该不该为了工作搬家?
For more than two decades, Steve and Ranu Hubbard built their lives in Richmond, Virginia, where they owned a house and raised three children. So it was hard to decide what to do when they learned Steve's job would soon relocate 700 miles away. His company was shifting its headquarters to St. Louis. Employees had a choice: Move to Missouri and keep their jobs, or stay put and lose them. It was the middle of the Great Recession, so job opportunities were scarce. There was no telling how long it would take Steve to find another comparable position. Just as difficult to predict was how their kids would adapt to different schools and new classmates. "For us, the evaluation was, 'What's the negative impact of moving away from family and a place we had been for over 20 years versus the negative impact of staying there and maybe having to take a significant pay cut or not being able to find a job for a period of time?'" Steve Hubbard recalls. Ultimately, the Hubbards decided to move, Steve says: "Staying was a bigger risk than going." Whether your entire office is moving or you're the lone employee offered a promotion far away, it's rarely easy to decide whether to stay or go. Relocating affects more than your career and your physical location. It has implications for your personal and professional relationships, your lifestyle, your finances, your legal status, your future job prospects and, if you have a partner, his or her career, too. Why Relocations Happen Nearly a decade after the Hubbards made their decision to leave Richmond, Pretlow Moring and his wife Chelsea are preparing to move from the city, although under different circumstances. After working for nine years in Trader Joe's locations throughout Southeastern Virginia and turning down to relocate, Pretlow recently accepted an offer to become the captain, or manager, of a store 100 miles north. The couple may have to sell their house and will likely spend more time apart, since Chelsea will return frequently to Richmond to run her wedding coordination and party planning business. Despite these inconveniences, Pretlow says, the promotion was an "offer I can't refuse." |