, contact SIRVA Global Advisory Services at [email protected] or reach out to your SIRVA account manager or SIRVA sales representative.

About SIRVA, Inc. SIRVA Worldwide Relocation & Moving is the global leader in moving and relocation services, o昀昀ering solutions for mobility programs to companies of every size. With 59 SIRVA locations and more than 900 franchised and agent locations in 177 countries, we o昀昀er unmatched global breadth supported by localized attention and innovative technology that strikes the right balance of self service and human support. From relocation to household goods and commercial moving and storage, our portfolio of brands (SIRVA, Allied, northAmerican, SMARTBOX, SIRVA Mortgage, and Alliance) provide the only integrated moving/relocation solution in the industry. By leveraging our global network, we deliver a superior experience that only a “one-stop shop” can provide. We’re a team that works globally to provide the best service locally — a company that is everything you need, everywhere you need it. SIRVA WORLD HEADQUARTERS One Parkview Plaza, Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181 +1 800 341 5648 [email protected] sirva.com © 2022 SIRVA, Inc. SIRVA and the SIRVA LOGO DESIGN are registered service marks of a subsidiary of SIRVA Worldwide, Inc.