Posted on Tuesday, March 24 2026
No matter how excited your employees are to take on a relocation, it’s still going to be a stressful time. In fact, a recent survey from Compare My Move reports that moving home ranked above childbirth, and not far behind the death of a close family member, when it came to sources of upset and anxiety.With that in mind, it’s not surprising to learn that as many as 45% of employee relocations simply don’t go as well as everyone hopes they will. The relocated employee terminates the assignment early or doesn’t perform as well as planned – mostly because the stress of the relocation didn’t allow everyone to hit the ground running.
If you’re a mobility manager, you’re probably all too aware of these challenges. What can you do to help ensure your assignee has a better experience with their relocation?
Logistical planning is crucial
Right now, one of the biggest challenges for global mobility managers is simply ensuring their assignees, and their belongings, get to where they need to go with a minimum of stress, delay and administrative challenges. Detailed advance planning is crucial, whether that means arranging for flights (with backup plans), ensuring freight movers can deliver on their promises, and allowing sufficient time for relocating employees to navigate any unexpected challenges before being expected to be on-site and working.
(This is one reason why corporate housing can be a fantastic short-term option for relocating employees and their families: They can arrive at their fully-equipped accommodation with just their carry-ons and feel right at home.)
Better relocations start with better communications
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. 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.
Get to know the whole family
Experienced global mobility professionals say that one of the secrets to relocation success – especially for top talent – is to take the time to meet the family members who are relocating with the assignee. Sometimes they help the accompanying spouse make professional contacts or navigate working visa requirements in the new location, or facilitate school selection for kids. At the very least, they provide another point of contact for what used to be called the ‘trailing’ spouse, who can often feel isolated and alone as their partner takes on a new challenge while they’re left to fend for themselves.
Help navigate the adjustment period (which could be longer than you think)
One of the reasons that moving is ranked so highly on the list of stressful events is that it involves an extended adjustment period.
The first couple of weeks after you move, you’re so busy unpacking and cleaning and figuring out where to get groceries that you don’t have time to think. But then life starts to settle down, and you realize that you’re in a whole new place with no familiar faces, nothing is second nature, and you still haven’t found a café that makes your coffee the way you like it.
As a global mobility manager, staying in touch with your assignee and their family during the weeks after the move can be a real lifeline: A familiar voice from home, who can commiserate about the lack of good coffee shops or just empathize with the stress of the transition can make a huge difference to someone who is doing their best to navigate a big move.
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!
assignments relocation short-term assignments global mobility