Posted on Monday, September 29 2025
Relocation can be a great opportunity for both employees and organizations: Employees get to grow their careers in all kinds of ways, while organizations get the knowledge and insight gained from widening the experience of their team members.However, a 2023 study indicated that the failure rate of employee relocation can be as high as 40%. Culture shock, poor communication, misaligned expectations, family and spousal pushback - there are any number of reasons that a long-term relocation can go sideways. This can be a huge problem for everyone involved: The employees, who may find their careers are stymied by a perceived failure, and by the companies who relocated them, who invested a huge amount of resources in a relocation that just didn’t deliver an ROI.
So how can organizations ensure their employee relocations are as successful as possible?
1. Know what success looks like
It’s hard for an assignment to be successful if no one knows what ‘success’ really means. It’s crucial for global mobility managers, employees and their managers to get on the same page about what a successful relocation will look like for the business and the employee. These expectations should be clearly documented so that there are no misunderstandings down the line.
2. Don’t neglect the spouse and family members
Some studies suggest that 70% of failed relocations can be traced to family issues: The relocated employee’s spouse is unhappy in their new home, or the kids just can’t seem to adjust happily. Global mobility managers who take the time to assist spouses (with career counseling or other supports) and children (with help finding the right neighbourhood and schools) will find the success rate of their relocations increases.
3. Be prepared for culture shock
International relocations can bring significant culture shock, but even a move across the same country can be challenging: It may be new customs and behavioural norms; it may be navigating bureaucracy; it may be a language barrier – culture shock can take a wide variety of forms, and it can cause a lot of pain for assignees. A combination of cultural training, education and allowing relocating employees and their family to make an extended visit to their new home prior to will go a long way to preventing culture shock from derailing a relocation.
4. Help with logistics
Even in normal circumstances, moving is stressful and time-consuming. Relocated employees are also dealing with changing their job, their spouse also possibly changing jobs, transferring kids to new schools, as well as all the associated administrative details like changing their driver’s license or finding a new healthcare provider – it can be overwhelming, so that instead of hitting the ground running, the employee spends their first few weeks just getting on their feet. The more the organization can do to support the employee as they transition, the more likely it is to be a successful assignment in the long run.
Communicate, communicate, communicate
Organizations with long track records of relocation success say that communication, especially in the early weeks and months, is the key to addressing any problems before they have a chance to escalate. It’s helpful to assign a global mobility professional to check in with the employee on a regular and frequent basis; to develop a communication schedule with the employee and their manager(s); and to find ways to engage the spouse in the communication process. Some organizations find it useful to offer family counseling through the transition as a way to ease the stress of relocation for the whole family.
How Premiere Suites can help
As the largest provider of corporate housing in Canada, we’ve worked with thousands of organizations around the world, providing accommodation for employees who are traveling for work or relocating for a few weeks or months. With more than 1500 furnished suites, homes and townhomes across Canada, plus a network of more than 10,000 more furnished residences, we’ve got accommodations to suit just about everyone!