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Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Long Distance Relationships

I now find myself in the dreaded long distance relationship. My boyfriend has been moved from the D.C. area to CA by his company for an unspecified period of time. And, since he's here on an H1-B Visa working for an Indian based company, his probability of staying in the U.S. is uncertain. I recently found out that a few other co-workers are also in long distance relationships and if we want employees to stay with our company, perhaps there are things we can do to make this hard situation a little easier.

At The Motley Fool, our vacation policy is pretty liberal, as long as you get your job done. But, that can be tough from afar, especially if you are Sr. Management.

So, does anyone else have any ideas about how to make these situations easier for employees? The fact is, that as the working world becomes more global that this is a trend that we will continue to see in increasing numbers.

A good side for employers is that when people are in their "home base" other activities are probably reduced leaving more time for work. But, these same employees are probably going to want to travel more frequently to see loved ones. How do we make this easier on them so that they aren't tempted to "jump ship" and move?

Any thoughts? Please share them by posting a comment!

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Long-distance relationships are so tough. My husband works in NC, but we own a home in MI that hasn't sold. I'm in MI, he's in a home in NC, and we commute on a bi-weekly basis to see one another. We speak on a nightly basis but it's not the same. We've asked ourselves -- what's the point of being a 'couple' if we don't live in the same place & share the same experiences? We love one another, but so what? We decided that I would move to NC as soon as possible, regardless of whether the house in Michigan sells.

You're right that long-distance relationships will become more & more common. For some, bi-weekly visits are enough to sustain a relationship, but it's not enough for my marriage. Plus, I just miss the chump! :)