The Groan asks would you relocate for your job?
The BBC’s plans to move more of its staff and programmes out of London have hit another hitch in the magisterial form of Question Time’s David Dimbleby. While the rest of the current affairs show’s production team will be starting a new life in Glasgow, the 72-year-old presenter will be staying put in the English capital – meaning an editor will be flying down to brief him every week.
Well, I have to say, I can see Dimbleby’s point – I wouldn’t want to relocate to Glasgow. But, if I was his manager, I’d be telling him that refusal means bye bye. Flying down to brief him every week is taking the piss out of the licence payer.
The answer to the question is pretty obvious; it all depends on the job, personal circumstances and where you are and where they want you to go. I would not, for example, relocate to London as I detest the place with a vengeance. Equally, I wouldn’t go to Birmingham or as stated, Glasgow although I might consider Derby (did once – consider it). Frankly, anywhere much north of Worcester would have to be pretty well paid to entice me to up sticks and relocate. Given the expense and disruption, it would have to be somewhere where I want to go and the package would have to be sufficient to entice me. South, yes, north, er… in general, no. That said, an erstwhile client of mine took the opposite tack when faced with having to move south. He wanted to go further north, so parted company with his employer.
It’s a bit of a silly question really, because the answer is always going to be “maybe”.
Yes, I think I’d avoid Brummieland and London too.
Why should anybody need to fly from Glasgow to London for a briefing? Haven’t they heard of video-conferencing or even a telephone?
Interestingly enough, I’ve just done an assessment interview with a candidate today. He is in Aberdeen and I’m in Bristol. I gave him a choice – pay for me to fly to Aberdeen or use Skype. He chose Skype.
I’d be unlikely to relocate anywhere, unless it was out of the country to some kind of non-existent libertarian country. If I did though, because as you rightly say the answer is always going to be maybe, I would be the opposite of you – further North, yes, but not too much further. Southwards definitely not. But we can agree about London.
For the first thirty years of my career the answer would have been (and often was) “yes.” Having been asked to move to China, however, and having agreed for the greater good of my partners despite the move halving my net income (because of higher taxes than in Russia) and then having been let go before I had chance to succeed – I might take a different view now. I have to say worrying about life in Glasgow, Birmingham or London seems a bit sissy though. Man up, guys!
When younger and with less commitments/responsibilities I would have seen relocation as more of an adventure than a problem.
My current employer relocated last year after merging with another company whose rent payments were much cheaper. My journey is now 3 times as far and through some pretty crap congestion. I don’t pay for the car or fuel, so can’t really complain as I still have a job.
However, my boss has been understanding enough to let me start and finish an hour early, thus making the journeys a bit more bearable.
Tom, it’s not about manning up. I’ve been to these cities frequently enough to know that I don’t want to live there. You can add Manchester and Liverpool to the list, too. I’m a country boy at heart, so large cities are an anathema to me. London, particularly – I’m not exaggerating when I say that I detest it. If I never see the place again, it won’t be a moment too soon.
Add to that my family ties are in the south west, then I would prefer to stay here rather than move to somewhere that I don’t like. Somewhere I do like is worth the sacrifice. London, Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow and Birmingham aren’t.
Is it legal to tell somebody to move city to keep their job? I know in Russia it wasn’t.
Having taken a 3-year assignment in Lagos, I guess I’d be willing to live anywhere. The upside is that you can spend 3 years looking forward to your next assignment, as anywhere will be a vast improvement.
I was asked a couple of years back if I wanted a job in Lagos. They were having difficulty filling the post.