Moving jobs

CupCakeQueen_3

I have worked for my company for the past eighteen years. The office is three miles from home. The boss is now going to open another business almost 40 miles away and I have heard on the grapevine he wants to send me there to work. I don't have transport and the extra travelling time and cost would be prohibitive for me.

Do I have to go? If I refuse can he make me redundant from my present post?

I am starting to feel slightly panicky. Hopefully this will be just the rumour mill in overdrive but I want to be prepared if this really is his intention.

Sycorax

40 miles away would not be considered reasonable to expect you to move, but it may be the case that the job is being relocated for some good reason. If it is then you can take a number of different approaches, but really there's no point in thinking of options until you know what is really happening.

Before we talk about all the 'ifs, buts and maybes' you just need to talk to your boss and tell him what you've been hearing and ask if there is any truth in the rumours. Once you know what the situation is for sure, then you can address it.

My inclination is that this is so much scuttlebutt, if you've worked there for 18 years your boss will know your situation and if your office isn't closing then why would your work transfer to a different location?

We can speculate until the cows come home, just go and talk to him.

lemontart

of course you do not have to go, but the as to what happens if you don't is open to speculation at present so you will just have to wait and see

SleeplessinScandinavia

If you have a printed employment contract, a lot may also ride on whats in it.

My old job contract contained a phrase that I could be asked to work anywhere and at any time according to the needs of the company.

As the commercial environment became tougher, management began to seize on these words!

Not nice to have this scenario dropped on you, but I agree: talk to your boss - there might be some kind of 'sweetener' :cool:

CupCakeQueen_3

I can't ever remember getting an actual contract of employment, just the original job offer. All it stated was hours and pay.

The boss is not a very approachable person and is the type that will only tell you something once it is decided. His secretary has told me she thinks he wants me to manage the new branch and things will be decided in the next month. Our branch has suffered a bit in the economic downturn and there was talk of redundancies last autumn but we didn't have any. I don't think he would want to pay me 18yrs redundancy and this may be his way getting round it, knowing full well I would be unable to take the new job.

It looks like I am just going to have to wait and see. I understand that conjecture is not a good thing, but what can you do when you are really worried about a situation.