12 Mar 2019

Countering the wellbeing risks of relocating employees

In order to achieve success, your business needs the right people in the right place. While the rapid advance of technology recently has made remote working far, far more prevalent, some roles make relocating the best talent a necessity.

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Of course, that’s not a 100 per cent positive thing, in all cases. There are issues and risks that can negatively impact the wellbeing of an employee you want to relocate. In this article, we’ll go over a few ways in which relocation can be a stressor on an employee—and show you how to lessen that impact.

Organisation
Moving—even just to a different street—is one of the most stressful events most people will go through. Scale that up to a different city, or even country, and it’s not hard to imagine a breakdown on the horizon.

Encourage good organisation and tidy thinking. Provide checklists, set dates in concrete and offer assistance with everything you can—the logistics of uprooting your life are complex. Knowing that organising vans and removals, packing and unpacking, and picking up the keys to a new home are taken care of will be a huge relief.

Social support
You might be asking someone to move far away from a social circle and family they’ve known all their lives. Humans are social animals, but the exhaustion of moving can make it hard to make friends in the first few weeks.

Introduce a buddy system in the new location, so employees have a friendly face to talk to whenever they need to. Organise social events, meet ups and clubs—going for a run with some new friends is a great way to learn about a new city.

Costs
It’s an expensive business, moving. A good, well thought out relocation package is a great incentive—be sure to research the cost of living in the new locations, report your findings to those you’re expecting to move and offer them the financial assistance they may need.

Culture
If you’re asking someone to move to a new country, prepare them for any culture shock they might experience. It’s a good idea in general to provide plenty of information on the new location regardless of where it is—news, blogs and ‘what’s on’ guides are invaluable.

Make the new location as attractive as possible to the employee you’re asking to move. If they’re a sports fan, offer them tickets to events. If they’re a film buff, find out about movie festivals. A musician? Look for gig guides.

It’s much easier to settle in to a new area when you know you can find something to enjoy.

Family care
Of course, the first thing an employee with a family will want to know is whether or not a relocation will affect their family’s lifestyle. Look into available childcare, and offer to subsidise it if possible. Find out about schools, recreation facilities and potential spouse employment opportunities, and present all this information in the most positive light you can.

As we say, uprooting an employee is a massive thing to ask. A little care, consideration and forethought will head off worries and stress on their part, and hopefully lead to a smooth relocation beneficial to all.

This article is provided by Health Assured.