Relocation: Locking it Down

Last year, I paid someone to relocate for a position with our company. I had the person sign a contract requiring repayment if she left before one year. At one year and two weeks, she quit. Now I need to find someone else, and it’s looking like I need to recruit from out of the area again. Are there any tips you can give me for making sure that the person doesn’t run out the door? I need someone stable in this position.

To read the answer, click here: Relocation–Locking it Down

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6 thoughts on “Relocation: Locking it Down

  1. I have had relocation paybacks written into contracts that cover a term (3 years). If they leave they need to reimburse a portion of the relocation expenses. There really is no way to guarantee they will not leave, but a monetary penalty is a motivator. Also consider if they want to leave so bad, do you really want them to stay?

  2. Some Federal agencies require a 2-year commitment for a paid relocation. That being said, if at all possible, try to find out why this employee is leaving at this time. Is it a mere coincidence — say, an offer “too good to refuse” that just happened to arrive now — or something about your company that needs to be addressed? Good luck!

  3. I quit one year and one day after I started a job in corporate finance. I stayed the extra day because I wanted to be sure I wouldn’t have to repay my relo package.

    The group had 100% turnover in my year there. I would have happily stayed at that job if it hadn’t been such a nightmare. Don’t know if this is the case for you, but sometimes, you are the “X” in the equation.

  4. My first thought was that it might be the company/management/culture, and the person hung on just long enough to not have to repay relocation. Why? Because I have a friend who did just that. After relocating halfway across the country to work at a fairly large company in a city she enjoys, she had a couple of bad experiences early on with management that made her decide within her first month that she would work the term of her relocation agreement and not a day longer.

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