Dollars versus value: Relocating key people

Relocating an employee or recruit to a new location can be risky. Aside from the stress of the actual physical move, the impact of the transition to a new community is tough on the transferee-and often tougher on spouses and other family who come along.

Employers know the costs of losing a

Trends show that the push toward a streamlined, no-hills relocation policy during the nineties is giving way to more in the way of full-service transitional support. That can be especially true for a key company person whose position poses weighty questions regarding relocation costs, the privileges of rank, and dollars versus relative value.

Spending more dollars on soft issues.

For the past several years, the average cost of an employee relocation has stood at $45,000 to $50,000. For a variety of reasons-for instance, a valuable wine collection, a large house or an antique car-the cost of moving a corporate executive often runs well above the average. But the cost of relocation can involve more than just the packing and moving.