It’s strange how things can go through a 180-degree change in the job market with a change in the environment. When there is a boom, HR managers start talking about being a caring company, and intangible benefits. (It’s a different matter that just a year ago they wanted you to pay for lunch and the lift back home after work.)

The HR department becomes friendly and compassionate, not an ugly monster doling out pink slips. Salaries start going through the roof. And what was once nepotism is now employee referrals: you are actively encouraged to bring your brothers, sisters, cousins (perhaps even the dog) to join you in the same company. According to a survey by Texas Tech University, in the regional labour market, recruitment through referrals or word of mouth is as much as 52.5 per cent.

A more peculiar manifestation of the changing times, however, is how job transfer ? an instrument of punishment ? becomes an instrument of reward. Yesterday, anybody the company did not want would be posted to Sasaram or the Sunderbans. Today, the transfers are to happening places. They come with a promotion and a raise, help with finding housing and schools, and all expenses paid. “Mr Bose, this is a measure of our confidence in you. We expect you to capture even more marketshare for our products in the western region. After that the sky is the limit.”

FAMILY VALUES? When you are considering accepting a transfer or a new job in a new city, consider the following: • Any move must be a joint, mutually-agreed-upon decision with your wife or husband. If things go bad, you will need your partner's support. • Listen to your gut feeling. If things don’t feel right, they are probably not going to be right. • Give the new place a chance by seeing the whole area as much as possible. • Match the location with your interests. If you love the culture, restaurants, theatre and shopping that a big city has to offer and you’re probably not ready for a move to a small town, no matter how great the job is. And vice versa. Source: John T. Self: What to consider before a job transfer

Yet before agreeing to a transfer, no matter how many allowances and accolades it comes along with, there are some things you should watch out for. The HR department is capable of growing horns and a tail overnight. If you have been delivering the goods in your new assignment, it is unlikely that you will be transferred back to your hometown (where you will cost the company much less). What could happen is that some of the city compensatory allowances could be clipped.

“I know of this case of an expat who was posted to Mumbai,” says HR consultant D. Singh. “He was given a suite in a five-star hotel and a very handsome ‘hardship’ allowance. When the going turned rough, he was asked to find his own accommodation. That wasn’t too much of a problem; the rent payable at his level was good enough. The unkind cut was that the headoffice declared that working in Mumbai was no longer a ‘hardship’. The allowance went.”

The only way to guard against this, says Singh, is to pay attention to detail when the transfer is first mooted. Protect yourself from the fineprint by insisting on total transparency in the applicability of the new allowances.

Also, remember that a transfer has a social dimension. Your family can be happy amongst strangers if the economy is booming and money is no issue. (They can go back home once in a while and boast of your progress.) Come troubled times and things could change rapidly. The best way to transfer problems to your personal life is to agree to a job transfer without adequate consultation and thought.