Treat Movers the Way You Want to Be Treated

Have you ever tried, be it even for a few seconds, to put yourself in your movers’ shoes?

Moving is usually a stressful and chaotic event where hundreds of small details need to be taken care of one by one. There is no doubt that good organization, smart planning and mental preparation are essential for a successful relocation.

And yet, there’s something that often gets neglected during those hectic moving days – the proper way to treat your moving personnel.

Here are a few ideas how to handle the human side of moving.

Be there on time

Do your best to be at your home to meet the moving crew at the agreed-upon time. Please note that movers are usually under a very tight schedule and need to get working as soon as they get there.

If, for some reason or another, you are not going to be present at your house when your moving crew arrives, call the moving company, explain the situation and try to work out a reasonable solution. You may be able to reschedule for later in the day or for another date. On the other hand, if you’re only going to be late, try to arrange for somebody else, like a neighbor or a friend who lives nearby, to substitute for you temporarily until you get back. Also, you should know that if your movers’ work is delayed due to your late arrival, you may be charged for their time even though they did nothing but wait for you. After all, everybody knows, including you, that time is money.

Make them feel welcome

When your moving personnel arrive at your home, greet them properly and introduce yourself, your family, and even your pets. Take them on a quick tour around the house and the yard. Most movers like to get started early in the morning, so why not offer each of your hired workers a cup of hot coffee and a quick snack before they begin the hard work? They will surely appreciate your thoughtful welcoming gesture.

Provide timely information

It’s a great idea to devise a detailed plan of how you want specific things to be done and then convey it to your moving crew in a clear unambiguous way. This way, by avoiding unnecessary misunderstandings, plenty of time will be saved and the efforts will be concentrated entirely on getting the job done promptly.

Your information will vary depending on the specific job your helpers have been hired to do:

• Packing: The packing personnel have been sent to your house to pack and that is exactly what they will do – they will pack everything in sight! They are experts at what they do but they can’t read people’s minds. Therefore, make sure you keep the items that you don’t want to be packed out of their reach, or if not possible, just inform them beforehand which household belongings will be your responsibility to pack and transport to your new destination.
• Loading: It’s important to keep your valuables, as well as the boxes or items you’re transporting yourself (for example, your survival box, the box(es) for the new owners or any items movers won’t take) in a safe place. Mark these special boxes “DO NOT LOAD ON TRUCK” for extra precaution. Also, if you have some specific ideas about how to optimize the moving and loading process, you’re encouraged to share them with your movers. For instance, you may remember the effective method your previous movers used to carry that bulky sofa along the narrow corridor on the second floor.
• Unloading and unpacking: This is when your clear instructions could save tons of valuable time. Prepare in advance a plan of where your heavy household items need to go (which room and exact spot in the room). Also, your boxes should have been marked adequately when packing so that your movers know where to leave them. In short, do your homework right during packing and you will get an A+ grade during unpacking.

Be considerate of your crew’s needs

Your moving personnel are not robots and they have their needs, just like everybody else. Try not to forget this. Provide easy access to drinking water or offer bottles of water or other non-alcoholic beverages. Have a bathroom ready for them with hand sanitizers and disposable paper towels. Designate a spot outside where they could smoke during breaks if they wanted. Provide adequate air conditioning that corresponds to the temperatures outside.

Also, it’s a great idea to buy your movers lunch. Not only will this thoughtful gesture be greatly appreciated but it will keep your hired workers’ spirits and energy level elevated. Ordering pizza is the logical choice but before you do it, stop and think for a moment how much pizza the crew members must have had in the last month or so. Why not take the time and ask them what they would like to have for lunch? Their answer may surprise you.

Keep the communication channel wide open

Sometimes even impeccable organization and preparation from both sides won’t prevent mistakes, confusions, misunderstandings and accidents from happening. You cannot undo what’s been done, but what you can do is to make sure such mishaps do not occur again. And the best course of action is to show your moving crew that you are ready to communicate. Again, they don’t have the ability to read your thoughts, so if there is anything you would like to say, share or suggest, just go ahead and do it. Encourage them to voice any suggestions, concerns or worries they might have. Establishing an open communication with your crew is a guarantee for a pleasant problem-free relocation with no hard feelings in the end.

Be polite and well-mannered

The stress level peaks on moving day – there’s tons of work and everyone’s trying to finish it as soon as possible. And when people are in a great hurry, they usually make mistakes. Try to keep your good manners whatever may happen: if packers have packed the wrong items, point out their error politely and ask them to repack; if a crew member accidentally drops and breaks something, don’t panic – your movers are insured and you will be reimbursed.

However, if you notice that the moving personnel seem blatantly careless with your belongings and pay no heed to your requests to watch their actions, contact the moving company at once and explain what is happening. Such situations should be rare though because reputable movers do their best to keep their clients satisfied with their services.

Important: raising your voice will not solve anything. On the contrary, it’ll just make things worse. Respect your moving crew, be polite and there’s a great chance that you will be treated the same way.

Show your gratitude

If your moving personnel have done a great job packing, loading or unpacking your belongings, there are a few things you can do to show your gratitude:

• Tipping: Movers usually don’t expect to be tipped, but greatly appreciate it when it happens. If you’re dissatisfied with your movers’ performance, tipping them will be out of the question. After all, a tip is given for a job well done. On the other hand, if your moving crew have been hard-working and professional from beginning to end, it’s customary that you should recognize their worthy efforts by offering them a proper tip.

How much is a proper tip, you may ask? You should give each crew member what you think they deserve for their efforts. However, if you’re having trouble deciding, here are some basic guidelines: if they have worked for 4 hours, $10 per person is considered appropriate, whereas for a full-day move the tip is usually $20. Consider adding to that amount if they’ve got to tackle a lot of heavy furniture, narrow corridors, winding stairs, etc.

A good tactical approach is to provide an additional incentive for your moving crew by telling them beforehand that if they act professionally and do their job well, you will give them a good tip. You may be surprised how efficiently powerful this tactic can be.

CAUTION: Don’t give the lump sum to the foreman or the driver. Instead, hand over each worker their tip. Why? First of all, this shows your appreciation to their individual efforts, and secondly, there are some dishonest foremen who will not share the money and will keep it all to themselves.

• Providing feedback: If you’re happy with the services of your hired workers, you’re encouraged to contact the moving company, either by phone or e-mail, and let them know. You may rest assured that such positive feedback will only be beneficial to your moving crew members. Of course, in case you’re contacting the company with negative feedback about its employees, be objective and provide details about why you think they did a poor job.
• Writing a moving review: Once your relocation is complete and you’re already settled down at your new home, it’s very important that you take the time to leave a moving review. This post-move process has many advantages and you can read all about them here. In brief, your moving review will greatly help all the people who are contemplating a move and have had the chance to read your narrative. Also, in some cases, such a review may bring great benefits for you as well.

And while it is true that you’re paying for the moving services you’ve requested, your moving personnel are not highly efficient automatons, but rather human beings just like you. And if you make them feel welcome, be considerate of their needs, be open with them and treat them with respect, you’ll get treated the same way and you’ll notice how, all of a sudden, your relocation goes much faster, smoother and, why not even more enjoyable than you expected.

And remember: small gestures of human kindness may sometimes mean the world.

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