what happens when it’s ‘drop everything’?

QUESTION:   You usually discuss relocation in terms of individual employees being transferred to a new location.   But I’ve noticed a significant number of entire companies picking up and moving.  What prompts some companies to “drop everything” and relocate?

ANSWER:   It’s impossible to say for every company, of course.   Sometimes companies never divulge all the reasons – the real reason – why they decide to move.

But I can tell you that one management consulting firm, based in Wisconsin, did a study of this very issue.   The number one reason, they found, why companies move is – not surprisingly   - cost.   High salaries, increasing rents, and elevated transportation costs get company executives wondering if they might not be able to be more profitable elsewhere.

Second on the list was a shortage of productive employees.   And the third reason, the researchers learned, deals with recruiting problems.   Relocation specialists have found that many prospective employees are reluctant to move to areas where the cost of living is known to be high.

QUESTION: My question deals with school-age children involved in a corporate transfer.   Isn’t it better to transfer during the summer when kids are on vacation?

ANSWER:   Actually research indicates the answer to your question is no.   It’s really better for children to transfer during the school year, so they can immediately mingle and get involved, in a structured environment, with their peers in class.

Often times, kids transferred during the summer months don’t have much chance to get involved with other kids in their new neighborhood.   That’s usually due to neighborhood kids being away at camp, on family vacations, in summer school, or involved in other activities that occupy their time during summer vacation.