Marc A. Mandelman, a Member of the Firm in the Labor and Employment practice, in the firm’s New York office, was quoted by NBC News, in “Looking for Relocation Expenses? Don’t Expect Much,” by Eve Tahmincioglu.
Following is an excerpt:
If you work for a company that moves to a new location and you’re unable to commute to it, the employer is under no legal obligation to pay for your relocation costs if they offer you a job at the new location, said Marc Mandelman …
But employer policies have to be applied fairly and cannot discriminate against a certain class of employees, he said. A company can, however, pay to move workers with certain skill sets they need, or certain levels of employees if they chose to and not others at a company.
In this case, if an employee can’t afford to make the move because the cost of the relocation is too high, or they are upside down on their mortgage, they may be eligible for severance depending on the terms of the plan their company offers. They may also be able to get unemployment benefits, depending on a state's laws, Mandelman explained.