The Mobile Manager and his Wife

This is a study of the factors leading to stresses/anxieties and satisfactions in the relocation of executives and their families. A number of variables make moving a more or less painful business for the manager concerned. The attitudes of the manager, his wife and children are seen to be balanced or exacerbated by the particular “life stage” or “career stage” they have reached. It is suggested that companies should try to phase moves to take this into account. The wife is seen as the greatest potential sufferer of a domestic upheaval; her attitude and personality are lynch‐pins of the successful mover. The role of the local community and area is also explored. From this survey of a selected sample of “mobile professionals” the authors come to the conclusion that companies themselves can do more to relieve the potential anxieties and pressures of the relocated manager and his family.