HR Newsletter - June 2012

Expat Partner Support HR newsletter | June 2012

Jacqueline van Haaften

Welcome to the new Global Connection HR Newsletter. This quarterly publication will keep you up-to-date on expat partner issues worldwide, and bring you the results of the surveys we conduct, as well as those carried out by leading companies in the Global Mobility world. These pages will also bring you the latest news on Global Connection activities, such as this issue’s topic: our growing coaching and training support.

Gucci money

“CHALLENGING DESTINATIONS”

Do you spend time agonising over budgets? Are you wondering whether to provide dedicated partner support, or whether to allocate your expat partners an allowance which they can spend at their own discretion? Are you considering paying out allowances as a lump sum to avoid time-consuming application processing and declaration procedures? If so, you’re not alone.

‘Buy off’ partner support We see many companies still trying to ‘buy off’ partner support with a cash allowance, often leaving it up to partners as to how they want to spend that budget – what’s popularly referred to as ‘Gucci money’. What we’ve noticed is that, rather than seeing a cash allowance as partner support, partners often gratefully see it as additional income, putting it towards a fun holiday, a nice new couch or, as you might suspect, a designer handbag.

Joint survey While taking a weekend getaway, lounging on a designer sofa or being well-dressed undoubtedly add to a person’s sense of well-being, whether these things structurally contribute to an expat partner’s mobility and quality of life is something that is open to question. The feedback we receive from partners is clear on this point: money alone doesn’t bring happiness. That’s why Global Connection and the RES Forum are planning to carry out a joint survey in June aimed at gaining more insight into cash allowance support. Keep an eye out for the findings in our September newsletter.

New global clients and partnerships: Asia Pacific Breweries – Singapore ING Insurance / IM - Amsterdam National Oilwell Varco Flexibles – Copenhagen Permits Foundation – The Hague SCA – Stockholm TheMIGroup – Toronto & New York The RES Forum – London

Cultural differences are by far the most important reason why some countries are seen as ‘challenging relocation destinations’, much more so than issues such as security, a complicated language, legislation, tax or the political climate. That is one of the findings in ‘The Global Mobility Survey 2012’ (n = 1,119), commissioned by the Santa Fe Group.

China most challenging and common Asked what the most challenging relocation destinations are, companies taking part in the survey mentioned China with 17 percent, followed by India (12 percent), Russia and Brazil (both 7 percent). China is now also seen as the most common relocation destination overall. With 21 percent, it tops the United States (13 percent) and the United Kingdom (8 percent).

Business traveller versus expat and family That ‘cultural differences’ are the main reason why countries such as China are perceived as challenging is interesting, as many HR professionals note that in the international workplace “we’re all the same now,” because of the convergence of business and people management.

“Yet outside the workplace,” says Peter Reilly, Director HR Research & Consultancy at the Institute for Employment Studies in a comment published in the survey, “social customs and attitudes remain very different, a fact which is more apparent to the expatriate and their accompanying family than the business visitor staying briefly in a westernised hotel.”

Global Connection | June 2012

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Expat Partner Support HR newsletter Volume 10 | June 2012

HR INTERVIEW IN QUOTES – DUTCH MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Also featuring in Global Connection’s June Magazine

Surfing the waves of culture Repats | when there’s no ‘home’ in coming home The reality of going back to work Popular Prague

Theme article – Culture shock Many people experience culture shock when they move to another country. One renowned anthropologist has defined the ‘symptoms’ as “stress brought Kids on by the need to adapt; a sense of loss because friends and family are far away; a feeling of rejection; doubt regarding one’s own identity; and helplessness.” In this article, we explore what happens when expats – especially expat partners – encounter another culture.

Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs | Often it’s not about a job, but the issues behind that

Unforgettable cycling tour of Bangkok | Bilingualism, a gift for their future

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Repatriation – Going home or ‘coming home’ Repatriation isn’t always what it seems – especially for those partners who repatriate to a country or city that isn’t their own. Instead of returning home, they find themselves starting over again in another new place: expatriating again rather than repatriating.

Hermien van Triest, Director of the Human Resources Department at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Sheila Karwal, Head of their Organisation and Advice Division spoke to us for the June issue of Global Connection Magazine.

Expat Partner & Work – Back to work Many expat partners look forward to going back to work in their home country after a spell abroad. But before they do, it might be wise to take a reality check.

These quotes are extracts from the full interview, which you can read in the June edition of the magazine.

Kids – Bilingualism or double talk A number of expat partners explain how they have dealt with their bilingual offspring and the challenges – and solutions – that they have discovered.

• “Out of the 3,000 people employed by the Ministry, around 1,000 are currently stationed abroad. In addition, with regard to the number of accompanying family members, the ratio is 1 to 2.5. What that means is that we advise and support around 2,500 partners and children of stationed diplomats through our Family Office.”

• “There are still plenty of people who want to go abroad, but in the long run that’s going to get more difficult. We’re also increasingly dealing with dual career households, with partners who don’t want to give up their careers.”

• “We think Global Connection is very important.

It’s something we’ve been very involved with from the very beginning. Our partners have benefited tremendously from the network, as well as the information Global Connection provides. We’re looking into the possibility of increasing the extent to which we work together with others in the Global Connection network, for example, by sharing job openings.”

• “The main issue as far as I’m concerned is the partner’s general well-being. In my experience, it’s not primarily about having a job, but the issues behind that: feeling good living abroad, personal development, living a fulfilling life, identity, professionalism. There are a number of ways you can approach these issues. We want to help partners do that by providing good, realistic preparation, support and guidance.”

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Global Connection | June 2012

And much more!

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE...

Guinea pig moving guide What about a ‘guinea pig moving guide’? A typical tip: “Before you begin your trip you should always identify animal hospitals and 24-hour clinics on your route, in case of an emergency.” Should you have more pet issues, a guide for cats, dogs and even fish is also available. Visit www.healthypet.com Should you be moving to South America, please note that native guinea pigs in and around the Andes are regarded as a delicacy, so keep a close eye on your pet!

Meeting interesting people on board Here’s a new way to get through a boring intercontinental flight: KLM’s Meet & Seat service lets you find out about interesting people who will be on board certain KLM flights, for example, other passengers heading for the same event as you at your destination.

Here’s how it works: simply share your Facebook or LinkedIn profile through KLM's 'Manage my Booking' page. Then, check other passengers’ profile details to see where they’ll be sitting.

We’re sure it’s another social networking service that will catch on!

We’re not so sure the likes of George Clooney or Lady Gaga will be using it…

08-06-12 14:09

FAMILY CRITICAL TO SUCCESS As has been the case for a number of years now, family and spouse/ partner issues are critical to assignment success, according to the companies that took part in the 2012 Global Relocation Trends Survey by Brookfield GRS (n = 123).

When candidates were asked why they turn down assignments, 34 percent cited ‘family concerns’ as the most important reason, followed by ‘spouse’s career’ (17 percent). When asked to rate family challenges that were critical to them, companies listed ‘spouse/ partner resistance’ first (48 percent), followed by ‘family adjustment’ (38 percent) and ‘children’s education’ (35 percent).

Also, when it comes to assignments failing, family and partners are clearly important issues. The companies taking part in the survey reported that about 6 percent of all assignments failed (compared to 4 percent the year before). In 19 percent of cases, failure was attributed to the employee leaving to work for another company. Spouse/ partner dissatisfaction came second with 17 percent, and ‘other family concerns’ third with 11 percent.

Global Connection: MORE COACHING AND TRAINING With some 20 years’ experience in the field of expat partner support, Global Connection is always looking at ways to further expand its support products and services.

We closely track market developments and conduct surveys that help us keep abreast of expat partner needs.

General / Self-Support: our core values Global Connection’s core General / Self-Support activities remain the foundation of what we offer expat partners.

These are resourceful individuals. In general they are also well-educated and skilled individuals. That’s why our General / Self-Support package mainly supports partners by providing them with information, part of which is based on partner experience. It’s compiled using a multi-channel approach that includes magazines and books (both print and digital formats), email newsletters, our members-only website containing both general and destination-specific information, as well as networking options and a helpdesk.

Exchange of job postings By listening to our expat partners and clients, we’ve grown Global Connection into a one-stop-shop destination for partner support. We are continually looking at ways to improve our products and services by taking advantage of the latest developments in international mobility. For instance, we’re currently exploring how we can more actively support the exchange of job postings – one of the topics we’re focusing on in our June HR workshop.

MORE CULTURAL WEB-BASED TRAINING FOR FAMILIES Cross-cultural training is recognised by many companies taking part in the Brookfield GRS 2012 survey as one of the most important ways to help expats – and their families – to get settled abroad. Some 81 percent of the companies surveyed make cross-cultural training available to some or all assignees. In 60 percent of cases, this benefit is made available not only to the expatriated employee, but also to the entire family. This figure ties with one other year as the highest result since the question was first asked, and a full 18 percent above the historical average of 42 percent.

Increasingly, the training that is offered is web-based or CDbased: 36 percent of respondents said that training tools in this form were available to their group. This percentage is the highest recorded in the 10 years that the question has been asked, and reflects the demands of a new generation.

Get in touch Would you like to share your experiences with us?

Please contact us at info@gcmail.info

Expanding personalised support Due to market demand, we’re currently taking great strides to expand the training and coaching activities we offer as part of our personalised partner support package. In doing so, we’re not just focusing on career options, but looking at the entire spectrum of partner support.

We strongly believe that a demand-driven, modular approach can help both expat partners and international organisations use their budgets more cost-efficiently.

Would you like to find out more?

Please contact one of our Business Development Managers: Richard Forrest – richard.forrest@gcmail.info Irma Groenhof – irma.groenhof@gcmail.info Geke van Gurp – geke.van.gurp@gcmail.info or our Managing Director: Jacqueline van Haaften – jvanhaaften@gcmail.info Global Connection | June 2012

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Expat Partner Support HR newsletter Does coaching work?

Another hot topic headlines the September issue of our HR Newsletter and Global Connection Magazine: does expat partner coaching work?

About Global Connection Critical moments versus failed assignments The 6 percent of failed assignments mentioned in the Brookfield Report are probably just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to assignments which were less than successful. According to Brookfield, failure is attributed to partner dissatisfaction in 17 percent of cases, and ‘other family concerns’ in another 11 percent of cases.

In a Global Connection expat partner survey carried out in 2011 (n = 540), we asked if there had been any moments when our expat partner respondents seriously considered not going ahead with the expatriate posting, or ending it prematurely.

Shocking stories The proportion of respondents who had one or more critical moments was 36 percent, broken down as follows: 41 percent faced a crisis before departure, 48 percent during the first half of the posting and 20 percent during the second half of the posting. Respondents told us shocking stories about the crisis situations they went through.

For example, “I couldn’t cope anymore with the sound of planes flying overhead as it reminded me of being in the wrong place”.

These moments of crisis have no doubt led to less successful assignments for the employee.

Though critical moments cannot be reduced to zero, we are convinced that training or coaching which pays attention to the recognised Cycles of Change through which an expat partner will go will help to reduce the number of these critical moments.

About this newsletter This quarterly Global Connection HR newsletter is produced for all HR and Global Mobility managers with an interest in expat partner support.

For more information, please contact Global Connection at info@gcmail.info 4

Global Connection | June 2012

We are an independent, international expat partner support and research organisation.

Worldwide partner support We support partners of 80 nationalities in 140 countries.

Our services are used by over 250 organisations. We inform and inspire partners in order to contribute to their well-being and mobility, and consequently to the success of their posting.

One-stop-shop We cover all aspects of partner support: living abroad, including life for expat kids, destination-related issues, including culture, networking, paid work and alternatives to paid employment, and repatriation.

Our services range from providing information through to individual support. They include: member-only magazines, books and newsletters (print & digital), the Global Connection website, including a members-only portal, workshops and webinars, training and coaching (one-to-one, in groups and online).

Ongoing support All services and support can be used on an ongoing basis, at every stage.

Research Global Connection executes research into all aspects of partner support. Tailored surveys can also be carried out for expatriating organisations that want to test plans and new initiatives, in order to optimise the support they provide.

Products and services are sold to the assigning organisations, while a range of books can also be ordered directly online.

For more information, please visit www.global-connection.info or contact Global Connection at info@gcmail.info