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Expat Partner Support HR Newsletter | September 2014
YEARS
expat partner support
Welcome to the September Global Connection HR Newsletter. This quarterly publication will inform you about research and HR consultancy, and includes comments from David Enser, partner of the RES Forum, accomplishments from the Permits Foundation and several interesting findings from expat related surveys.
PARTNER SUPPORT AS RECRUITMENT/MOBILITY USP I would like to share with you three recent examples showing the importance of partner support as a recruitment/mobility unique selling point (USP) for an organisation. 1. Support seen as key factor in career step Last spring, an expat of an American Global Fortune 500 multinational, who was approached for a job with HEINEKEN, asked me for information about their extensive partner support programme. He told me a next career step would only be with a company that takes partners more seriously than his present employer. 2. Expat quits company due to lack of support An expat of another American Global Fortune 500 company, living in Belgium, was asked to move to Vienna. His HR department, who were really keen for him to move, called him while the family was on their pre-visit tour and asked how he was doing. The expat directed the phone receiver to his family, who were crying on the back seat of the car. With a heavy heart, they decided to move to Vienna even though support for the family was completely missing. A week later the expat heard that plans had changed, and that Vienna would now be Dubai. In return, he also shared some news with HR: he was quitting the company because of the lack of support. 3. Miserable in a fantastic condo While recently in Singapore, I met an expat who had just arrived in the country to work for a big US-based software company. We got talking and he asked what I did for a living. He was really amazed to hear that a company like ours existed. The only support his employer had provided for himself and his family was a ‘cash out’ lump sum. With his family miserable in an admittedly fantastic condo, and a demanding job waiting for him, he said he would have given anything for someone to help his spouse find her feet in a strange land. As a consequence of his family being unhappy, he wasn’t able to focus fully on his job, a situation which he sees as “waste of human capital”. European versus American approaches Surveys show the above experiences are not random cases. European companies not only pay more attention to partner support, they also focus on a broader programme (and not only career-related) in which the ‘cash out’ is less of an option. Consequently, their programmes are often far more effective, especially in the long term. See also the article opposite. Jacqueline van Haaften
EU AND US COMPANIES: DIFFERENCES IN PARTNER SUPPORT European companies take a larger interest in partner support than their American counterparts. This is clearly shown by the Worldwide Survey of International Assignment Policies and Practices, published by global consulting firm Mercer. In the last edition of their survey (2012) Mercer writes that almost 52% of European companies have a corporate policy that provides guidelines on the support offered to expat partners. For American companies this figure is 37.6%.
No partner policy Conversely, the statement “we do not have a policy on spouse/partner support nor do we address the issue” is supported by 41.7% of American companies, and 29.5% of European companies. The statement is furthermore supported by 61.8% of Latin American companies, and 67.9% of the companies from Asian and Pacific countries. Different types of support Looking at different types of partner support, European companies are far more likely than American companies to offer: education reimbursement, business start-up advice, day-care subsidy, and membership to internet-based expat forums and associations. Global Connection | September 2014
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Expat Partner Support HR Newsletter Also featured in Global Connection’s SEPTEMBER MAGAZINE*
THE RES FORUM: A FAST-GROWING HR COMMUNITY Global Connection cooperates with the RES Forum, one of the fastestgrowing independent communities for international HR, Global Mobility and Compensation & Benefits professionals. Founded in 2006, by a small group of Global Mobility professionals as a noncommercially driven forum which enables its members to network and share ideas and information, the RES Forum has rapidly expanded in the past few years. A few highlights already this year are: • RES membership has increased by almost 20%, with close to 600 members working in 25 industries in 35 countries around the globe. • Five events have been organised around the world so far, with a further three scheduled to take place before the end of the year. These events include the RES Forum annual report launch and the RES Annual Symposium in London, plus roundtable events in Hong Kong, Singapore, Switzerland, Germany and the UK. • The third RES Forum annual report was released in March. It was authored by Professor Michael Dickmann from Cranfield University, and deals with key trends in Global Mobility in 2014 and beyond. • The RES Forum currently conducts an average of 45 e-surveys and 325 email spot surveys (questions from members raised directly with other members) each year amongst its members. • A new RES Forum website will be launched by the end of the year – an interactive, mobile- and tablet-friendly site providing information and support for members, 24/7. 2
Global Connection | September 2014
Fulfilling Occupation - Online vs. classroom study: which is better? Many expat partners choose to spend their time abroad studying – upgrading their skills, acquiring new languages, or just satisfying an itch to learn something new. The dilemma? Choosing where that learning takes place: in a traditional classroom setting, or a virtual one. A Nike partner explains why distance learning isn’t for him. Charity Project - Doing it for the children Rabobank expat partner Isabel Duijndam’s work as an assistant teacher pays no salary and comes with no perks. So why does she donate her time at a school for disabled children in Uganda? “I want them to have a better future and for that, they need a good education.” Relationships - Estranged in foreign lands Going through a divorce is a painful experience under any circumstances, but being on international assignment when your marriage fails can bring a whole host of added complications. Three women reveal how their marriages fell apart while living abroad. Kids - Native language lessons: worth the effort When expat kids are educated in a different language, parents usually make the home a ‘native language only’ zone to maintain fluency. But experts caution that if the family plans to return to the passport country, more structured lessons are needed. Personalised Support - The first rule is: know thyself Stephen moved to Switzerland for his husband’s job with Zurich Insurance, with a clear idea of what he wanted: to find work in his current field. The opportunities however seemed fairly limited. He decided to take advantage of the personalised support offered by Zurich Insurance, and arranged for a Needs Assessment with a Global Connection consultant. “It blew the doors of my mind wide open.” * for spouses (B2B subscription)
ON A LIGHTER NOTE Happy to help We moved to a house in the mountains of France. Its remote location made it difficult to reach. The truck used by the international removal company we had hired couldn’t get right up to it and so they phoned a French removal company to ask them to send a small van so they could get our belongings up to the house. Fifteen minutes later, up drove the van. We gave the men a helping hand loading up as they wasted no time with the move. Once loaded, the doors were slammed shut and the van took off. We arrived at the house shortly after, but there was no van to be seen. Some honking behind us alerted us to another van bearing the name of a removal company. We never saw that other vanload of goods again... Source: Expat & Travel Stories – Global Connection
CULTURAL TRAINING: NOT FOR EVERYONE Even though the vast majority of companies recognise the importance of intercultural training to expatriated employees and their partners/ family, only 39% offer it for all assignments. All in all, 84% of companies taking part in the latest Global Mobility Trends Survey, published by Brookfield GRS, offer intercultural training for international assignees, 45% offer training on some assignments, while 39% offer it on all assignments. Host location challenges Why don’t companies automatically offer intercultural training to all their assignees? The reasons cited by the participants are host location challenges (37%), familiarity of assignee with the host location (17%) and type of assignment (17%). Contribution to success But the Brookfield survey adds that since 89% of the respondents rated the value of the intercultural preparation programme as a “good” or ”great” contribution to an international assignee’s job success, cost reduction “is the most likely reason” why intercultural training is not offered to all expats. Entire family Where intercultural training is offered, 57% of companies provide it to the entire expatriating family, 33% to the assignee and spouse partner, and 5% to the assignee only. Historically, 44% of the respondents provided this training to the entire family. Mandatory In most cases, following an intercultural programme is optional, says the survey. Yet 23% of companies view it as mandatory training.
PARTNERS GET EASIER ACCESS TO WORK IN EU
LANGUAGE TRAINING: THE MOST-OFFERED SUPPORT Surveys show that language training is the kind of support most offered by companies to the partners of their expatriated employees. How do companies support expat partners? 71% of companies taking part in the latest edition of the authoritative Global Mobility Trends Survey from Brookfield GRS answered: language training. This is followed by intercultural training (55%) and assistance with education/training (40%). Career-planning assistance Partners are given career-planning assistance by 37% of companies. And 29% of companies still give the partners a lump sum allowance. The costs of employment search or job-finding fees are reimbursed by 28% of companies, sponsoring a work permit is offered by 23%, and help with finding volunteer activities and/or support networks by 22%. RES Forum The importance of language training is also shown in a recent survey by the RES Forum, an independent community for international HR and Mobility professionals. Asked what benefits are offered in the case of a dual career couple, language training is the clear winner: 81% of partaking companies offer this kind of support. A lump sum takes second place, offered by 50%.
The new directive paves the way for international companies to transfer managers, specialists and trainees temporarily to a branch in the EU, as well as allowing them to work in other member states during the assignment.
Long term Commenting on the results, David Enser, Partner of the RES Forum, says: “It’s interesting that many companies still primarily deal with issues around immediate assimilation, like language training, but do not help partners to set themselves up for long-term integration and success via career support and education for example.”
Job or self-employment An important feature in the new regulations is that family members will be able to accompany the employee from the start of the assignment, and be entitled to take a job or be self-employed throughout the transfer.
DIGITAL HR NEWSLETTER AND MORE
Expat partners are among the winners in a recently adopted European Union directive, making intra-corporate transfers between countries in the EU a lot easier.
Another success for the Permits Foundation The Permits Foundation, an independent organisation which campaigns globally for the right of expat partners to work during international assignments, lobbied hard for this family-friendly legislation, and was able to gain support from all the relevant bodies within the EU. More information: www.permitsfoundation.com
Our HR Newsletter is also distributed digitally. Please advise us if you would like to receive the digital version, as well as or instead of the print edition, or if you want to stop receiving our newsletters altogether. You can find all our HR Newsletters at www.global-connection.info (‘For HR’ tab), including related and more in-depth articles. Global Connection | September 2014
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Expat Partner Support HR Newsletter OFFER CLEAR COMMUNICATION AND SUPPORT Issues such as dual career and family matters shouldn’t be obstacles to employee mobility, if clear communication and effective support are provided, according to a recent article published by the global consulting firm Mercer. Summarising policies dealing with dual career and family issues that have proven to work for expatriating companies, Mercer gives these general tips on its website: Make your policy flexible This allows the assignee and partner/spouse to feel they have options and that the company values the difficult decisions they have to make. Use an integrated, consistent approach Though flexibility is important, employers should be consistent in their communication with and support of both the assignee and partner. Apply foresight In the case of long-term assignments, make sure that mechanisms are in place to provide support for the family, with internal HR and third parties alike. And implement protocols to ensure partners get the support they need.
Reinventing yourself abroad Moving abroad is a radical step. For many expat partners, it’s a move that means a different lifestyle and, as a result, a new identity. And it often comes paired with a drastic change in social status. Status and identity In his book, Status Anxiety, British philosopher Alain de Botton writes: “People who hold important positions in society are commonly labelled ‘somebodies’, and their inverse ‘nobodies’ – both of which are, of course, nonsensical descriptors, for we are all, by necessity, individuals with distinct identities and comparable claims on existence.” His words reflect a recurring theme among expat partners who, more often than not, find themselves struggling with questions surrounding social status and identity. Source: Global Connection Magazine, September 2014 – If you would like to read the full article, please contact us at info@gcmail.info 4
Global Connection | September 2014
YEARS
expat partner support
ABOUT GLOBAL CONNECTION Global Connection is an independent, international organisation that is exclusively dedicated to expat partner support. Our goal: to contribute to the well-being and mobility of expat partners and consequently to the success of the posting. We have more than 20 years of experience and over 250 organisations use our services. We support partners of 80 nationalities in 140 countries. SERVICES FOR HUMAN RESOURCES Research: Global Connection conducts research into all aspects of partner support. Our studies include surveys among expat partners as well as HR executives. In addition, we conduct customised surveys to answer your specific questions. Consultancy: We help organisations with, among other things: partner support policy development, ROI calculations, improving cost efficiency and effectiveness, benchmarking, best practices exchange, supplier selection, purchasing/contracting, testing plans and new initiatives. HR management and staff training is also available. SERVICES FOR EXPAT PARTNERS Unique support model: Effective partner support requires providing the right information and service at the right time and in the right way. Therefore, we work according to a unique Triple Seven Support Model and provide a one-stop-shop for expat partner support. 7 STAGES Pre-decision Pre-departure Settling in Settled Pre-repatriation Repatriation Repatriated
7 AREAS Life abroad Destination Networking Paid work Alternatives Repatriation Other
7 FORMS Needs assessment Media Support desk Network Local meeting Coaching* Training* * incl. test/assessment
B2B and B2C: Our support packages are exclusively available to expat partners of assigning organisations that have a contract with Global Connection. Our books are also available to the general public and can be ordered online. More information Please visit www.global-connection.info or contact us: Business Development Manager: Geke van Gurp – geke.van.gurp@gcmail.info Managing Director: Jacqueline van Haaften – jvanhaaften@gcmail.info
About this newsletter This quarterly Global Connection HR Newsletter is produced for all HR, Global Mobility and Talent Managers with an interest in expat partner support. For more information, please contact us at info@gcmail.info