Editor’s Note:
This article was originally contributed by Barbara Fitzgerald-Turner and remains surprisingly relevant for expatriates relocating today. While technology, international mobility services, and remote work have changed some aspects of overseas assignments, many of the emotional, cultural, and family challenges described here still affect expatriates around the world — including those relocating to Indonesia. We have lightly updated parts of the article to reflect today’s realities while preserving the author’s original observations and advice for newcomers preparing for international assignments.
by Barbara Fitzgerald-Turner
When my husband announced that his employer, a mid-sized computer software firm, wanted to send him to Paris as acting country manager for a year, pleasant memories returned of a vacation spent in Parisian cafes and art museums. But those romantic visions quickly disappeared as my practical side began contemplating the realities of moving our 4-year-old son, my consulting practice, and university teaching work to another country.
During my human resource career, I had created and implemented expatriate programs to help employees and their families face the challenges of foreign assignments. I therefore thought I was well-prepared for what lay ahead. But I soon discovered the difference between theory and reality. In particular, I learned that expatriates, their partners, and their children are often affected by six common myths held by employers.
Myth 1: They’re in Western Europe, not a developing country. How difficult can it be?
Many expatriates I met overseas were frustrated because their employers downplayed the challenges they faced in adjusting to life and work abroad. These expatriates were tired of hearing comments from homebound colleagues such as, “Yes, it must be tough not to be able to find an English-speaking doctor. But, hey, you are in Paris, you must shop all the time!”
To someone living in a city where the exchange rate, taxes, and cost of imported goods can make everyday items dramatically more expensive, this type of comment can be demoralizing.
Many colleagues do not realize that the inefficiency and lack of customer service that seems quaint during a vacation becomes increasingly frustrating when encountered daily. Imagine not being able to get utilities turned on in your new home because you have not learned “the system,” or moving into an apartment with bare light bulbs and no kitchen sink and discovering that these items cost several times more than back home.
Another common frustration is the practice by some employers of paying expatriates only in their home currency. Dealing with different banking rules, fluctuating exchange rates, and international transfers can be incredibly time-consuming and stressful for expatriates who need local currency to buy groceries and pay household expenses.
Even today, with international banking apps and online transfers, these issues still create stress for many families relocating abroad.
Myth 2: We are giving them allowances and premiums that should solve most of their problems.
Companies often spend significant amounts of money on well-intentioned efforts to aid expatriates. Unfortunately, financial incentives and protections are sometimes provided without considering the actual priorities of employees and their families.
In one case, an expatriate’s employer provided him with a lavish apartment near the Eiffel Tower. The employee would have preferred simpler accommodations and intensive language lessons for his spouse. Another firm sent an employee and his wife on a pre-assignment visit via first-class airfare and accommodations at the Ritz Hotel. Needless to say, this created certain expectations.
The expatriate, who was being paid in U.S. dollars, was shocked when the company later refused to revisit the exchange rate differential after the dollar dropped in value and they were barely able to pay rent.
I heard countless couples say they would have traded part of the ongoing premiums for more home visits, career support for the partner, or access to a car. As an experienced expatriate in Germany told me, “Companies seem to feel that once they have transported families and their goods to the foreign country, their responsibility has ended. They leave them stranded.”
Myth 3: We are sending our best and brightest. They can handle anything.
That assumption is especially common among smaller companies that send people to perform a “knowledge transfer” with newly created foreign offices.
Employees chosen for international assignments usually have a high level of technical expertise, foreign travel experience, and occasionally some language skills. Because of their many abilities, employers often assume these individuals can handle any situation that arises with minimal support.
Unfortunately, employees are aware of this expectation and are often hesitant to discuss their true feelings with the home office because they fear being perceived as struggling.
Travel abroad is certainly useful, but tourism does not prepare individuals for the challenge of conducting every personal and business interaction under a completely different set of cultural rules.
These rules affect everything from hiring employees to buying produce in a market. In some countries, direct communication may be considered rude. In others, relationships are valued more highly than efficiency. Everyday activities that once seemed simple can suddenly become exhausting.
Today, many companies provide online cross-cultural training, but the quality and depth of that preparation still varies greatly.
Myth 4: We are a global company, so we give our expatriates appropriate support from the home office.
In many companies operating overseas, senior management is sensitive to the global environment, but employees at other levels are untrained and unaware of the support expatriates need.
A number of expatriates working for small- and mid-sized companies complain that it took weeks to process expense reimbursements because accounting staff were unfamiliar with foreign currencies, tax systems, or local banking procedures.
One company refused an expatriate’s request that his paychecks be deposited directly into his U.S. account. He continued to receive checks in U.S. dollars, which he had to send back to the United States for deposit. “Here I am, totally disrupting my life for the company, and they can’t help me with this,” was his sentiment.
Expatriates also often complain about conference calls scheduled late at night or during local holidays. Fearing they will appear uncommitted, expatriates may hesitate to remind colleagues about time zone differences or cultural observances.
Today’s remote work environment has improved communication in many ways, but it has also created new challenges. Many expatriates now feel expected to be available across multiple time zones almost constantly.
Myth 5: Language skills are critical for the employee, but optional for the family.
Many companies provide language training only for the employee — if they provide such training at all.
The result: Family members who do not learn at least basic language skills often become afraid to leave their homes independently.
I knew several spouses who rarely left their apartments except to shop at stores with English-speaking clerks. Others ventured out only on weekends when their more fluent spouses could accompany them.
This can seriously damage a partner’s self-esteem. As one spouse who held a doctorate in economics said, “I have to remind myself I am not stupid, although my limited French reduces me to the level of a 3-year-old in communicating.”
The language barrier becomes even more critical during emergencies. Even people with enough language skills to communicate at the grocery store may not have the vocabulary necessary to deal with medical situations, schools, landlords, or government offices.
Today, translation apps have made daily life easier, but technology is not a replacement for human interaction and cultural understanding.
Myth 6: The partner who left behind an established career will adjust. It just takes time.
Partners of expatriates are often cynical regarding what they see as “lip service” paid to their situation. Many feel there is little recognition or appreciation for the sacrifices they have made.
And when employers do offer assistance, accompanying partners often discover that the promised support is of little practical value.
With restrictive employment laws in many countries, it is often difficult or impossible for spouses to obtain work permits. Even today, remote work has improved flexibility for some expatriate partners, but issues involving visas, taxes, licensing requirements, and time zones still create major challenges.
Instead of feeling excited about a new experience, many partners feel isolated and lonely, leading them to focus on the negatives instead of the positives of their new world.
Despite the assumption that allowances will solve the employment issue, many dual-income families still experience a significant decrease in their standard of living after relocating abroad.
Beyond the Myths: Ways to Help
Though many larger companies are attempting to stabilize or reduce their number of overseas assignments, the expatriate workforce continues to grow because of the steady increase in companies entering the international marketplace.
Employers who truly want successful international assignments need to recognize that relocation is not simply about moving an employee. It involves supporting an entire family through a major life transition.
Following are specific ways HR professionals can strengthen expatriate programs and policies:
Hire a relocation service in the host country.
A professional relocation service can make the difference between productive employees who are able to focus on work challenges and frustrated individuals who feel abandoned.
Services can include obtaining immigration and work permits, arranging insurance, locating housing, negotiating leases, helping with utilities, finding schools and doctors, and assisting families in adapting to local culture and systems.
Provide pre-departure assistance and ongoing consultation.
Basic language skills and cross-cultural training should be provided before departure, not after problems begin.
Preparation should also address practical family concerns such as schools, medical coverage, banking, transportation, and strategies for building a social network.
The most successful expatriate families often create realistic plans for their first weeks and months overseas, including personal goals and milestones.
Don’t assume that “no news is good news.”
Maintain regular contact with expatriates and their families. Sometimes people simply need someone to listen.
The early months of an overseas assignment are often emotionally exhausting, even when the destination is exciting.
Design flexible expatriate policies.
Instead of relying solely on rigid allowances and premiums, companies should provide flexibility and allow families to choose the support services most useful to them.
Every expatriate assignment is different. What one family values highly may not matter to another.
Monitor your internal systems and people.
Is your organization truly global in mindset?
Can accounting staff process foreign reimbursements efficiently? Are meetings scheduled with international time zones in mind? Are managers trained to understand the pressures expatriates face?
Global awareness training should not be limited only to employees being sent overseas. Everyone involved in international operations benefits from greater cultural awareness.
Solve the difficult problems.
Organizations often focus on the “easy” parts of relocation — shipping household goods and handling taxes — while neglecting the more difficult emotional and cultural challenges faced by expatriates and their families.
Recognize that successful international assignments require more than logistical support. They require empathy, flexibility, and an understanding that relocation affects every aspect of a person’s life.
The cost of supporting expatriates properly may seem high, but failed assignments are far more expensive. Strong expatriate support reduces the risks associated with global expansion and greatly increases the chances of long-term success.
This article has been generously contributed by Barbara Fitzgerald-Turner, SPHR, president of Human Resources Strategies in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
