Relocation letters serve two crucial purposes in employee transitions. Discover the essential information you need to create a well-crafted relocation letter of understanding without spending hours researching. This article delves into the main objectives of relocation letters and guides how to write an impactful employee relocation offer letter.

• Informing the Employee: A relocation letter should effectively communicate the terms and conditions of the relocation to the employee or new hire. Cover the specific details of the transfer, including start dates, relevant position information, and other pertinent information. This formal section ensures transparency and clarity in the process.
• Motivating and Building Excitement: Beyond the legal details, a relocation letter should also aim to create excitement and positive feelings in the employee. Showcase the employer’s enthusiasm for the move and reinforce the employee’s agreement to the relocation. By highlighting the benefits of the new position and location, you can strengthen the employee’s resolve and minimize any doubts or uncertainties.

Our free article can give you more information on how to write an employee relocation offer letter.

A relocation letter should both communicate the legal details of the transfer and build the employee’s excitement. The more formal section states the specific terms of the new position, with expected start dates, along with basic pertinent details. The remainder should display the employer’s enthusiasm for the move and the employee’s agreement to it.

What Do You Need to Know Before Writing A Relocation Letter?

Know your employee

While the employer generally stands to benefit from the relocation, the employee is the prime component. Put your employees first by prioritizing personalization. Treat a relocation letter as a one-to-one chat, not a company advertisement to the general public. By knowing your employees personally, you can communicate more effectively. This can be more challenging with a new hire because you don’t know his/her personality yet. However, a gracious and enthusiastic “welcome to the team” message should be well received.

Restate the benefits of the new position and location

Although the employee has already agreed to take a new position and relocate, reminding the employee of the benefits helps reinforce the employee’s decision and can help eliminate any feelings of “buyer’s remorse.” Make sure to get the details of the transferee’s new duties and responsibilities, you should know all the changes to the current employee’s responsibilities. At a minimum, you need to know the following:

• The new job title
• New or additional job duties and responsibility levels
• Any duties the transferee no longer has
• The new compensation and benefits (if there are changes)
• Start date for the new position

Thoroughly understand the relocation package offered

You need to reference your policy’s standard features and exceptions, if any, in the program offered to the employee. You’ll need to clearly state the following items in the relocation letter:

• Those costs the employer will directly reimburse and caps or limitations thereto
• Describe the procedure for submitting requests for reimbursement
• Expand on critical relocation package features, such as home sale assistance

Gathering this information before creating a relocation letter helps you fulfill the two primary goals. Firstly, you will have provided a positive message to your transferee about accepting the new assignment. Secondly, you will have also fulfilled your “legal” responsibility by incorporating the specifics of the relocation and the new job. Getting this information in advance makes writing the relocation letter fairly simple. Not only will your employee understand the terms of the relocation, but your company will also have a written document that eliminates most potential misunderstandings with the transferee.