Joyce Pugh had worked at Allstate Insurance for 19 years in various human resources roles when she was unexpectedly asked to take on managing Allstate's relocation program. Though she knew little about relocation at first, she enjoyed the challenges and rewards of the role. After five years, she decided to pursue a real estate career, which allowed her to continue helping relocating employees find homes while also furthering her own understanding of real estate. She now works as a real estate broker while staying involved in the relocation industry community.

1. 36 Mobility | July 2016
PATHWAYS: HOW I FELL INTO MOBILITY
Finding
a HomeBy Joyce Pugh, CRP
In early January 2011, I was sitting at my desk
trying to figure out an Allstate Insurance Company
employee’s payroll issue when I was called into
my boss’s office. She gave me the news that my
role was changing—I would no longer be reporting
to her, and I would be assuming responsibility for
Allstate’s relocation program. A few minutes later, I
had a call from my new manager, welcoming me to
the job—which was returning to him after a break
of many years—and to his team. The emails and
phone calls started bombarding me shortly after
those conversations, and they never stopped until I
left Allstate to become a real estate agent!
My 19-year career at Allstate led me through many
different human resource functions—benefits, payroll,
outsourcing, employee relations—but they all had
one thing in common: a dual internal and external
focus. I had always been in roles where I worked
closely with outsourced service providers who served
as the front line to the Allstate workforce. Along the
way in those various roles, I learned some really prac-
tical things—reading and understanding contracts,
enforcing service level agreements, and reviewing
and questioning invoices.
So when I took on the relocation work, I was
really excited. But I found out quickly that my first
year in relo was not going to be easy. Allstate was
winding down a long-term relationship with a
service provider and transitioning to a new one, and
I didn’t even know how to spell “BMA”! But I knew
my strengths—finding and implementing efficien-
cies, building and sustaining internal and external
relationships, compliance, and an ability to guide
employees through sensitive situations.
I never could have imagined how challenging,
exhausting, and incredibly rewarding managing
Allstate’s relocation program would be. Not only did I
get to work with talented outsourced partners, I worked
closely with human resource business partners, business
leaders, and tax and legal experts to resolve complex
employee issues. Along with the day-to-day concerns, I
partnered with procurement to ensure contractual obli-
gations were fulfilled and that service level agreements
were met; with treasury and planning to help inform
budget planning processes; with accounting to ensure
expenses got correctly coded and to identify mystery
charges; with marketing to refresh policies; and with
internal audit to ensure, well, lots of things. Afew times
I was even interviewed by the corporate security team,
but I didn’t ask a whole lot of questions!
My boss could not have been more supportive of my
attending Corporate Relocation Council and Worldwide
ERC®
events. He was encouraging when I wanted to
purse the Certified Relocation Professional (CRP)®
des-
ignation and when I started volunteering with both orga-
nizations. Though I had a couple of leadership changes

2. WorldwideERC.org | Mobility 37
in the five years I managed the relocation program, he
was one of the first people I told that I was thinking
of taking Illinois’ real estate pre-licensing course, and
he was as encouraging as he had been with every-
thing else.
When I started the course of study, it was truly
as a way to learn more about the biggest decision a
transferee makes after the decision to transfer—where
to call home. I wasn’t even planning to take the exam!
I don’t know why I was surprised at how interesting I
found real estate, but I was. I had encouragement the
whole time from a friend in the industry to at least
explore the agent opportunity, even if only as a refer-
ral agent. After lots of conversations, teeth-gnashing,
and nights of restless sleep, I had one conversation
that made me feel as if I’d found my home. After that,
I knew the only thing for me to do was to pursue real
estate brokerage as a career.
So after a long time with one employer, all along
doing interesting and rewarding work, I announced
my decision to leave. My last boss at Allstate, who had
been a dear friend for years, gave me the three-month
transition I was hoping for. While I was sad to leave, the
decision felt more and more right the closer I got to my
last day. It was a lovely way to be able to transition into
a whole new world, and I will be forever grateful.
Many people have congratulated me on taking
on a whole new career, but for me, it’s furthering
my understanding and practical experience in real
estate. While doing this, I’m going to stay involved
with and connected to the relocation community for a
long time to come. So, while I have changed compa-
nies and my daily activities, I haven’t really changed
careers, but my perspective.
There is so much that I am learning, and it’s chal-
lenging me in new ways. It can be a little tiring, and
sometimes confusing, but I’m excited to guide clients
through the process of finding their new homes. I
know these activities will help me see relocation
through a new lens and enable me to continue to
contribute to a community that has guided me to my
new home. M
Joyce Pugh, CRP, is a real estate broker at Coldwell
Banker Residential Brokerage Barrington in Illinois.
She can be reached at +1 847 899 7662 or joyce.pugh@
cbexchange.com.
How did you “fall into the mobility industry”?
To tell us your story, contact Kristin White at
kwhite@worldwideERC.org or +1 703 842 3417.