Graebel helps a new employee overcome a last-minute housing roadblock
The Client
Fortune 500 California-based software corporation
- Employs 20,000 employees worldwide
The Challenge
Graebel was managing the household goods shipment for a client’s employee relocating from Silicon Valley to Reading, UK. The company’s relocation policy required the employee to self-manage housing- related services during the two-year assignment. The employee and his spouse were shocked to learn that their bank misplaced a funds transfer on the very day they needed it to secure a long-term rental property.
The couple was at serious risk of forfeiting their rental property given the extremely tight housing market in the Reading area. The client’s formal money management process could not provide the funds in less than 24 hours.
“A huge thank you to Graebel’s team in Prague for taking such responsive proactive action on what could have been a potentially awful situation for our employee.”
– Global Mobility Manager, Global Software Company
Project Summary
Following an error by the expatriate’s bank, Graebel went beyond the scope of its service arrangement to rush an international payment to secure that expatriate’s long-term housing arrangement that was at risk of being forfeited.
The Solution
The client’s global mobility manager contacted Graebel for help. Though the matter was outside the service agreement, Graebel:
- Assured the manager that the problem would be solved
- Initiated a rush payment
- Opened communication between the employee and Graebel’s operations team in Prague
- Kept all parties informed about critical next steps and progress
- Processed the payment in short order, incurring special service fees for which Graebel never sought reimbursement
The time from the initial call to the payment receipt was approximately four hours.
The Results
The funds were delivered in time for the expatriate to secure his desired housing. Graebel empowers its industry-expert employees to address and overcome obstacles. Because Graebel team members did not hesitate to work outside the client’s scope of service, the employee was able to secure the rental property and continue to focus on his new assignment in the UK.