# Relocation playbook

> A playbook for someone moving to another office or country: right to work, payroll and People details for HR, meetings moved to their time zone and a check-in.

Category: Onboarding and playbooks

Canonical: https://shuffl.ai/templates/relocation-playbook

## When to use it

A move touches pay, tax, paperwork, time zones and the people someone sees every day. Each piece belongs to someone different, so it is easy for one to slip.

This playbook starts once the move is agreed. HR handles right to work and payroll, their manager moves meetings, and a check-in after six weeks asks what is not right yet.

## Plan person moving’s move

To HR, on the day they join.

```text
**Plan {{hire}}’s move**

- [ ] Check their right to work in the new country
- [ ] Set up payroll and tax for the new location
- [ ] Confirm relocation support in writing
- [ ] Check which benefits change with the move
```

## Your move, person moving

To the person moving, on the day they join.

```text
**Your move, {{hire}}**

Moving takes a lot of organising. HR handles the work side; tell us early if your dates or plans change.

- [ ] Confirm your moving date with HR
- [ ] Share your new address when you have it
```

## Get ready for person moving’s move

To their manager, on the day they join.

```text
**Get ready for {{hire}}’s move**

- [ ] Agree the days they will be out for the move
- [ ] Move regular meetings to suit their new time zone
- [ ] Introduce them to people in their new office
```

## Update person moving’s details in People

To HR, 21 days after the day they join.

```text
**Update {{hire}}’s details in People**

- [ ] Update their location and time zone
- [ ] Update their address for payroll
```

## Settling in

To the person moving, 35 days after the day they join.

```text
**Settling in**

A few weeks in, the small things show up: meetings at odd hours, a missing badge, tools set to the old time zone. Say what is not working.
```

## Checking in

To the person moving, 45 days after the day they join.

```text
**How is the move going, {{hire}}?**

If anything about your hours, tools, pay or paperwork is not right yet, say so and a named person from HR will follow up with you directly.
```

## How to adapt it

- Shuffl fills in {{hire}} and {{manager}} for each person. Replace them by hand if you send the message yourself.
- Put relocation support in writing before anyone books a move.
- Check right to work and payroll for the new country before the moving date.

## A move can keep someone

- **70%** of workers who resigned may have stayed if offered a move within their country (Graebel, 2022) [graebel-relocation-2022]
- **51%** of the same workers called a relocation opportunity a must in a new job offer (Graebel, 2022) [graebel-relocation-2022]
- **18%** would be extremely comfortable asking their employer to relocate (Graebel, 2022) [graebel-relocation-2022]

## What the research says

The option to move keeps people. In a 2022 survey of 1,500 knowledge workers who had resigned in the past two years, run by Wakefield Research for Graebel, a relocation company, 70% said they may have stayed if offered a relocation within their home country, and 51% called a relocation opportunity a must in a new job offer.[graebel-relocation-2022]

Few people ask. Only 18% of the same workers would be extremely comfortable asking their current employer for the chance to relocate.[graebel-relocation-2022] A clear process makes the conversation easier to start.

## What the law requires

In the UK, some qualifying relocation costs up to 8,000 pounds are exempt from tax and National Insurance, if paid before the end of the tax year after the one in which the employee started their job; costs above it may need to be reported.[hmrc-relocation-exempt]

If an employee’s right to work in the UK is time-limited, you need to check their documents again when it is due to expire.[govuk-right-to-work] Moving to another country brings its own right to work, payroll and tax rules, so check them before the moving date.

## Common mistakes

- Agreeing support by word of mouth. Put what you will pay for, and until when, in writing.
- Leaving payroll until after the move. Set up pay and tax for the new location before the first payday there.
- Forgetting People. An old location or time zone sends messages and meetings at the wrong hour.
- Checking in only on the paperwork. Ask how they are settling in, a few weeks after the move.

## Common questions

**What does HR need to do when an employee relocates?**
Right to work in the new country, payroll and tax for the new location, which benefits change, the relocation support you offer, and updating their address, location and time zone. Put the support in writing before the move is booked.

**Is relocation support taxable?**
In the UK, HMRC says some qualifying relocation costs up to 8,000 pounds are exempt from tax and National Insurance, if they are paid before the end of the tax year after the one in which the employee started the job. Other countries have their own rules, so check with payroll.

**Do right to work checks need repeating?**
In the UK, if the employee’s right to work is time-limited, you need to check their documents again when it is due to expire. Keep a reminder for that date.

## Sources (read 2026-10-13)

- [graebel-relocation-2022] Graebel, “Relocation Opportunities Are Key to Winning and Keeping Talent” (May 12, 2022): https://www.graebel.com/insights/relocation-opportunities-are-key-to-winning-and-keeping-talent/
- [hmrc-relocation-exempt] GOV.UK, “Expenses and benefits: relocation costs: What’s exempt” (No date stated; read October 2026): https://www.gov.uk/expenses-and-benefits-relocation/whats-exempt
- [govuk-right-to-work] GOV.UK, “Checking a job applicant’s right to work” (No date stated; read October 2026): https://www.gov.uk/check-job-applicant-right-to-work

## In Shuffl

Use in Shuffl: [New playbook](https://shuffl.ai/app/playbooks/all?create=1&template=relocation). Opens a new playbook with these steps and timings. Each person’s steps wait for your approval before they send.

Guide: [Playbooks for other moments](https://shuffl.ai/docs/playbooks#templates)

## Related terms

- [Employee benefits](https://shuffl.ai/glossary/employee-benefits)
- [Human resources information system](https://shuffl.ai/glossary/hris)
- [Employee experience](https://shuffl.ai/glossary/employee-experience)

All templates: https://shuffl.ai/templates

Agent documentation index: https://shuffl.ai/llms.txt