ASK HR: Shouldn’t my employer pay for this destabilising relocation?
Personal circumstances and preferences largely determine the extent to which relocation presents a challenge for an employee. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
- It is unclear from your question what distances are involved in moving from one branch to another or the reasons for your relocations.
- Are you aware of the causes of the relocations? And are such regular relocations customary in your organisation?
Q. My boss has served me with another letter of relocation, just three months after being posted to my current branch. I am reluctant to leave because of the high relocating expenses. Do I have a right to request that the company pay for my moving expenses even though my contract mentions nothing regarding change of work stations?
Personal circumstances and preferences largely determine the extent to which relocation presents a challenge for an employee. Even where relocation is desirable, adapting to a new environment may be fraught with some level of discomfort. It is in the interest of companies that relocate employees to pay a relocation allowance to make it easier for the employee to settle down and be productive as early as possible in their new environment.
It is unclear from your question what distances are involved in moving from one branch to another or the reasons for your relocations. Are you aware of the causes of the relocations? And are such regular relocations customary in your organisation? Do you possess rare skills? It could be that you provide critical solutions in the branches to which you are posted and therefore your organisation seeks to use your skills to good effect.
Although organisations often have employment contracts that indicate an employee could be posted to any part of their geographical coverage, relocation has at times been abused. In some cases, it has been deliberately deployed as an instrument of exasperating an employee into resignation by making it unbearably disruptive. An employee in such distress may find relief in throwing in the towel, especially in the absence of a relocation allowance.
Whether your organisation is relocating you for positive or surreptitious reasons, it is advisable to request for a relocation allowance.
Many organisations cover the subject of relocation in their HR policies rather than in their employment contracts. Present the request to your supervisor, highlighting the value that would accrue to your organisation as a result of facilitating easier adjustment to your new location through the payment of a relocation allowance.
