Thinking About Job Relocation?

As a result of the global economic meltdown, companies are trying to find ways to cut costs. In addition to compensation freezes and layoffs, some firms are relocating to areas with lower real estate or rental prices, and where workers are used to drawing smaller salaries.

In order to keep your current job, you may be asked to move — to a new city, a new state, possibly even a new country. This can be one of the hardest decisions you’ll have to make. And moving is right up there with divorce, a death in the family, and losing your job as a life event that provokes stress and doubt.

Some advice:

Only relocate if both the job and the company are secure. Sometimes this is hard to gauge, and you may have to take a leap of faith. But the last thing you want is to uproot your life to a new city, just to lose your job three months later because the company is failing. And remember, when you join a new office, if they do decide to hold layoffs, the “new” people at that office will be the first to go — even if you’ve been with the firm much longer.

Consider the effect on your family. If you have a spouse and children, their happiness should be more important than your career. Still, they have to eat, so the relocation may be necessary. Discuss the issue with your family. Listen to what your kids have to say. Make the decision as a family unit, and the upheaval will be easier to bear.

Get help choosing a new place to live. It happens all the time — someone planning to move to a new city or state finds a great apartment or house close to the work site, and seals the deal. And it’s not until you arrive that you find out your new home is wedged between a crack den and a drum school.

Find a local native, and get some advice about which neighborhoods would be right for you and your family.

Meet as many locals, as soon as you can. There are two reasons for this — one is that you and your family are leaving your whole support system, friends and possibly family, behind you. Start making friends, both at work and in your neighborhood. Join a club, or take a class. Building up a social group is key to finding happiness in a new city.

Also, if your company should lay you off, you won’t be all alone in a new place. Some of your new friends and business colleagues may be able to help you find new work.

Got any more advice for those considering relocation? Let us know in the comments!