top relocation concerns amongst relocating expatriates

Top Relocation Concerns

Relocation Concerns

What Worries Expatriates?

This is me..

Nikki

I work with global clients relocating staff all over the world as well as with relocation companies.

As a company we provide orientation and cultural awareness training to help people make the most of their moves.

Our training courses provide me with invaluable insights into the main worries expats face before, during and after any move.

..and Im going to share them with you.

CommonExpat Concerns

My first time moving abroad with work was pretty scary. Id never really travelled before and had my wife and two sons in tow so it was an apprehensive time. Ive never looked back since though and travel is now key to what I do.

P. Elliot, Prudential Financial Services

TOP CONCERNS

What if I hate it?!!!Leaving Aging Parents HealthcareStandards of Living Making Friends Cultural DifferencesLanguageAdapting to New Host Country ARE THESE IN ANY PARTICULAR ORDER?

No. They are concerns most commonly expressed during our training courses, i.e. on evaluation forms and as part of feedback & follow upsI feel they give a pretty good insight into the most common concernsLEAVING AGING PARENTS

Lets start with Leaving Aging Parents. This is usually a more common anxiety amongst older expats.

LEAVING AGING PARENTS

Aging parents present a very real anxiety to relocating offspring

Presented with a great career opportunity, those relocating can feel very torn leaving parents who may in the fairly near future need support

Those without siblings to help, are often under considerable pressure

Healthcare

Healthcare is key across the board particularly for those with chronic conditions or for expats who need to make their own healthcare arrangements

HEALTH CARE

For expats with chronic needs, medical facilities, distance from the new home and availability of prescribed drugs within the new location is often a key priority

Concerns such as the following are common: What are the hospital facilities like? Are they hygienic? What happens during an emergency?

If health care is not included in the expatriate package then the individual relocating has the additional stress of identifying a health care package and ensuring that the terms are robust

Standards of Living

Our expats arent always living in luxurious conditions. Some relocate to areas in which factors such as the internet may be a luxury.

STANDARDS OF LIVING

Not everyone is destined for the comfortable living of a popular city indeed, some are destined for a location with significant differences in standards of living

Although individuals may receive a Hardship Allowance there is always the concern that the living standards may be so intolerable as to make the assignment extremely difficult

Some destinations even make internet connectivity an elusive luxury which cuts individuals off even further from loved ones back home

LANGUAGE

Language is key to those who want to make the best of opportunities outside of the workplace and build local relationships

LANGUAGE

Most British people have little language exposure beyond GCSE which impacts the expat confidence and speed of new language acquisition

Poor language skills mean expats will have limited experiences outside the workplace which prevent the from building a social network within the local communities; limiting them instead to the expat pool or English speaking colleagues

MAKING FRIENDS

The prospect of leaving behind familiar social networks and starting again can be very uncomfortable for those who are new to relocating

MAKING FRIENDS

When relocating, most individuals are giving up supportive social networks and are, as such, concerned that they may not be able to establish the same levels of friendships in their new target country

Leaving their family and social support systems can be a daunting prospect as they have no-one in their immediate network to turn to upon arrival. The upheaval of the relocation makes it a time in which the expat most needs the support from family and friends

Typically, the expat is more likely to build new networks more quickly due to their access to new workplace contacts. Potential trailing spouses, however, may face an extended period of perceived isolation

CULTURAL DIFFERENCES

And what if the culture is very different?

Global Business Skills Training CoursesCULTURAL DIFFERENCES

Cultural misunderstanding is an area feared by many managers. Stories abound as to individuals who have caused such unwitting offence that they have had to be repatriated

They are also often concerned that they may find every day tasks such as disciplinary and motivation far more challenging within a different cultural setting. Clearly such matters need to be managed differently within a new cultural setting

Delivering presentations and attending meetings also come with a new set of cultural etiquette, which the relocating expat needs to learn if they are to get the best out of their new surroundings and avoid potential misunderstandings

I once knew a Manager who relocated to a very hierarchical workplace. He removed all the walls to his office creating an open plan environment. The local team lost such respect for him that he was forced to return home.WHAT IF I HATE IT?!

Not everyone loves their new location.

WHAT IF I HATE IT?!

Expats relocating to the new target country for the first time do not know in advance if they are going to like the new location. They may have previously visited but living somewhere is a totally different experience. Although most expats are happy in their new target country, some really do struggle with factors such as the new culture, climate, food and day to day living demands

This concern is usually heightened if an individuals job in the home country has been back filled as there is no role for them if they repatriate.

The added disruption to trailing family members if repatriated after a short time, means that some discontent expats may feel the need to grin and bear it

ADAPTING TO THE NEW HOST COUNTRY

Not everyone loves their new location.

Many are concerned that either themselves or trailing family members may fail to adapt to their new home which may lead to assignment breakdown..

ADAPTING TO NEW HOST COUNTRY

This is always a bigger issue for expats with families.

How will our kids settle? How will my partner settle?

Partners are a particular concern if the trailing spouse is leaving behind a career of their own as such spouses undergo a far greater life change than the expat (who is typically still working for the same employer carrying out the same type of work). Demotivation and feelings of loss and displacement are not uncommon

Failure to adapt is one of the key reasons for assignment breakdown. resulting in repatriation of the entire family. Failure to adapt for any one of the family unit can result in the breakdown

SOLUTIONS

I hope you found these insights interesting. Clearly, this overview only presents the concerns.

It doesnt talk about the myriad of solutions and strategies in place to help our clients address them.

Such interventions typically lead to happy and productive assignments for both the expatriate and their families.

Our website has a wealth of free information useful for anyone involved in international relocation. Please visit:

http://commisceo-global.com/resources

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top relocation concerns amongst relocating expatriates

Recruiting & HR