亲爱的安妮：上司刚刚告诉我说，我们公司（财富500强之一）希望我能去旧金山接任一份新工作，距离我目前居住的城市有1,200英里之遥。这是一次平调，而不是升职，不过根据他的描述，新工作岗位比我目前的工作有更多晋升的机会。所以，看起来，这是一次很不错的工作调动。

    可我对这次调动的担心有三个理由。首先，我现在居住的地方，房地产市场非常糟糕（邻居的房子挂牌出售已经超过两年，却一直无人问津），我自己的房子能在不赔钱的情况下卖掉吗？对此，我深表怀疑。其次，与我目前居住的地区相比，加州北部的生活成本要高出许多，我能要求涨薪来弥补物价的差距吗？这符合职场规则吗？第三，我爱人在这里有一份很好的工作，搬迁之后重新找工作需要一些帮助。我听说，个别公司会提供“随迁配偶”求职协助，这现实吗？我能跟公司讨论这个问题吗？——UIA

    亲爱的UIA：你提出这些问题的时机很有意思。据搬家公司Atlas Van Lines最近的一次调查显示，自2010年以来，员工异地调动的比例在持续上升。从1967开始，该公司每年都会进行这样一项调查。Atlas公司副总裁瑞安•麦克康奈尔称：“许多公司在努力将合适的人才安排到合适的地方。因为与招募新人相比，调任熟悉的人风险更低一些。但也有时候，公司无法调任现有员工——这也解释了为什么去年52%的异地调动都发生在新雇佣员工身上。”

    几乎所有大公司都有正式的员工异地调动政策。因此，第一步，你应该查明，你的雇主将员工从一个地方调任到另一个地方，通常会提供哪些福利。麦克康奈尔说：“通常情况下，我们会发现不同级别的员工所享受的福利并不相同。比如，高管与中层管理人员、技术娴熟的专业人员或其他类别的员工，所享有的福利都各不相同。”

    但Atlas公司的研究显示，总体而言，公司愿意为搬家的员工提供的帮助，在数量上有显著增加，而至于原因，你也已经注意到了，很大程度上是由于许多地方的房地产市场仍然非常低迷。比如，规模在5,000人或以上的公司中，大部分（79%）都延长了在员工搬至新地方后，替其承担临时住房费用的期限。在此期间，你可以想方设法把自己原有的房子卖出去。

    不仅如此，约有四分之三的公司（71%）会提供“出售损失保护”。这意味着，如果你目前房子的售价低于你为这栋房子欠下的债务，公司将会提供差额补偿。麦克康奈尔说：“这非常新鲜。之前，我们从未听说过这项福利。不过，如果房地产能持续升值，这样的福利也就没有必要了。”

    对于你的另外两个担心，38%的大公司，通常会为搬家至高物价区的员工支付生活成本差额补助。超过一半的大公司会通过再就业培训公司或就业顾问，为你的“随迁配偶”提供求职协助。

    Dear Annie: My boss just told me that my employer, a Fortune 500 company, wants me to take a new job in San Francisco, which is about 1,200 miles away from where I live now. The position would be a lateral move rather than a promotion but, the way it's been described to me, it does offer more opportunity for advancement than my current job, so it looks like a good career move.

    I'm concerned, however, about the move itself, for three reasons. First, the housing market where I live is still so bad (my neighbor's home has been for sale for over two years with no takers), I doubt that I can sell my house except at a substantial loss. Second, the cost of living in northern California is much higher than where I live now, but is it customary to ask for a raise to cover that? And third, my partner has a thriving career here and would need some help finding a new job. I've heard that some companies offer "trailing spouse" job-search assistance, but is it realistic to expect that? Can I negotiate for it? — Up in the Air

    Dear Up: You've picked an interesting moment to ask. Employee relocations have been on the rise since 2010, according to the latest results of a detailed survey that Atlas Van Lines has been conducting every year since 1967. "Lots of companies are struggling to put the right talent in the right places, and moving someone you know is often less risky than bringing in someone new," observes Ryan McConnell, an Atlas vice president. "But sometimes you just can't move an existing employee -- which explains why 52% of relocations last year were new hires."

    Almost all big companies have formal relocation policies in place, so your first step should be to find out what your employer typically offers the people it transfers from one place to another. "Usually we see different relocation benefits packages at different levels," McConnell says. "A C-suite executive will get a different package from a middle manager, a skilled professional, or another category of employee."

    In general, however, the Atlas study shows a marked increase in the amount of help that big companies are willing to give people who pull up stakes -- in large part because, as you note, the real estate market in so many places is still in a slump. For one thing, most (79%) companies with 5,000 or more employees have increased the amount of time they'll pay for temporary housing in your new location while you try to sell your house.

    Not only that, but almost three-quarters (71%) offer "loss-on-sale protection," meaning they'll reimburse you if you end up selling your current home for less than you owe on it. "This is something new," says McConnell. "Until recently, you never saw that. It was unheard of. But then, as long as real estate values were constantly rising, it wasn't needed, either."

    As for your other two concerns, 38% of large companies routinely pay cost-of-living adjustments to people moving to higher-priced locations. More than half (56%) will spring for job-search assistance from an outplacement firm or career counselor for your "trailing spouse."