Today I’m attending the annual conference put on the by the local SHRM chapter, the Human Resource Association of the Treasure Valley (southwest Idaho / Boise area).  As I expected, a steady buzz of energy is flowing here as HR professionals share ways to create workplace excellence.

One organization I came across is providing a unique service to employers; helping them retain employees that are hired from out of town. Why? Out of town hires have an abnormally high percentage of “voluntary departures” after an initial six month employment period. Usually it’s because the employee or the spouse does not like living in the new town. They want to move back to familiar digs.

Real estate broker Joe Newby got creative when he learned of this problem. He formed Home 2 Home as a free service for employers. How it works: When a company is bringing in job candidates from different parts of the country, they coordinate with one of six specially trained real estate agents to be the candidate’s personal tour guide during his or her stay in the Boise area.

Customized Assistance
If the candidate is a sports nut, maybe he wants to see where the local sports venues are. If the arts are what appeals to the person, the agent will make sure the candidate sees what’s available in terms of museums, festivals, and perhaps the local ballet and symphony locations. Each candidate’s tour and assistance is tailored to the interests of that particular candidate. You get the idea.

And, because these people are also real estate agents, they can show the candidate neighborhoods that are appropriate for the candidate’s price range. If the candidate will be renting, they’ll help with that, too.

Then, when a candidate is hired, the agent even assists the candidate with contacting utilities and other move-in tasks. The idea is to make the new hire feel as welcome to the Treasure Valley as possible.

What’s the Catch? –None.
What do the agents get in return? A solid relationship with a qualified lead; and that’s worth the investment. If the candidate is hired and will be buying a house, the Home 2 Home representative providing the tours is a natural agent choice—providing he or she has built a good relationship with the newly hired person.

What I love about this arrangement is the win-win nature of it all:

- The employer doesn’t have to devote resources to giving the candidate a tour to the town
- The candidate gets to explore the town without having to keep his or her “face” on for the employer
- The real estate agent gets to build a relationship with a potentially hot lead.
- The candidate (and maybe his or her family) see how their lifestyle preferences can be met in the new town – which provides a sense of comfort and belonging

Newby has discovered that this sense of belonging fostered by his agents greatly reduces the likelihood that new employees and/or their families will “hate it” here six months from now—-and employers really appreciate that assistance!

This is not just win-win. . . It’s win-win-win.  Great job, Joe.

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