When You Have to Relocate for Your Job
By Sherril Steele-Carlin
What happens when you open your paycheck and find your pink slip? Will you stay where you are, or move to a new city to find another job? Suddenly, employee relocation has become a major issue in the workplace. With so much downsizing going on all across the country, people are finding it necessary to relocate in order to secure another position.
According to the Employee Relocation Council, a trade organization in Washington D.C., relocation costs average $7,876, so moving to find a new job isn't a cheap proposition. There are many things to consider when you think about relocating for a new job, and here are a few of the most important.
Cost of Living in the New City
Even if your new job pays substantially more than your old position, beware of unknown costs in your new city. Utilities may cost more in your new home, even though housing costs might be less. If you're moving to a four-season climate from a two-season climate, you will have to budget for warm clothes, snow tires, and perhaps even snow removal. These are all things you should consider into the cost of your move, but you may not think of them.
There are many places online where you can compare the cost of living in different cities, but those "untold" costs are the ones that can mount up, and eat up your new pay increase. If your family doesn't move with you for the time being, you may have to factor in the cost of commuting back and forth until the move can be completed.
Will You Stay?
That's not at all uncommon, according to the Transition Management Group, (TMG) a retention consulting firm in Bernardsville, New Jersey. Their study of how 5,400 people from 12 companies reacted to relocating confirms that many people find they aren't adjusting to their new location. Employees who moved to a new city were four times as likely to leave their companies than employees who haven't moved. TMG even created a name for the phenomenon, "Relocation Stress Meltdown," or RSM.
Often it's the family of the worker that doesn't assimilate to the new location. That creates stress for the employee, and stress in the family, too. Sometimes the children miss their friends, their schools, even their favorite playgrounds and parks. Often spouses miss their friends, their old home, their neighborhood, or their old job. One spouse even attended grief counseling after moving, and found it helped her cope with the new location.
All of this can color an employee's experience with his employer, even if it was his choice to move. Many times employees leave their jobs, because they blame the employer for their relocation troubles.
What if You're Stuck?
Another consideration to think about when you take a new job in a new city is the job's potential longevity. If your job suddenly disappears, you'll be stuck in a new city, lacking the support group you had in your old home. Then you'll have to make the decision whether to stay in the new city, or move again.
If you've moved to an industry center, such as the Silicon Valley for your new job, you'll probably stand a good chance of finding another position, but what if you've moved out of the mainstream? It's a good idea to make sure you really like the area where you're going to relocate. Then, if the worst happens, you won't be doubly stressed about being stuck in a city you really don't like.
Issues to Think About
These are all issues you need to think about before you take that new job in that new location. How will your family adapt? For that matter, how will you adapt to your new surroundings? Can you afford to move, and can you afford to live in your new city? Is this new position secure, with a company that you know is financially stable?
Be sure you understand the quirks of the climate in your new city. Ten feet of snow might sound cozy and romantic, until you have to shovel it, and drive on three inches of ice to your new job.
Moving is listed as one of the top-ten stress inducing life activities. So, before you jump at that new job halfway across the country, take some time to think about all your options. If the position is everything you've wanted, with a substantial pay increase, and located in an industry hub, it might be the perfect opportunity for you. Just don't forget to weigh all the advantages and disadvantages, and then, get busy with your packing!
