Tag Archives: expats

What Kids Say About International Assignments

Posted on February 22, 2010 by | 11 comments

Author:
Michael F. Tucker, Ph.D, CMC
Tucker International

Some years ago, Art Linkletter had a featured segment on his television show “Art Linkletter’s House Party”  called “Kids Say the Darndest Things.”  Bill Cosby hosted a later version, and there were also similar series in the U.K. and Australia.

We at Tucker International have found this to be true today when we listen to kids accompanying their parents on international assignments.  The following are some of the things we have heard from them during our intercultural training programs for them and their families.

The Turtles, the Cat, the Dog and the Orangutan
A ten-year old boy going to Indonesia insisted that he was only going to go if his two turtles, cat and dog went… unless his parents promised him a baby orangutan.

Mom’s Happy – Dad’s Happy, What About Me
A ten year old boy had this to say about the ease of the move:  “My mom’s happy; she gets a maid.  My dad’s happy; he’ll get a lot of money.  I’m the only one in our family who feels sad about going.  It will be easy for them.  They are old!”

My Mom the Grandma
A ten year old girl summed up her feelings about how long she would be away from the U.S.A.:  “When I get back, my mom will probably be a grandma.”

Boy Am I Lucky
A teenager’s view of the move:  “I hate it.  Everybody keeps telling me how lucky I am to get to live overseas.  But they don’t have to do it… I do.”

The Pilgrims and the Indians “Over There”
A seven-year old girl from the UK moving to the Southern USA was listening to the story of the first Thanksgiving.  When the part came up about the Pilgrim Fathers having the neighboring Indians for dinner on the big day, a look of horror came across her face.  The youth trainer asked what “was the matter,” and the little girl replied, “Ohhh, the Pilgrims ate the Indians for dinner!”

My House, My Pet, Am I Next?
A nine-year old boy broke into tears as he was explaining the family’s international move:  “My parents are selling my house and my dog, I think I might be next!”

We’re Not Really Moving?!!
On the first day of the pre-departure training program, (the family was departing on their assignment the following week), a twelve-year-old girl was asked how she felt about moving to Switzerland.  She said “I don’t know.  I haven’t really thought about it.  I am not sure we are really moving.”

Some of these stories illustrate the need to provide high quality intercultural training for kids.  Young people, generally ages seven and above, are very sensitive to changes associated with international relocation.  They are sometimes left out during the international assignment decision and preparation process.  It is very helpful to counsel and educate them on how to handle changes that greatly affect their lives.

Intercultural training can reduce fear and stress and create a more realistic and optimistic view about the international move.  The results are young people about to become “third culture kids” who are happier, more supportive, adjust easier and have a willingness to culturally engage themselves in the country of assignment.

The best practice followed by many successful organizations is to provide intercultural training for assignees and their families.  Many studies show that if the family fails to adjust successfully while on assignment, the likelihood of a failed assignment is high.

Does your organization include children in pre-assignment inter-cultural training?  What has been your experience with children of assignees?

More about Michael:

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Posted in Cross Cultural Insights, Expatriates, Global HR Expertise, Global Mobility Services

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Tips For A Successful International Relocation

Posted on January 27, 2010 by | 6 comments

Author:
Matthew Shore – Move One Relocations

[Editor’s Note:  We are pleased to welcome Matthew Shore as a Guest Author.  Matthew is Communications and Marketing Manager for Move One, a leading global relocation, moving and logistics firm serving Eastern Europe, Asia, Middle East and Africa.  He is an expat himself living in Budapest, Hungary, with his wife.]

It’s no secret that the stresses of international relocation on employees and their families can take their toll. The magnitude of its effects can be on par with divorce or a death in the family. Delivering the right support for employees and their families during the first critical months after their move may mean the difference between the success or failure of an assignment.

Focus on the Family
It is often the family of the assignee that experiences the most difficulty when relocating internationally.  For example an accompanying spouse who has left his or her friends, family and other support networks to relocate can experience profound feelings of loss and displacement that can persist for long after arrival in the new location.  Providing new expats with the means to become self-sufficient and thrive in their new environment is therefore vital for the success of an assignment.

Best Practices to Support Your Assignees
It’s normal and predictable for assignees and families to experience culture shock and other challenges when taking a new assignment.  Targeted support for families on the ground at their new location helps to reduce their anxiety, speed up their sense of regaining control, and ensures a productive assignment.  It is also good practice to offer support with the aim to keep morale high by offering services that address the full range of all family members’ needs, from orientation and cross-cultural training, to recreation, social integration, security and education, as well as employment options for the traveling spouse.  This support falls under eight categories:

  • Welcoming and orientation. Provide a point of contact for the newly arrived family.  Offer information, contacts, destination resources, and welcome events. It is also beneficial to arrange repatriation workshops for departing families.
  • Employment liaison. Finding purposeful work for spouses can be key to successful adjustment, and the provision of multiple employment resources should be made available.  Maintaining contacts in the local economy, providing aid in exploring alternatives such as home-based business, and assistance in applying for functional training are all good practice, and help the non-working partner get the best out of life while overseas. In today’s economy, virtual assistants are an increasingly widespread option for professionals as well as administrative work in companies small and large.
  • Education liaison. Most relocation companies provides information and contacts for local schools, but offering managed support programs for youths and childcare resources is also beneficial.
  • Information and resource management. Making resources such as internet and intranet access is helpful in the interim period until home access is established, as well as literature and events in the local culture.
  • Guidance and referral. Offering EAP services such as confidential counseling, as well as resources and referrals for such issues as divorce, spouse/child abuse, adoption, death, and mental health concerns.  Be sure to use an EAP that is sensitive to cross-cultural issues, and is familiar with international assignments.
  • Community liaison. Cultivate relationships with community and social organizations and local resources that can benefit expatriates.
  • Events and cultural programming. Cultural events as well as informative programs and workshops on host-country culture help families to orient and adjust to the new culture.
  • Crisis management and security liaison. Relaying security information to the community. This includes ensuring crisis preparedness, emergency evacuation information through alerts and seminars, as well as rebuilding the community after a crisis.

Tools such as our city guides, and our online magazine for expats in Budapest can go a long way to address some of these points, reassuring the new assignee and their family that life in the new destination isn’t going to be a total departure from their old life, and that they can and will ‘fit in’ with their new environment.

For me there is a personal angle, too.  I moved to Budapest when my wife was offered an assignment here.  I can assure you from my own experience, taking the time to ensure that expat families are made aware of the social options in their new city helps a great deal.  For example, Move One recognizes that for non-working spouses of assignees – more-often-than-not female – finding a circle of friends quickly can make a world of difference.  This is why we make a point of supporting local expat groups and schools with sponsorship and practical assistance as part of a commitment to the local expatriate communities where we operate.  Of course, there is added value for us, in terms of brand awareness, to be visible in the local community, but we recognize the importance of supporting these organizations for the greater good of our clients.

There are many new online resources to help families with their moves as well.  Are there any steps you have implemented for your assignees that have been particularly effective in helping them adjust?  Please share them in the comments!

More About Matthew

Matthew on LinkedIn

Move One website

Move One Blog

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Posted in Expatriates, Global HR Expertise, Global Mobility Services, Relocation

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How to Develop Effective International Assignment Policies

Posted on January 17, 2010 by | 8 comments

Author:
Alan Freeman – LOF International HR Solutions

During a recent conversation a colleague shared some frustration she was feeling. “I’ve read lots of articles and attended conferences where we’re told what we “should” be doing with our International Assignments (“IA”) policies on the basis of what everybody else is doing with theirs. What I’m not hearing is how to go about structuring our program in a way that really makes sense for our company. Where do we start? Who should be involved? What steps are necessary?”

“True”, I said. “We hear a lot about best practices such as keeping the spouse happy, increasing flexibility, controlling costs, keeping exceptions to a minimum and conducting benchmarking studies to find out what everyone else is doing. That’s all well and good but if your company sells luxury consumer goods in the best department stores in the largest cities of the world, do you think that practices that work well for mining companies in rural West Africa or at 14,000 feet in the Andes Mountains will be relevant and useful?”

“Exactly – they wouldn’t!” she said, “so what should we do?”

Let’s start with The Prime Directive. Simply put, your IA policies and program exist to help your company achieve its business objectives by having the right talent, in the right places, at the right times, doing the right things. Clearly, your company’s business objectives define what the various “right items” will be. Is this another way of saying you must start by truly understanding your business? Yes, of course!

“OK, that makes sense” she said, “then what?”

Well, now it’s time to go about structuring your program. A process that has proven to work well follows these steps:

Assemble a Policy Development Team

To often, policy development is left up to a Global Mobility department or single HR staffer working in a vacuum.  This generally is not effective. Utilizing teams of key stakeholders provides greater breadth of ideas, broader input from key functions and business operating units, and greater understanding of and buy-in to the end product. The team must be led by someone with significant depth of IA program expertise and include Global Mobility, Tax, Accounting, Payroll, HR Business partners from units that utilize international assignments, etc. Bringing in expert consultants and specialty service providers, e.g. immigration, international tax, global security firms, etc. can pay large dividends as well.

Conduct Benchmarking

There are two types of benchmarking to consider. First, conduct internal surveys of line managers who make use of IAs, and current and former assignees themselves. These groups can provide a wealth of information as to what has been working and what has not. They further can often make great suggestions for new approaches worth considering.

Second, do take a look at market practices through both generally available surveys and, potentially, custom surveys more precisely focused upon your company’s industry and competitors. This can help generate ideas and help gauge competitive positioning. Be careful, however, to not only look at what companies are doing but also to ask how well those practices are working. It’s amazing how many times I’ve heard a colleague say “we do ____” and in the next breath, say “and I’d change that practice in a heartbeat if my management would allow me to!” Another caution about benchmarking is that it’s imperative to consider the policy package as a whole and how the many provisions work together in total. There is a definite tendency toward getting caught up on individual line items and, hence, “lose sight of the forest for staring at the trees”.

Draft a Policy Structure

Put together the first array of policy provisions that make sense given the demographic, geographic and time variables dictated by The Prime Directive. Make sure they integrate and work together in a consistent and holistic manner.

Model the Costs

The first question executive management is likely to ask when the new program is presented for approval is not, “how does it meet our business needs?” It’s assumed that it will. The first question is, “what’s it going to cost?” If you are reengineering an existing IA program you’ll need to show the difference in costs between the proposed and existing programs.

Fortunately, there are many applications and providers that make cost modeling relatively straightforward.

Test Your Ideas as You Go

One of the worst ways to achieve buy-in on your ideas is to keep them to yourself and spring them on someone only at the end. If you communicate as you go through the process, sharing what you’re thinking about and soliciting inputs, that engagement frequently gives the other a sense of having had input and influence on the final product. Those who feel they had input are much more likely to respond positively. Their inputs may well have a lot of value as well.

In a larger corporate environment this could be done via periodic progress update meetings.

Finalize and Implement

In pursuing the steps above, you’ll ultimately obtain approval to proceed. Prepare the necessary communications and implementation materials. If you are reengineering an existing program, you’ll have already determined whether current assignees will be “grandfathered” under their old terms, converted to the new terms, or converted with some sort of buy-out provision.

When you have it all in place, move ahead.

Continually Evaluate and Improve

Finally, when you implement your new program, be sure you’ve also built in metrics and processes for determining how well it’s working on an ongoing basis. You can’t have anticipated everything that will ultimately be encountered and change happens! Be ready to be flexible and make program adjustments “on the fly”.

More About Alan:

LOF International HR Solutions web site

Alan on LinkedIn

email Alan

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Posted in Expatriate Payroll, Expatriate Taxation, Expatriates, Global Mobility Services, Policy Development, Relocation

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Five Facts About International Schooling

Posted on January 12, 2010 by | 4 comments

 

Author:
Liz Perelstein – School Choice International

Most companies sending employees overseas offer some kind of cross-cultural training.  But we rarely think of cross- cultural training for school children, even though education can be a make or break issue for many families considering an overseas assignment.

As you can see from the facts below, even expats who send their children to international schools encounter cultural differences that may be significant, and may clash with family customs.  Schools – local and even international – are a microcosm of the culture they inhabit.  Without understanding the host country’s educational system children can be disadvantaged in the admissions arena, in academic performance and in the ease of transition.

Consider these facts:

1) Did you know that 8th graders in Belgium, Korea and Japan do not use calculators in math classes?

Curriculum differences like these make it hard for children trained on calculators to adapt to local mathematics instruction in these countries.

2) Did you know that German parents give their children a Schultuete, or a cone filled with treats on the day they start first grade?

Children unfamiliar with local customs can feel awkward or embarrassed, affecting the transition to their new school.

3) Did you know that in Brazil children either go to school in the morning OR in the afternoon?

Spouses may find it difficult to work in countries with a school schedule alien to them.

4) Did you know that Saudi Arabia is enforcing a law that requires expat children to attend a school of their own nationality?

Many families choose a curriculum other than their national curriculum, often to preserve curriculum continuity with former or future schooling.

5) Did you know that admissions for 4-to-10 year olds for New York City independent schools requires an entrance examination that is ONLY administered in New York City?

Admissions opportunities may be limited for children if parents are unaware of requirements.

To learn more about educational customs in different parts of the world, visit our School Choice International blog or our Fact of the Week Collection.

More About Liz:

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Posted in Cross Cultural Insights, Expatriates, General, Global Mobility Services, International Expertise, Relocation, Repatriation

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Intercultural Training Best Practices

Posted on January 5, 2010 by | 10 comments

Author:
Michael Tucker, Ph.D – Tucker International

[Editor’s Note:  We are very pleased to introduce Dr. Michael Tucker as a guest author.  Dr. Tucker is the Principal at Tucker International, a full-service international human resources development company.  He is the author of the Overseas Assignment Inventory (OAI), and Tucker Assessment Profile (TAP), which are validated instruments used to assess, select, and develop personnel and their spouses for international assignment.]

Your company is embarking on a new venture in a new market.  Management has asked you develop a program for assessment and intercultural training for the team that will be deployed there from all over the world.  Where to start?

The best practice to address this situation is to partner with an intercultural consulting firm that understands international business and your company.  Using a well-planned and customized approach will deliver the best results.  Here’s a real example from one of Tucker International’s clients, which illustrate the most effective approaches.

Case Study
An international HR Director at her global company’s headquarters contacted Tucker International to discuss a new company project in Africa.  We knew the client organization well in terms of its international business strategy and international assignment policy and practices.  She invited us to a meeting at headquarters to discuss the project.  During the meeting, a review of the project was conducted – its business goals and schedule, organizational structure and staffing plans (some sixty-eight expatriate positions were planned).  The start-up had just been approved, and there were very short time frames.  Tucker International staff were dispatched to South Africa, where a situation and project assessment was conducted with client representatives, local informants and current expatriates from other companies.

The next step in the process was the provision of an intercultural assessment and selection program among multiple candidates for the project along with their spouses.  About one hundred and forty candidates were assessed for the sixty-eight positions.  The most culturally adaptable candidates and spouses were chosen to go on a look-see and home finding visit.  They then completed written and telephone needs assessments with the consulting company.

Tucker International designed a five-day intercultural training program, which was delivered for everyone assigned to the project —- employees, spouses and youth.  Immediate post-program evaluations were conducted and subsequent programs were modified based on the evaluations.  The training program was very staff-intensive, and included the following resources:

  • Highly Qualified Senior Master Trainer
  • Expert on the Assignment Country
  • Business Culture Consultant
  • Belief Systems Consultant
  • Host Country Resource People
  • Returned Expatriate Spouse
  • Assessment and Development Consultant
  • Highly Qualified Youth Trainers

About one-year into their assignments in South Africa, Tucker evaluated the success of the expatriate employees and their families’ intercultural adjustment, as well as expatriate job performance.  We also looked at the success and usefulness of the intercultural training program, and areas which required additional attention.

The project was a success from many perspectives – no early returns, business objectives were met on time and high levels of intercultural adjustment and expatriate job performance were achieved.

This approach is illustrated as follows:

  • Company and Project Situation Assessment
  • Participant Needs Assessment
  • Intercultural Assessment and Selection
  • Custom Design
  • Three or More Training Program Days
  • Training Staff Intensive
  • Short and Long-Term Evaluations and Feedback

Summary
This case represents a true service approach to preparing expatriates for international assignments.  In an ideal world, every global company would utilize a comprehensive and even elegant intercultural service like the one presented in this case.  Unfortunately, corporate budgets don’t always allow International Human Resource Professionals to take their expatriate programs to this level.

The intercultural services approach illustrated here is certainly most applicable and affordable when a fairly large group is being mobilized.  However, many of the aspects of this approach can be applied even for “one-off” assignments. With a global company’s success often depending to a great extent on the successful intercultural adjustment of their expatriates, it is critical that they try and provide as many of the services from this “Best Practices” approach as possible.

More about Michael:

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Posted in Cross Cultural Insights, Expatriates, Leadership Development

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International HR Forum Year in Review 2009 – Best of Expatriates and International Assignments

Posted on December 27, 2009 by | 2 comments

This is the second of our three-part “Best of …” series, where we will feature links to our best posts on selected topics. This part is focused on Expatriates and International Assignments.  We will publish one more “Best of …” posting, featuring content about Leadership Development and Cross-Cultural topics, before the new year.  If you missed the first post about Compensation and Benefits, you can take a look at it here.

The posts below are some of the most popular ones featured on the International HR Forum.

We hope you find these summary posts to be a helpful way to explore some of the best content on our blog.

Best of Expatriates and International Assignments from the 2009 Archives of the International HR Forum:

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Posted in Expatriate Taxation, Expatriates, Global Mobility Services

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Five Secrets to Reduce Benefit Cost, Part 1

Posted on December 3, 2009 by | 1 comment

Author:
George Bashaw – Atlas Global Benefits

There are only a few ways to negotiate with an insurance carrier on fully insured plans.  For most carriers, claims history is the most important factor in determining pricing.  Therefore, you better know your claims if you wish to negotiate with its leverage.   Over the next few months, I am going to share five simple ideas to help you save money on your benefits.  Out of the five, I hope you find at least one of them useful.

Here’s the first one:  Know Your Claims!

Fully Insured and Self Insured
Insurance plans are fully insured or self insured. Most large companies have both. Typically, large multinational companies have self insured medical plans and fully insured non-medical plans.  Medium and smaller companies tend to have a majority of fully insured plans.  Therefore, it is likely that your company has at least a few fully insured plans.  Only fully insured plans will be discussed in this blog.

What’s Inside a Premium?
Premium can be broken down in two parts, claims and retention.  When an insurance company prices a new premium, they estimate future claims by looking at your claims history.  Estimated Claims + Retention = Premium.  Retention is approximately 20%-25% of the premium cost and consists of the following:  premium tax, overhead/administration, margin/profit, and commission/fees.

A Happy Insurance Carrier
Insurance carriers want claims to be around 75%-80% of premium.  If claims are over 80%, the carrier starts to lose money; if they are below 75%, they start raking in the profits. 

Claims Analysis:

Do a thorough analysis of your claims.  If your claims history is running less than 75%-80%, demand a decrease in premium.  If you do not get it, there is some reason why the carrier does not want to insure your risk.  For example, a carrier may not want to cover offshore drillers, so they jack up the price to reduce that demographic in their pool.

If you claims are over 80% you are getting a good deal. However, there are some carriers that may want your group and will offer you a better deal, even if you are running over 90% claims.

Please tell me your thoughts and share your experiences.  Know your claims!

More about George:

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Posted in Expatriates, Insurance, International Benefits, Uncategorized

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Expat Selection: It’s Not Just Skills

Posted on December 2, 2009 by | 4 comments

Author:
Bruce Alan Johnson and R. William Ayres – Bruce Alan Johnson Associates (Pty) Ltd

Bruce Alan Johnson

Bruce Alan Johnson

Bill Ayres

[Editor’s Note:  We are happy to welcome Bruce Alan Johnson and Bill Ayres as Guest Authors.  Bruce and Bill have extensive experience working with companies to help understand how business is conducted in different cultures.  They are the co-authors of the book Carry a Chicken in Your Lap: Or Whatever It Takes to Globalize Your Business]

A large American corporation sent a senior executive to reside in an African country known for its wide religious tolerance, as the general manager of the company’s regional operations.  Managerially speaking, the man was qualified. But he brought with him a zealous sense of religious superiority that manifested itself as rigid intolerance.

In his first week on the job, he screamed at Muslims who were in a corner observing one of the five prayer times of the day, and then at Sikhs whose heads were traditionally wrapped.  By the next week, more than a hundred employees had walked off the job.  Some of them brought in government authorities to the site.  In the meeting that followed, the executive said that he would accept crosses as jewelry and pins, but no other expression of religious identity!  Even though the officials tried to explain the supreme importance of religious diversity in their country, the response was an arrogant assertion of “rights” that the executive claimed he had.

Of course he had no such rights, and a week later the government informed the American corporate headquarters that this executive would have to be removed at once, or all government contracts with that company would be canceled and official hearings would be held for the aggrieved workers.  He was recalled, another casualty of the mistakes companies make in sending the wrong people overseas.

Cultural Fit is Important in Expat Selection
Every time we talk to an audience about sending people overseas, we start with one fundamental point: not everybody can do this. Not everybody will be successful in Copenhagen just because he or she did well in Cleveland or Calgary. Furthermore, no magic, single thing guarantees success. The world is a complex place. It would be surprising if we didn’t need complex abilities to deal with it.

But what if you’re coming the other direction—sending people to the United States?  Over the years it has become quite plain that the most costly mistake made by companies sending people to the US has been the blind belief that there are dollar signs instead of “S’s” in the name United $tate$.  The second error lies in believing that a country as stunningly diverse as America is in fact an homogenous market.  America is not just 50 states—it spans 11 time zones, from the westernmost tip of Alaska to eastern tip of Maine.  And its people are so diverse in culture and outlook that domestic companies usually take great care to make sure that the right Americans are matched to the appropriate areas of the country for sales and marketing.  A person who sells successfully in Mississippi will almost certainly be rejected by the more harried residents of New York.

Recently a Middle Eastern company of considerable wealth sent a two-member team to New York City to head their American office.  Not only had neither member of the team ever been to America—both made vehement anti-Semitic remarks almost every day.  Needles to say, they were strongly resented by most New Yorkers, and failed completely.  They were recalled at considerable expense, the company’s reputation in the States tattered.

HR Should Take the Lead!
When it comes to finding the right people—and avoiding the wrong ones—human resources needs to play a critical role.  The reason is simple. Understanding the keys to choosing the people most qualified for overseas assignments is something that most line managers aren’t well equipped to do. Managers’ primary purpose is to get the job done.  Often, this does involve deciding who’s going to do what.  But in the international arena, those decisions are not based on how well you know the technical field or the business goals. They’re based on what you know about your people.

This is where HR can and should play a key role. Arnold Kanarick, who headed HR at The Limited and Bear Stearns, pointed out, “HR isn’t about being a do-gooder. It’s about how do you get the best and brightest people and raise the value of the firm.” Good HR offices are staffed with trained professionals who know how to evaluate aspects of a company’s people to assist tremendously in choosing the right people to send overseas.

To do that requires recognizing a fundamental reality: the world is a very complex place that does not lend itself to packaged solutions.  The primary challenge is finding people who can deal with differences—but what kinds of differences vary widely, depending on where your organization wants to go and what it wants to do.  There are no simple tests or easy systems for scanning personnel files.

So what should you be looking for?  Here’s a profile of what a potentially successful overseas assignee should look like.  Key characteristics include:

  • Matching demographic characteristics (gender, race, religion) to the place they’re being sent.  Different cultures react differently to different sorts of people.
  • Open-mindedness toward difference.  Can the people you’re sending work well with others who are different?
  • Language facility.  People who have no facility whatsoever for learning foreign languages—or, worse still, who actively resist even a modest attempt—should not be sent overseas.
  • Language assumptions.  Anyone who thinks the world speaks English (or their native language), or that the world ought to speak English, should stay at home.
  • Acceptance of the world as you find it.  Anyone infected with the desire to change other parts of the world to be more like their home will definitely do a poor job of representing your business.
  • Tolerance of different ways of doing business.  Just because you didn’t think of it doesn’t mean it’s wrong.
  • Time-change tolerance.  The more difficult it is for people to adjust to jet lag, the effects of travel, and time-zone differences, the less they probably ought to do it.
  • Cultural-time Flexibility.  People who understand that different cultures think differently about time, and who can adapt themselves to those cultural differences, will do much better overseas than those who don’t.

So how do you find employees who fit this profile?  There are two keys here: know what you’re sending them into, and know your people.  Choosing people to send overseas can’t be done with a one-size-fits-all checklist.  But a good HR department that does know the firm’s employees, and that does its homework, can make a tremendous contribution in helping companies get the right people in the right places overseas.

More About the Authors

Bruce Alan Johnson Associates

Carry a Chicken in Your Lap: Or Whatever It Takes to Globalize Your Business

Bruce on LinkedIn

Bill on LinkedIn

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Posted in Cross Cultural Insights, Expatriates, Global HR Expertise, International Expertise, Relocation

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Expats Moving Overseas – Ten Tips to Transition to a New Culture – Part 2

Posted on November 3, 2009 by | 3 comments

Heather MarkelAuthor:
Heather Markel – Culture Transition Coaching

Editor’s Note: We are especially pleased to welcome a new Guest Author, Heather Markel, who has shared with us her ten tips for a successful expatriate cultural transition.

A few weeks ago, I shared five tips for helping expats transition to a new culture. This post is a continuation of the previous one, rounding out the ten areas to focus on when transitioning to a new culture for an expatriate assignment.

#6 – Starting All Over
One of the toughest transitions for an expat is adjusting to a new office environment from “square one”. The expat may have held a senior level job in their previous location, and the new job can feel like a demotion. For the accompanying spouse, starting all over can be literal – if they’ve left behind a job or fruitful career, they may have to start a new career, or, in some cases, due to legal restrictions, not be allowed to work at all.

In both cases, it’s imperative that some attention be given to setting expectations. For the expat, this is about an initial period where they observe the office environment, rather than try to exert their own style or behavior on everyone else.  For the spouse, expectations should be set around what types of work are permitted. There should also be some support to help spouses with the job or career-search, or on finding something to replace the job they previously held.

#7 – Access to Activities
Transitioning to a new culture isn’t just about the office. Whether single, or with a family, expats need to find fulfilling activities to help them adjust to a new culture. If the expat has moved with their family, then group activities will be important to the success of their overall experience.

Of course, available transportation may impact which activities are accessible, so providing assistance with ideas, or resources, is ideal.

#8 – Changes in the Family
For expats who have traveled with a spouse, it is more than likely the spouse has given up a job or career to follow along. If the non-working spouse isn’t happy, it can have a very negative impact on the overall experience. If the non-working spouse used to be a provider, and is now tasked with looking after the home, or the children, the role change will inevitably impact the family as well. It’s important to have an awareness of the changes, set expectations, and have a set of tools with which to navigate the resentments and challenges that are likely to develop.

#9 – Clothes:  What Not to Wear
In many cases, this may be more impactful on women, than on men, but it’s important that a migrating employee understand if there are any cultural dress patterns. First, it’s less likely they will feel like they “stick out like a sore thumb” if they adapt to some of the typical dress codes. Second, there may be instances where the lack of this knowledge could land them in trouble – for example, in cities where women are expected to cover themselves from head-to-toe.

On a more subtle level, Americans tend toward either matching suits, or more casual garments in the office. When going out in the evening, it may be inappropriate to wear jeans. In France, women in the workplace sometimes wear what I’ll call “mismatched suits” – they look impeccably-dressed, even though their skirt does not have a matching jacket. Oddly, it’s not quite business casual; it’s simply a style difference. Going out in the evening, jeans are often acceptable if paired with a nice top.

Another thing I often find humorous is that in France, people always stare at shoes. So, while you might get away with wearing an old, worn-out pair of shoes or sneakers in some countries, you’ll become quickly insecure if you try the same in Paris.

Again, these are very subtle examples, but these small gaps can make all the difference when someone is trying to feel like they fit in to a new culture.

#10 – Eye Contact and Tone of Voice
Two behavioral areas between cultures that deserve attention are eye contact, and tone of voice.

One huge area where eye contact comes into play is on public transportation. For example, in Paris, it seems mandatory to stare at fellow passengers and it can be very uncomfortable the first few times you look up to find someone staring at you, meet their gaze, and find they do not look away. In Tokyo, it’s exactly the opposite experience. Passengers typically avoid all eye contact by pretending to sleep – it’s another jarring experience to see an entire car full of people with their eyes closed.

Finally, the tone of voice with which you speak can often reveal that you are a foreigner. As an American, I know we tend to speak fairly loudly in social situations, especially when dining or drinking. However, other countries lean towards quieter conversations. So keep this in mind and adapt your conversations accordingly.

In Summary
I hope you find these tips, and the ones from my previous article, to be helpful in understanding the challenges that expatriates and their families often face upon arrival in a new country. If you are an HR professional responsible for assisting expatriates with their transitions, be sure to keep these tips in mind.

I am always interested in hearing more tips or experiences. Please share yours as a comment to this post, or contact me directly by email.

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Expats Moving Overseas – Ten Tips to Transition to a New Culture – Part 1

Posted on October 14, 2009 by | 4 comments

Heather MarkelAuthor:
Heather Markel, Culture Transition Coaching

Editor’s Note:   We are especially pleased to welcome a new Guest Author, Heather Markel, who has shared with us her ten tips for a successful  expatriate cultural transition.


The complexities of moving to a new culture are immense.  Typically, expatriate training programs include a cross-cultural component.  However, I believe there are some areas which may be overlooked as the expatriate and possible family members prepare to move overseas.

With that in mind, I’d like to offer ten areas to focus on when transitioning to a new culture.  This list is by no means exhaustive.  Rather, it’s intended to help with the design of transition assistance programs.  The first five areas are listed below, and the remaining five will be out in my next post, so keep a lookout for it!

1. Language – Conversation Topics
It goes without saying that when moving to a different country, it’s necessary for both the expatriate, and their family, to learn the local language. Routine activities would otherwise become overwhelming. (Note: Even when moving to another country that speaks the same language as at home, it can still feel like learning a new language.)

Beyond the basic language skills, though, there should be training on conversation topics that might be considered taboo, or that are a normal part of the culture.   Not knowing these topics could lead to the expatriate and their family feeling left out.   For example, history may be a topic to tread lightly on in Australia, whereas a fascinating topic for someone in Europe. Other topics to examine are politics, art, and food, as some examples.

2. Food – What You’ll Find and What You’ll Eat
It’s essential to understand two aspects of food – what you will find, and what you will not. Most of us have our “comfort foods”.   Thinking of several different cultures, comfort foods could be dishes such as Thanksgiving turkey, fish-and-chips, spaghetti Bolognese, tacos, Vegemite, or kimchi.  If you’re moving someplace where your favorite foods aren’t available, outside of an expensive import, the inability to find them during a challenging period could be disappointing for an expatriate.   Especially if they are spending a traditional holiday away from friends and family, being able to find typical holiday foods can make the difference between a bout of depression and creating a new tradition.

Conversely, there will be new foods to try.   In many countries you’ll find that intestines, brains, and kidneys are staple foods.   It’s also possible that an expatriate will be invited to someone’s home and suddenly be in the delicate position of eating strange foods to avoid insulting their host.  Therefore, it’s critical to prepare for expatriates to both sample new foods, and to help them figure out where they can find comfort foods, if available.

3. Meeting New Friends, and Coping With Missing the Old Ones
One of the toughest parts of any expatriate assignment is making new friends, and starting a new social network.   While doing so, it’s easy to become disappointed at how different everyone is, and to miss the closeness of former friends.   This can lead to what I call “the social media trap”, where every free moment is spent using Facebook, Skype, etc. to stay in close contact with everyone back home.   However, this strategy will make it impossible for the expatriate to succeed at making new local friends.

If expats aren’t prepared for this difficult task, they can easily isolate themselves, and then become lonely and disillusioned with their overseas experience.

4. Getting Familiar with a New City
There are several components that go into familiarity with a new city.

  • Location – Where is the town center? Where is the office in relation to home?
  • Transportation – Is there a subway and bus system, are their taxis? If not, what alternatives exist?
  • Safety – What areas of the city might be dangerous at night, or even during the daytime?
  • Essentials – Being able to locate the nearest supermarket, laundry, and shoe-repair shops. Also, medical doctor and dentist referrals can be very helpful as someone gets to know a new city.

5. Formality at the Office
One of the most difficult subtleties between languages and cultures is the nature of addressing peers and managers.   Depending where in the world an expatriate will be working, challenges could range from knowing when to use first versus last names, to understanding when to use formal versus informal verb conjugation.  In some countries this could be about handshakes versus bowing or other customs.  These challenges are often further complicated when addressing a female superior, where the challenge becomes figuring out whether to use the equivalent of “Ms” or “Mrs”.

It’s essential that these subtle behaviors and forms of address be understood for an expat to be accepted at the workplace. If they do not, they may become embarrassed in front of fellow employees and potential clients.

Summary
This list is just a start.  In my next post, I will share five more tips with you.   In the meantime, let me know what you think by leaving a comment!

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