Moving is among the top stressful activities most people experience. In fact, according to SWNS, 45% of people in a North American Van Lines study said moving is the most stressful life event – beating divorce, having children, and starting a first job. Given how stressful moving can be, it’s important to support mental health during corporate relocations.
Why Is Moving So Stressful?
Moving is stressful on many levels.
Firstly, there are the practical concerns. You have to pack up all your belongings, coordinate schedules with movers, update everything with your new address, and so on.
Moving also represents a major break in a person’s routine. It often means a new job and a new city in addition to a new home. Nothing is familiar. As most people find change to be stressful, it makes sense that moving would be a stressful event.
A move also means people leave behind their social circle and support – they may not know anyone in the new area. As a result, they can feel alone and may not have anyone to turn to if they need help. This can increase stress levels.
On top of all of this, moving involves a lot of worry and uncertainty. What if you don’t like the new area? What if the new job doesn’t work out? What if your belongings are damaged or lost during the move? Many things can go wrong, which is bound to cause stress.
Mental Health Should Be Taken Seriously
It may be normal for a move to be stressful, but this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t take stress seriously.
The American Psychological Association says stress can impact every system in the body. Tension headaches, migraines, hypertension, heart attacks, stroke, chronic fatigue, and other health issues are all associated with chronic stress.
Too much stress isn’t just bad for a person’s health; it can also be bad for business. According to the CDC, research shows that stressful working conditions can hurt a company’s bottom line by contributing to absenteeism, tardiness, and intentions to quit.
A Good Onboarding Experience Can Reduce Turnover
Recruiting and hiring new employees takes up significant resources. In fact, Gallup says the cost of replacing an employee can cost up to two times that employee’s annual salary.
Since a poor onboarding experience can contribute to high turnover, employers should be motivated to make the onboarding process go as smoothly as possible.
When corporate relocations are involved, all of the above is doubly true. Employers don’t just need to help workers become acclimated to their new job; they also need to help workers become settled in the new city, state, or country. If the process goes badly, new workers are bound to become stressed, which could impact job performance or even cause them to quit.
How Companies Can Alleviate Stress During Corporate Relocations
Moving is stressful, but companies can take steps to help alleviate stress during corporate relocations by doing the following.
- Provide a relocation package. When companies offer a relocation package, they take on some of the cost and work associated with moving. This gives workers more time to focus on their new jobs. A good package may include temporary housing, moving costs, and travel costs.
- Offer communication and support. When workers move to a new area, they might need a lot of help settling in – and they probably don’t have any friends in the area to turn to. Employers can help by providing support with things like finding permanent housing, enrolling children in school, and issues that come up during the moving process.
- Provide good insurance. Moving and starting a new job is stressful enough when things go well. When things go wrong, it can be an absolute nightmare. Imagine moving to a new state or country only to find that all of your belongings were stolen while being shipped to you. Then imagine realizing you don’t even have the insurance coverage you need to replace what you’ve lost. By providing solid insurance as part of the relocation package, employers can give their new workers peace of mind.
Relocation Insurance Group provides corporate relocation insurance for relocation management companies as well as corporations, moving companies, individuals with a lump sum relocation benefit, and others involved in corporate relocation. Our insurance offerings include FLEX-Stay Insurance for temporary housing, domestic and international household goods transportation insurance, and international business travel insurance.