How Can I Manage a Job Transfer as a Single Mom Without Disrupting My Daughter's Life?

I'm a single mother, and my company has transferred me away from my hometown. It's not feasible for me to travel home daily, and I can't take my daughter to that place because it's a village with no proper schools. I have tried writing to the employer to transfer me to another branch from where I can travel to the office daily, but they are reluctant. There are many males in the company who they could have sent to this place. I'm the only person to take care of my 8-year-old daughter and also the sole earner of the family.

Dear member,

The senior member KK!HR has already provided a proper reply to your post. From your post, it appears that you are from a government organization or a PSU.

Challenges of Employment Transfers

When employment is accepted, irrespective of marital status, the employee is expected to accept the challenges that come with it. Generally, decisions about transfers are made at the Head Office, where decision-making authorities prioritize administrative requirements over the employee's marital status. To honor an employee's request to delay a transfer, they may need to redo the entire transfer order, which senior authorities might be reluctant to do due to the additional work involved.

Common Reasons for Transfer Requests

Another reason senior authorities might not have granted your request is that they frequently receive such requests. If not for single motherhood, it could be due to other reasons like a parent's illness. On a rotational basis, all employees are required to have a rural posting, and they cannot single out any employee due to family issues.

Considerations and Next Steps

How are your relations with your superiors? Does the transfer affect these relations? Does your salary correspond to the work you do? By transferring you, do the seniors aim to reduce the employee cost of your branch?

Of course, all this is purely speculative, and the facts could be different.

Since your application to stop the transfer has not been accepted, you may escalate the matter by submitting another application to the regional or zonal office. Let's see whether they agree.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

Dear madam and colleagues,

As per her post, it is clear that she is acknowledging the right of the employer to transfer her services, and she has not refused the transfer. She, being a single mother to her eight-year-old daughter and the sole earner, requests another place of transfer where they both can live together and educate her daughter. The present transferred place is in a village, which does not seem to have proper educational facilities apart from being inconvenient for daily travel. That is her story.

However, the organization (whether private, PSU, bank, etc.) may have constraints in accepting her request for another place of transfer. On the face of it, the transfer order appears to be a plain administrative action, and no malfeasance is alleged.

Options for the Lady Employee

Given that both sides appear to be right in their own way, the lady employee may have the following options:

1. Accept the transfer and report for duty at the transferred place.
2. Keep escalating the request to the highest decision-maker for another place of transfer.
3. Face disciplinary action if initiated for not reporting at the transferred place.
4. Resign from the job as a last resort and look for another employment opportunity or means of livelihood.

Hope your requests meet with a favorable response in the end.

Regards,
Vinayak Nagarkar
HR and Employee Relations Consultant