Duty of Care Relocation for International Assignees
A structured, accountable process for moving employees and their families to Switzerland, built for HR and global mobility teams who need visibility at every step.
When a company sends an employee abroad, duty of care relocation is not a slogan on a brochure. It is a working obligation: the assignee and their family need to arrive safely, understand their new environment, and have a clear point of contact if something goes wrong. For HR and global mobility managers, this obligation sits alongside budget targets, tight timelines and a workforce that may be assigned to Switzerland with little notice.
My Swiss Relocation supports companies in meeting employer duty of care for international assignees through a defined process, named consultants, and reporting that HR can actually use. We do not replace your internal policies. We give you a partner on the ground in Switzerland who executes them consistently across cantons, languages and family situations.
What Duty of Care Means in a Swiss Relocation
Duty of care in a relocation context covers the practical and human conditions an employer puts in place so an assignee is not left to manage a foreign administration, an unfamiliar housing market and a new school system on their own. In Switzerland, that means coordinated support across cantonal registration, housing, schooling and settling-in, delivered in a way that can be tracked and reported back to the employer.
It also means confidentiality. Assignees share personal and family information during a relocation, from income details to children's school records. HR teams need a partner who treats that information with the same discretion the company itself would apply, and who does not disclose more to the employer than the assignment actually requires.
- A single point of contact for the assignee throughout the assignment
- Consistent support regardless of which canton the employee is moving to
- Clear boundaries on what is shared with HR and what stays with the employee
- A process that continues to work when an assignment changes scope or timeline
Where Duty of Care Breaks Down Without a Structured Process
Most duty of care gaps do not come from bad intentions. They come from relocation being handled ad hoc, by whichever manager or assistant has time that week, with no consistent record of what was promised to the assignee or what has already been done.
The risk is highest for families, for employees relocating on short notice, and for assignments spread across several cantons with different administrative practices. An assignee who cannot reach anyone during a housing dispute, or whose children's school enrolment is left until the last weeks before term, experiences that gap directly, and the employer usually only hears about it once it has become a problem.
How My Swiss Relocation Structures Duty of Care Support
We assign a dedicated relocation consultant to each mandate, so the employee and the HR contact both deal with the same person for cantonal registration, home finding, schooling and settling-in. That consultant coordinates directly with cantonal authorities, landlords and schools on the assignee's behalf, and flags issues to HR before they escalate.
Reporting is built into the mandate rather than requested after the fact. HR receives visibility on progress and open items without having to chase the assignee for updates, and without the assignee feeling monitored on matters that are personal to them.
Account Management for Multi-Assignee Programmes
For companies relocating several employees a year, we set up an account structure so that policy, budget parameters and reporting format are agreed once and applied consistently across every mandate, rather than renegotiated each time.
- One agreed scope of services applied to every assignee under the account
- A consistent reporting format HR can compare across mandates
- An account contact who understands your internal policy, in addition to each assignee's consultant
If your organisation is relocating employees to Switzerland without a consistent process across cantons, our corporate team can set up an account structure that gives HR visibility while keeping each assignee's personal situation confidential.
Request a pre-assessmentConfidentiality and Reporting Boundaries
Professional secrecy applies to every mandate. Assignees can raise a housing concern, a family matter or a question about their situation with their consultant without it being relayed to HR unless it directly affects the assignment or the employer has a legitimate need to know.
This distinction matters for duty of care: an assignee who trusts that personal details will not be forwarded without reason is more likely to raise a problem early, which is exactly when it is easiest to resolve.
Benefits
A named consultant, not a call centre
Assignees and HR contacts deal with the same person throughout the mandate, which shortens response times and avoids repeating context.
Coverage across cantons
The same standard of support applies whether the assignee is moving to Geneva, Zurich, Zug or another Swiss canton, so multi-site companies do not need separate providers.
Reporting HR can use
Progress and open items are documented in a consistent format, so duty of care support can be reviewed rather than taken on trust.
Confidentiality by default
Personal information shared by the assignee is protected by professional secrecy and is not passed to HR beyond what the assignment requires.
What's Included
- A dedicated relocation consultant assigned to each employee for the duration of the mandate
- Cantonal registration handled directly with the local commune and migration office
- Home finding support, from search criteria to lease review and handover
- School enrolment coordination for accompanying children
- Settling-in assistance covering banking, insurance and other essential local steps
- Structured progress reporting to HR in an agreed format
Steps and Timeline
Scope and account setup
We confirm the assignee population, cantons involved, budget parameters and reporting expectations with HR before the first mandate begins.
Consultant assignment
Each assignee is matched with a dedicated consultant who remains their point of contact from arrival through settling-in.
Coordinated execution
The consultant manages cantonal registration, home finding, schooling and settling-in, liaising with authorities and third parties directly.
Structured reporting
HR receives progress updates in the agreed format, covering milestones and open items without disclosing matters personal to the assignee.
Escalation when needed
Where an issue affects the assignment itself, such as a housing or schooling delay, the consultant flags it to HR promptly so it can be addressed before it affects the employee's start date.
Also Worth Reading
Frequently Asked Questions
What does duty of care mean for a company relocating employees to Switzerland?
Can HR see everything discussed between the consultant and the assignee?
Does the same consultant handle housing, schooling and registration?
How does reporting work for companies relocating several employees a year?
What happens if an assignee's move involves several cantons or a change in scope?
Ready to move forward?
Talk to a consultant about your situation, with no obligation.