Should you reward your movers?

Moving is a difficult and time-consuming process. So, it’s only natural not to risk damaging your belongings and to let professionals move your home. But, should you reward your movers for the help they’ll provide during your relocation? And, if so, how should you do it? Are there acceptable and unacceptable ways you can do this? Read on to find out the answers to these questions and more.

Should you reward your movers?

In short – yes! Moving is a service and like every other business in the service industry, it entitles some tips on your part. You tip your server when he or she is very polite, you might tip your valet for bringing your car to you quickly, so why not tip the people who are literally handling your entire household? We tend to avoid rewarding our relocators because a move costs a lot of money to begin with. And so, we figure we don’t want to spend any more on the same thing. Unfortunately, this is wrong. Relocation is a complicated process which requires a lot of planning and work, so you should definitely reward your movers for it.

What doesn’t count

There are some things which won’t count as rewarding your movers but are generally just polite. You should definitely do them on your moving day but don’t consider them a reward for your relocators. These are:

• refreshments – no matter how long your relocation will take, you should bring some drinks for your relocation team. Mind you, these should be alcohol-free! The last thing you want is your relocation slowing down or some accidents happening because of tipsy movers. Make some lemonade or just bring enough water for everyone.
• getting your movers some food – remember how moving is really exhausting and hard? Well, you should treat your movers to some food on a moving day. This is especially important if your relocation will take more than 5 hours. And remember, if you want to reward your movers, this doesn’t really count. It just nice.
• stay out of the way – you’ve hired the pros to help you relocate, so keep out of the way and let them do their job.

When and how

We’re not saying you should reward your movers no matter how they do their job. Just as with your server, you should only tip them if you’re satisfied with their services. However, just as with tipping your server you’ll also need to understand that not everything is up to them. In a restaurant, a cook can send your meal out later, or they may not have your favorite type of beer, but this is hardly a reason to take it out on the poor waiter. Relocation is similar to this – not all aspects of the move strictly depend on your movers. You shouldn’t take it out on them if your relocation is slowed down because of bad weather or your landlord insisting he check the apartment one last time before you move out. Make sure you find professional and polite movers which will be worthy of reward after the relocation.

When to reward your movers

You should show your relocators some appreciation when you’re satisfied with their services. If your movers are punctual, professional and hard working, you should definitely compensate them for it. In addition to this, if your movers are very nice, approachable and polite, they should also get some sort of prize. Keep in mind that hauling all of your items is definitely a hard task. So, being polite and nice while doing it is definitely a cause for a reward.

As to when you should show your movers appreciation during the moving process, the answer is simple. Do it when all the work is finished and you’re in your new home. Think of it as asking for a check in a restaurant, you do it at the end of a meal. Only then can you be completely sure it’s a good decision, and your movers will understand. However, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t plan for it in advance. The last thing you’ll want is to want to tip your movers but not to have any cash on you. So, when you prepare for your moving day make sure you make space in your budget for tipping your movers.

How

There are a lot of rules about tipping and it’s no different with your movers. So, if you want to reward them you should check with the moving company. Some companies prefer you give a combined tip to the team’s manager so that he/she can divide it equally among the movers. Other, however, encourage you to tip each relocator specifically if you’re happy with their services. This is a great way to show your appreciation for them as well. You can address each mover personally and tell them why you’re satisfied with how they did. This is also an excellent way to reward some of the harder workers more than the others.

Alternative ways of rewarding your movers

So, what if we’re really satisfied with our movers but we don’t have any cash to tip them with? There are other ways to show our appreciation. Compliments are fine, but they don’t pay the bills. However, this is definitely better than nothing. In addition to this, you can let them have some of the stuff you don’t need anymore. Your relocation will be a good opportunity to get rid of some of your items, so, why not let your movers have them. But, in the end, your relocation specialists will definitely appreciate cash more than anything else. So, this is by far the best way to reward your movers if you’re happy with their services. And you know what they say, tipping is not a city in China.