Expat New-comers: Here’s why your employer isn’t able to get you an apartment of your choice.

Have you ever asked yourself why a lot of newly-appointed Paris-based foreign employees spend a lot of months in Hotels before they can settle in their new home?This is pretty easy to understand.

Most human resources’ managers don’t deal with relocation issues when it comes to welcoming a new team member from another country.

Instead what’s mostly done is outsourcing this service to relocation specialists that are pretty good at multitasking.

These expat-friendly services usually assist with a smooth transition for a number of services such as immigration and labour consulting, training, housing and property management, spousal assistance and school search, vehicle import and overseas shipping, and a wide range of departure and destination services,l.

The issue with multitasking is that it’s inefficient. Multitasking is something everyone does nowadays. In fact, it’s hard not to multitask, given all the things we have to do and all the streams of information coming to us non-stop.

Except, when it comes to technical matters related to clients with special emotional needs. Housing or furnished apartment rental is one of them. When human resources’ managers outsource the housing service to relocation experts they forget something: Housing is something that has to be given to a rental or real estate agencies.

If you’re an expat planning on relocating to Paris (or anywhere else) you might need to invest in a certain amount of time looking for an apartment on your own because your employer won’t do it for you and, on top of that, there too many other reasons including:

Only you know your favorite neighborhood

Given the high stakes of rental payment, it pays to do your homework before moving into a new apartment.

You’ve gone to the visit. You’ve had a private showing. You’ve read the disclosures. You’ve decided this is the apartment for you, and you’re ready to move in.

Before you take that step, though, you should fully check out the neighborhood. After all, this is where you’re going to live for a few years.

Is there something you don’t know about that could negatively affect you in any way? Is there a neighbor who comes roaring home late at night on a muffler-free motorcycle? Is the next-door neighbor operating a daycare for preschoolers?

Given the high stakes of the piece of mind, it pays to do your homework before moving in. This is what your employer can’t do for you. You’re the only one that can. Count on yourself on this one.

They don’t understand you need social life outside work environment

If you want to be happy at work, you need to have life outside of it. We spend most of our adult waking hours working. Half of Americans continue to work when they reach their mid-sixties, and, according to a 2015 Gallup survey, full-time American employees work an average of 47 hours a week.

If you’re keeping track at home, that’s six days’ worth of hours packed into five. Moreover, many people today expand the role of work beyond just earning a living and expect their careers to provide opportunities for personal growth and fulfillment.

With more of people wanting and expecting their jobs to provide more than just a paycheck, another social dimension outside work usually comes in. This is when the work-life balance comes in. Having life outside work matters a lot. But, what does it really mean to have a life outside work?

This simply refers to the level of prioritisation between the what you do to enjoy and create yourself a new network of friends in Paris and your professional activities. This is what your employer may not really take into account when helping you search for an apartment.

They don’t know your family healthcare needs

We all have special Health Care Needs. Many of us have children, who have, or are at risk of having, a physical, developmental, behavioral or emotional condition and who require health and related services beyond usual pediatric care. Children, from birth to age 18 years of age, are eligible for services regardless of family income.

While helping you search for an apartment, they won’t necessarily think about the medical care or treatments your family may need for your child or the distance between home and the doctor’s place

They care less about interior design needs

It seems like everyone these days knows what others want even when it comes to the way people want to design their home interior. Your employer can’t get you an apartment of your choice because they are not clairvoyant. They don’t know the needs of your family now and in the future.

They won’t help you design and organise your home life around who you are and how you like to live, and what you do. Basically, they don’t understand that you need to make the house fit your family, not the other way round.

For example, if you have young kids then level access to the garden will probably be important. On the other hand, older teenagers and still-at home grown-ups will need separate spaces (even separate wings, if you can manage it!). A real estate agency would be of great help, instead.

They always have other urgent concerns

The website HR zone has listed ten of the major issues human resources’ managers continuously go though. Here they are:

Retention
Recruitment.
Productivity
Training and Compliance
Health and Safety
Discrimination and Diversity
Discipline
Outsourcing
Payroll
Employee queries

The HR teams will always deal with all manner of issues and employee relocation isn’t part of urgent tasks. HR teams face problems both in the running of their department and in the consistent enforcement of policies across the company in general. You’re warned. If you’re looking for a comfortable accommodation in Paris.

Forget thinking that your HR will make it a priority.

You’re on your own.

Well, not really.

Call Paris Attitude for your rental services.