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Coalition Corner" is a monthly business training tool for HR staff, real estate agents, and other service professionals in the relocation, real estate and/or affinity program industries. The Coalition thanks Tony Duncanson for this edition.
While a relocation-related move is often an exciting, positive event, it also can be a stressful one, not only for transferees, but for the family members accompanying them. Current information about family-related assistance—and transferee use of it—helps relocation professionals stay abreast of today's working professionals' primary concerns, and how other organizations are addressing them. Excerpts from Worldwide ERC®'s recently published Family Issues survey offer a helpful glimpse into some current trends.
Spouse Employment
A National Study of the Changing Workforce by the Families and Work Institute reports that in 2002, 66 percent of salaried and wage employees lived as part of a couple—59 percent were married and 7 percent lived with partners. Among married employees, the proportion of dual-earner couples has increased substantially over the past 25 years, from 66 percent in 1977, to 78 percent in 2002—because of the expanded participation of married women in the labor force. The study also found that the percentage of employed female spouses of married men with children under 18 had increased even more dramatically—from 49 percent to 67 percent during the same period.
It is not surprising that formal spouse assistance programs in relocation policies have been steadily increasing for more than a decade as well. ERC®'s Family Issues survey reports that:
- Four in 10 employers have some type of support for employed spouses written into formal policies. An additional one-fourth offers case-by-case assistance.
- About one-quarter of firms offer partners of transferring employees formal employment assistance—a figure that has not changed since 1997.
- On average, just under 20 percent of employees availed themselves of this assistance in 2003.
Child Care
When it comes to child care, ERC®'s research found that four in 10 companies offer some form of assistance—39 percent via formal policy and 2 percent on a case-by-case basis. Additionally:
- The most common type of formal assistance consists of providing a pre-tax flexible spending account to be used specifically for child care.
- Companies that offer child-care assistance (both on a case-by-case basis and via formal policy) reported that, on average, approximately one-quarter of transferees took advantage of these provisions in 2003.
School Finding
To address schooling concerns in the new location, just over one-quarter of firms have instituted formal policies for school-finding assistance. Another 23 percent do so using a case-by-case approach.
Elder Care
To meet the needs of transferees with care-giving responsibilities, the Family Issues survey reports that about 20 percent of employers offer some form of elder-care assistance through formal written policy. An additional 3 percent offer such assistance on a case-by-case basis. The survey also found that:
- The most prevalent type of formal assistance consists of moving an elderly relative residing with the family. Nearly as common is offering the transferee a list of available elder-care facilities/programs.
- Within relocation programs, elder care is the most infrequently accessed form of family assistance. Companies reported an average of 8 percent of their employees taking advantage of such programs when offered.
By recognizing and addressing changing family dynamics and concerns, mobile workforce professionals can better facilitate moves to the benefit of all involved.