Posted in Planning the Move on October 3, 2022
How does employee relocation work? Corporate relocation is a frequent practice among all companies that have opened offices across the state or world. Usually, the company has to allocate a certain number of employees to the newly-found branch in order for a business to start functioning properly. As a result, CEOs decide on what potential candidates are and create a special relocating package. Of course, it is up to the employee to decide whether moving across the country or the world is the right move to make.
What should I ask for corporate relocation? That is by no means a trifling matter. Moving cross country can completely change your life. However, the very process of long-distance moving is not simple either, so you need to be sure that the company will back you up in some way. Generally, all serious enterprises have a strict policy about this issue and provide help for the following things:
Of course, you will need to contact and have a serious talk with your boss and learn all about what this package will entail, and then make a decision which is best for yourself and your family.
Relocating to a new state or even to a new country because of a job happens often, especially with corporations that are constantly looking to expand their business. Hence, each corporation has its own devised policy. Of course, there are a few pricing models followed by the majority of companies, and they exist to help employees organize their move.
This is the oldest model which is slowly becoming obsolete since relocating to a new city has become a lot more challenging due to the coronavirus pandemic. A lump sum means that an enterprise has a fixed amount of money designated for this situation. It is up to you to decide on what cross-country movers you are going to contact and manage all other expenses.
Managed budget package is a new model that is slowly being adopted by all enterprises. You will receive a fixed amount of money again, but you will also be provided with the service of a professional mover who will help with everything from creating a good corporate relocation checklist to hiring the most affordable cross-country moving services.
If you are lucky enough and CEOs love you, everything from the initial plan when relocating to another city to all expenses will be completely covered by the company’s resources. Of course, this package is usually reserved for people in high-level positions, but it is always worth trying to negotiate with your boss.
As you will be able to learn later in the text, a relocating-out list consists of many things, and if you have not received full assistance, some things will be covered and some won’t. So it is best to have a clear understanding of what the employer is prepared to help with, especially when changing address for the first time.
Before we continue with more detailed information on the technical aspects of job relocations, let us first briefly see what hiring movers and changing your home address can mean for both your career and life. The good news is that general stats show that people benefit from such a decision a lot:
Nonetheless, you need to carefully evaluate all important factors that will affect your life and the life of your loved ones if you are relocating with a family before you have made a final decision on where to live. Here is a good video that will provide you with some thoughts about this issue.
As mentioned above, nowadays, the most popular package is “managed budget,” which means that they have chosen a relocating enterprise to work with. This means that, in theory, all the necessary storage and packing services will be taken care of since changing a home address is not possible without them. In addition, if you have to ship a car cross-country, your company will also contact and pay for all necessary auto-transport services. Finally, you will also not have to worry about insurance against damages or how much to tip movers as everything will be sorted out.
Paying for movers’ expenses has gone beyond a policy and has become part of business etiquette. If your employer proposes a move to another state or country and then refuses to even help with the deduction of expenses, this is a sign that an enterprise financially struggles or has not still developed a clear policy about this. Unfortunately, there are those as well who simply don’t care about their employees.
When relocating, people often try to save money by choosing the least expensive way to get to the new destination (in general, people avoid driving to the new location as it is the most expensive option). However, if you are relocating because of a job, it doesn’t matter which way you choose to travel. A common practice is for an enterprise to buy plane tickets in advance, for example, which is always a lovely gesture. Of course, it goes without saying that if you are not relocating alone to another state, the possessions and traveling expenses for your family members will be taken care of as well.
One of the main things to consider when changing addresses is whether or not you will prepare and sell your place. Many enterprises provide help, mostly if you have to sell your home quickly at a lower price. Since you are doing it technically because of your job, many employers are happy to give reimbursement for the lost money. Furthermore, some will even recommend or contact real estate agents and pay all necessary fees. In case you were renting the place, the employers often provide money for all needed things like move-out cleaning, which are needed for successful lease termination.
This largely depends on how successful the business is, but you are supposed to get some help, at least in the beginning, while you are still searching for the right place. The most common practice is that the employer will help you with checking out the potential houses or apartments, meaning that the enterprise will organize trips for you. Another thing which you can expect is that your employer will contact a landlord and take care of housing for the first thirty days after relocating. Naturally, in that case, one of the first things you should do after relocating is to start searching for suitable housing immediately.
One of the main reasons why people fear relocating is finding new and affordable health insurance. Luckily, companies that frequently send their workers to other offices have partnerships with health insurance companies, so you won’t have to worry about anything. Also, expenses like transportation services and fees for enrollments of your children at schools are also covered. If you have to drive to work, gas expenses will most likely be covered as well.
Corporations that go global often send their experienced personnel to work abroad, and this is an even bigger challenge for a person. However, as mentioned, it almost always turns out to be a wonderful experience, and people benefit a lot in all aspects of their life. If you are relocating abroad, you can expect everything that has been mentioned above. But, companies in this case also want to ease your period of adjustment. They will often pay for language courses and organize various social events, which will help immensely with getting used to the unknown environment.
If you are married, corporate relocations tend to become a bit more emotionally strenuous since your spouse often has to make a huge sacrifice and quit the job. However, companies and employers are well aware of this, and if they are really determined to make the move happen, they will offer financial compensation, usually until your significant other finds a new job.
When asking – “What is the process of relocation?“, as you can see, there are many tasks that have to be performed, and fortunately, your employer will back you up. However, people often set unrealistic expectations. The most frequent one is permanent housing. As mentioned, companies will provide assistance while searching and even pay your rent for some time. However, getting a free apartment or house is a rare occurrence and is usually reserved only for CEOs and other high-ranking officials. But also, the enterprise has to be immensely successful, so unless you are working at some renowned and wealthy corporation, it is not worth arguing about this with your boss.
There are a few other things that employers often won’t consider. For example, if you are relocating with pets, all expenses like pet registration (you can use this website for pet registration if you are a dog owner) and vaccination won’t be covered. Also, personal hobbies that include membership fees will also have to be your responsibility. Nonetheless, everything is open for negotiation, and if you see that your boss is willing to talk, definitely try to achieve your goals.
Whether you are working at a global or US-based enterprise, if you receive the offer to move to another office, it is best to take your time and review the proposal carefully. A lot will depend on how much your employer is willing to help and invest the company’s resources, but if an enterprise is ready to contact you and make this offer, then everything stated above should probably be involved in the agreement. Relocating because of a job is one of the main reasons why people choose to leave their home, and it almost always turns out to be the right choice.