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HR Best Practices Can Lead to a Better Expat Experience

Mentoring employees before and during an expat assignment is among the effective preparation strategies for adjusting to a new country

Employees who have accepted international assignments adjust and perform better in the host country when effective HR management practices are implemented, according to a report included in a compilation of research that the SHRM Foundation recently released.

The findings in Crossing Cultures: Unpacking the Expatriate Learning and Adjustment Process over Time are based on responses from 171 expatriates surveyed 30 days before leaving for their assignments and then nine more times over the first nine months of their international assignment. The respondents—nearly three-fourths of whom were men, and most of whom had a spouse and children moving with them—were from three multinational organizations. Their assignments spanned 38 countries in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Australia and Europe.

The study found that the expat’s psychological well-being, language fluency and training before relocation had a positive overall effect on adjusting in the first nine months of the international experience. The findings, the researchers wrote, underscore the importance of HR practitioners understanding the expat’s adjustment process. HR professionals must make sure their organization:

• Addresses the employee's need to develop language fluency in the international assignment.
• Offers psychological screening to assess readiness for an international assignment, including an individual’s openness to having an international experience.
• Provides strong support before and during the assignment, including setting clear expectations about the employee’s role and performance and giving feedback and assistance.
• Provides the employee with a self-assessment tool prior to the international assignment to help set realistic expectations for adjusting to the host country.
• Provides a mentor in the host country. A former, current or more experienced expatriate to offer an insider’s perspective can be especially helpful; a host-country national who is a distinguished organizational leader also would be a good choice.
• Maintains a connection between the expatriate and the home-based organization.

Mentors, Support Team

Cynthia Biro, global co-head of Skills Village at PeopleTicker, an information provider based in the New York City area, found that mentors in the host country helped her when she opened offices in various international locations. In preparation, her employer arranged for expatriates in those countries to contact her about a month before she left the U.S. Once she was in the host country, each expat spent several hours, on different days, introducing Biro to the area, including showing her where to shop for food and taking her on tours of the city to expose her to various areas and to learn the city’s history, she noted in a Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) discussion on LinkedIn.

“I cannot tell you how much it helped me in my management and expansion efforts whilst [I was] onsite. Everyone was much more approachable in the office, because we had ‘off time’ and ‘warm introductions’ beforehand. I highly suggest this strategy for others. I also had language classes, and they helped, but the introducing of expats prepared me best.”

At defense technology company Raytheon, a support team is assigned to an employee who accepts an international assignment, said Randa G. Newsome, vice president of HR and based in Waltham, Mass. The team includes a sponsor, an in-country supervisor and an HR point of contact and it remains active throughout the employee’s preparation, deployment and repatriation.

“The support team is responsible for understanding the employee’s assignment and career aspirations, and for engaging in regular communication and activities to help the employee fulfill development goals throughout their assignment,” she said in an e-mail to SHRM Online. “Most important, the support team works to place the employee in a meaningful company role upon their return—one that aligns with their career aspirations and benefits from their international experience and acumen.”

Pre-Selection Criteria, Screening

Spell out pre-selection criteria for expat assignments, said Suzanne Garber, CEO of Gauze, a Philadelphia-based global database of hospitals, in an e-mail to SHRM Online. She has been an expat and has managed and helped other expats prepare for their assignments.

“The onus is on the hiring manager to ensure that cultural compatibility is one of the determining factors to awarding an expat assignment. Without fully understanding this component of the expat assignment, it may be doomed to fail,” she noted. “Many rising executives know that obtaining an expat position is one way to propel one’s career into super-stardom. ... However, all who are chosen are not best suited. Why not? Because while the job specs were carefully crafted, the cultural aspects were not. Culture, in an expat position, trumps credentials.”

Not everyone will adapt well to a new country or culture, wrote Vancouver, Canada-based HR consultant Debra Walker in an e-mail to SHRM Online.

“Tests that show adaptability, resourcefulness, problem-solving, thinking on one’s feet, ability to work in grey [areas]—and even introversion vs. extroversion review—are good to incorporate, so that individuals that will not adapt well will have a clearer picture before they even leave home soil.”

Most multinational firms do not have a standard screening process to identify traits—such as resourcefulness and a high tolerance for ambiguity—that make for a successful expat, said James P. Johnson, Ph.D., professor of international business at Rollins College Crummer Graduate School of Business in Orlando, Fla.

“These qualities cannot be taught in a brief pre-departure cross-cultural training program. Instead, efforts should be made to identify candidates that have these traits, and to train them in the technical aspects of the international assignment, rather than select the person who has the technical skills and assume that he or she can acquire the necessary soft skills that are essential to international success,” he said in an e-mail to SHRM Online.

Language, Cross-Cultural Training

Learning the host country’s language is important, said Johnson, who has worked in Finland, Great Britain, Mexico, Spain and the former Yugoslavia.

“It can go a long way in developing relations with employees, colleagues, customers and neighbors,” he said, but advised being realistic in one’s expectations. “Traditional language training is time-intensive and crash courses can be expensive. In addition, many firms that offer language training require the employee to do it in his or her free time or take vacation days to attend a crash course.”

He also thinks cross-cultural training should be a mandatory component of an international assignment.

“Less than 50 percent of firms require it, although many are getting better in realizing that training is not only essential for the employee, but for spouses [or significant others] and family members” accompanying the employee, he noted in an e-mail. Family members should have access to training as well for help securing a driver’s license, for example, and locating babysitters, schools and English-speaking medical providers.

And Gauze’s Garber stressed that additional cultural training is a must, even if the assignee has visited, worked in or previously lived in the host country.

“It is imperative to get a briefing on what’s going on in the country now. This includes an update from a political, gastronomical, religious and security perspective.”

Richard Phillips, managing director at Britam, a risk management and training consultancy in London, has employed more than 1,000 staff members in expatriate roles over the last 11 years—most commonly in "quite challenging environments," he said in an e-mail to SHRM Online.

“The single most important part of their preparation is making absolutely sure they understand the living and working environment they are about to enter—warts and all! To avoid wasting time and money, do this first and check as part of your quality process. It is human nature to look at the positives of a role and skip the bits you don’t know much about.

“Make sure your candidates are fully appraised of the challenges, issues and differences to their previous experience to avoid them wanting to return five minutes after arrival.”

Kathy Gurchiek is the associate editor at HR News. Follow her @SHRMwriter. Join the SHRM LinkedIn discussion on preparing expats for their assignments.

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Expatriate Management (Best Practice Tips)

Anne morris.

• 11 April 2020

IN THIS SECTION

Managing expatriates is a multi-stage process, where each stage can be crucial to the overall success of an overseas assignment for your business, as well as the individual assignee, on both a personal and professional basis.

The following guide looks at best practice for employers when deploying individuals overseas, including some important practical tips for expatriate management, from preparation through to repatriation.

Preparing expatriates for an overseas assignment

The management of overseas assignments can be a complex process for employers and HR personnel to get right, especially when trying to balance the cost of an assignment within the shifting demands of the global business environment against the individual needs of the expatriate.

By thoroughly preparing in advance of the assignment, and by properly investing in the necessary processes from the outset, you can help to minimise wasted expenditure and unnecessary costs at a later date. This can also help to avoid any loss of revenue, and even the potential loss of top global talent from within your organisation, resulting from a failed assignment.

The level of preparation required in the expatriate management process can vary depending on the nature and length of the overseas assignment, the location of the assignment, the number of assignees involved and the individual personal circumstances of each assignee.

In broad terms, however, your pre-assignment expatriate management process should include the following.

A comprehensive assessment of the nature and length of the overseas assignment needed to meet your business objectives, having regard to the flexibility offered by various different types of assignment, from business trips to permanent relocation. This process should also be carried out in the context of any prospective candidates, their level of experience and their personal circumstances. For the novice expatriate, the option of commuter and short-term assignments may be a sensible starting point.

The provision of an adequate compensation package to adequately incentivise prospective overseas assignees, attracting the best available candidates. This should include a suitable salary that matches or exceeds the typical salary that an employee would get paid in their home country for doing the same job, together with relocation costs and a cost of living allowance to reflect any additional daily expenditure in the host location.

Implement a thorough selection and vetting procedure for prospective assignees, ensuring they are suitably qualified and capable of undertaking the assignment in question. Each assignment will present its own unique challenges and demands, so you will need to match the right person to the job, having regard to the individual needs of the assignee in the context of the specific assignment and host location. This could include formal and informal assessments of their capabilities, career aspirations, physical and mental wellbeing, and whether they are emotionally equipped to withstand any cultural adjustment.

A full assessment of any travel and legal risks prior to deployment tailored to the specific assignment, the host destination and the individual assignee(s), ensuring that you fully research the country and region in which the assignee will be working. You should also keep abreast of any imminent changes that may affect the assignment or assignee prior to their deployment.

A pre-deployment programme of training and education for overseas assignees and their families, where applicable, about the host destination. This could include cross-cultural training and language classes, as well practical information about the region or city in terms of transport, education, recreation, healthcare services, and any safety and security issues. For those travelling to high-risk destinations this should also include security briefings and training on hostile environment awareness.

Supporting expatriates during an overseas assignment

Even with thorough preparation prior to the start of an overseas assignment and through to deployment, the provision of ongoing support for an expatriate during the lifecycle of their assignment can be key to its’ overall success.

A human-centric approach should be taken to expatriate management, where absent the right personal and professional support for your overseas assignees and their families whilst abroad, this could seriously affect the outcome.

The level of support required can again vary depending on the nature and length of the overseas assignment, its’ location t, the number of assignees involved and the personal circumstances of each assignee.

In broad terms, however, your active-assignment expatriate management process should include the following:

The provision of an ongoing benefit and support program to help assignees and their families integrate into their host destination. This could include local support, where you could consider outsourcing this role to a specialist who can help novice expats to settle into their new surroundings and signpost them to different services. You should also provide key HR contacts back home to address any personal or professional problems, or in the event of an emergency.

Ensure a positive employee experience, where psychological wellbeing and happiness while on an overseas assignment is strongly linked to expatriate success. This could include the use of informal introductions, employee-centric activities and social networking events on the assignee’s arrival in the host destination to help them integrate with their new work colleagues and other ex-pat families within your organisation.

Maintaining regular contact with your overseas assignees, ensuring effective coordination between management and HR, as well as any local support team in the host destination. Through clear communication you can help to pre-empt any problems that may lead to job dissatisfaction or difficulties with cultural integration. This can also help assignees to keep abreast of any workplace changes and not feel disconnected or isolated.

The provision of quality healthcare for maintaining the physical and mental health of your employees and their families. You should ensure that you opt for an international health insurance plan that offers the assistance and protection your assignee’s may need, including access to a 24-hour helpline that can be used to answer any medical or security questions, or facilitate the provision of emergency assistance, at a time when an assignee’s usual points of contact would not be available.

Remain fully informed of any risk factors that may impact on the assignment, where even relatively safe destinations can quickly become high-risk regions due to health, safety, security, political or social reasons. You should also be able to effectively communicate any such changes and important information to assignees working remotely, especially in relation to health and safety.

The effective use of technology, including data and analytics tools to make informed management decisions in respect of overseas assignments, from cost control to key performance indicators. Further, by providing overseas assignees with the right equipment and devices to do their job can help to maximise productivity, monitor their progress and even measure the assignee experience. This should include the provision of secure wireless networks, good connectivity and up-to-date software.

Making provision for expatriates following an overseas assignment

Having successfully completed an overseas assignment, this is not the end of the process for either you or the expatriate. The repatriation process, even though this is the last step in the expatriation lifecycle, can be just as challenging as the deployment process. In many cases this will involve a process of practical, mental and emotional readjustment for the assignee, as well as their families.

The level of support required for expatriates following an overseas assignment can vary depending on how long an assignee has spent abroad, the extent of any family ties back home and the nature of any role that they will be returning to.

In broad terms, however, your post-assignment expatriate management process should include the following:

The provision of an adequate repatriation package to adequately incentivise overseas assignees to return home to work for your organisation. This should include the potential for career progression or a suitably senior role to return to home to, ensuring that you retain your top talent and benefit from their overseas experience.

The provision of other initiatives to alleviate the risk of losing key employees, including a suitable relocation package following a long-term overseas assignment to enable an employee to easily move back to the UK. The issue of costs must always be balanced against the need to retain talent to ensure the continuity and success of your business for the future. Given their international experience, expatriates are open to being headhunted by your competitors, so the cost of financial incentives must be weighed against the risk of losing them altogether.

The use of debriefing interviews to capture lessons learned from the overseas assignment, making the most of any invaluable insight and new industry knowledge the assignee has gained from their experience abroad. This will help you to develop your business back in the UK and stay ahead of your competitors. This will also give you the opportunity to explore any career aspirations and potential options available to your assignee, as well as the possibility of any future overseas assignments.

Practical tips for effective expatriate management

Although statistically there can be a high failure rate for overseas assignments, the risk of an unsuccessful assignment can be minimised by applying the following practical tips to the expatriate management process:

• Carefully consider the assignment in the context of your business goals, including the nature of the assignment and number of assignees needed Offer adequate compensation packages to attract the best available candidates, including relocation and costs of living allowances.
• Implement a thorough selection and vetting procedure for prospective assignees, ensuring they are suitably qualified and capable of undertaking the assignment in question in the host destination.
• Thoroughly research the host destination for any travel and security risks, keeping abreast of any imminent changes that may affect the assignment or assignee.
• Thoroughly prepare your assignee for deployment through a programme of pre-deployment training, including their families where applicable Invest in an ongoing benefit and support program to help assignees and their families integrate into their host destination.
• Encourage a positive employee experience through the use of informal introductions with ex-pat families, employee-centric activities and social networking events on the assignee’s arrival in the host destination.
• Maintain regular contact with your overseas assignee to help pre-empt any problems and avoid any feelings of isolation.
• Remain up-to-date with any changes in the host destination that may affect the assignment or assignee.
• Provide adequate healthcare, including access to a 24-hour helpline and the provision of emergency assistance where needed.
• Provide adequate equipment and up-to-date ways of increasing productivity, monitoring performance and staying connected.
• Provide adequate repatriation packages to incentivise assignees to return to work for you, including the potential for career progression or a suitably senior role, as well as any necessary relocation package.
• Utilise debriefing interviews to capture lessons learned from the overseas assignment and explore potential career options available to the expatriate, including the possibility of further overseas assignments.

Need assistance?

Seeking expert advice in expatriate management is often money well spent. The cost of sending employees abroad can already be significant, but the risk of losing that investment through either a failed assignment or loss of the assignee altogether from within your organisation should be weighed in the balance.

Getting it right can result in an increase in revenue, the retention of talent and the ability to repeat the process successfully time and time again.

DavidsonMorris are employer solutions lawyers with specialist experience in global mobility and supporting businesses with their international workforce needs. For advice and help with your expat management, speak to us .

Expatriate  management  FAQs

What is expatriate in hrm.

Expatriate in Human Resource Management (HRM), commonly shortened to expat, is someone living in a country different to their own for the purposes of undertaking a short or long-term overseas work assignment. This can include employees sent to manage a new office or set up a new location.

How do you manage an expatriate employee?

Managing an expatriate employee is a multi-stage process, where each stage can be crucial to the overall success of an overseas assignment for both your business and the individual assignee. Effective expatriate management should run throughout the lifecycle of an assignment, from pre-deployment preparation through to repatriation when the employee returns back home.

How do you manage expatriate failure?

In instances where an expatriate is inadequately prepared for a short or long-term overseas assignment, or where the language and cultural differences cannot be overcome, this can often lead to early repatriation. By providing support on a personal and professional level both prior to, during and after the assignment, the risk of expatriate failure can be minimised.

Last updated: 11 April 2020

Founder and Managing Director Anne Morris is a fully qualified solicitor and trusted adviser to large corporates through to SMEs, providing strategic immigration and global mobility advice to support employers with UK operations to meet their workforce needs through corporate immigration.

She is a recognised by Legal 500 and Chambers as a legal expert and delivers Board-level advice on business migration and compliance risk management as well as overseeing the firm’s development of new client propositions and delivery of cost and time efficient processing of applications.

Anne is an active public speaker, immigration commentator , and immigration policy contributor and regularly hosts training sessions for employers and HR professionals

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About DavidsonMorris

As employer solutions lawyers, DavidsonMorris offers a complete and cost-effective capability to meet employers’ needs across UK immigration and employment law, HR and global mobility .

Led by Anne Morris, one of the UK’s preeminent immigration lawyers, and with rankings in The Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners , we’re a multi-disciplinary team helping organisations to meet their people objectives, while reducing legal risk and nurturing workforce relations.

Read more about DavidsonMorris here . 

Legal Disclaimer

The matters contained in this article are intended to be for general information purposes only. This article does not constitute legal advice, nor is it a complete or authoritative statement of the law, and should not be treated as such. Whilst every effort is made to ensure that the information is correct at the time of writing, no warranty, express or implied, is given as to its accuracy and no liability is accepted for any error or omission. Before acting on any of the information contained herein, expert legal advice should be sought.

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Making Your Expat Assignment Easier on Your Family

• Katia Vlachos

When temporary relocations fail, it’s seldom about the work.

Where do expats go wrong? About 80% move with a partner or family, and it’s often the inability of those people to acclimate to the new environment that causes assignments to fail. Before accepting a temporary reassignment to another country, involve your partner or family in the decision and anticipate the changes it will mean. Prepare for the move well in advance, and discuss the tradeoffs of the choices you’ll need to make. Be particularly sensitive to the possibility that your transition experience may differ from theirs.

As companies expand globally, executives are increasingly being tapped for expatriate assignments. The idea is to spread talent, expertise, and knowledge from headquarters to foreign offices, and vice versa. But these are costly moves — $311,000 per year, according to a  report by PwC and the Cranfield School of Management — and many fail to generate a return on investment. Studies show that an estimated 6%–10% of such assignments are terminated early, while an unknown but sizable percentage involve unnecessary struggle and underperformance.

• Katia Vlachos is a public policy analyst, researcher and writer on cross-cultural transitions and expatriate life. She has a Ph.D. in policy analysis from the RAND Corporation.  

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Family Support: Underestimated, but Essential

In many ways, their needs exceed those of the international staff.  Departing employees may have a whole system working to their benefit, including host country workers, supervisors, and other foreign staff ready to greet them on their first day of work. But the family of the expat? When mom, dad, husband, or wife walks out that door for their first day of work, their family is left behind to fend for themselves.

This is an important but underserved group – the children, spouses, and other dependents of the staff on assignment.  Below, learn about work-family conflict and its consequences for staff, families, and employers.  Then discover the distinct challenges facing employees abroad departing with and without their families and how HR can help them overcome these challenges.

Challenges When Families Accompany the Expat on Assignment

What work-family conflict is and how it affects employees abroad.

Work-family conflict occurs when work and family demands collide.  Some scholars suggest that the family environment is more important to an international assignee’s success than on-the-job skills.  Similarly, expatriates may quit or depart their international assignment early when family members are unhappy in the host country.  Some scholars go so far as to identify this as the leading cause for early termination of an international assignment.

Foreign families on assignment must identify schools for children and work or other activities for a spouse.  Just as the international staff member must adjust to a new culture, so too must the family members.

All of this may lead to stress and in turn work-family conflict.  In addition, let’s not forget that the workplace itself is often a source of very real stress for the employee. As we’ve seen, rates of failure are high as foreign staff struggle to adjust to new job responsibilities.

Much as we might like to draw a sharp line dividing our work and family lives, the reality is that there is a crossover effect.  This means that emotionally we bring our homes into our workplaces, and we take our workplaces back to our homes.

Amidst this conflict, employees may respond by detaching either from their family obligations, their work obligations, or some of both.  As rates of work-family conflict increase, for instance, employees work fewer hours and miss work more often.  They also may shift their focus from work to family issues.  The employee and family members alike may experience reduced well-being, including declining marital satisfaction for the parents.

These results are not intended to discourage employees from moving abroad with their families.  This is a problem that, according to one study, affects about one in five expats moving with family.  The rest report either positive or neutral experiences.  However, there are numerous areas in which spouses and their families are regularly dissatisfied.

Let’s look, then, at the ways that HR can support expats and their families.  We’ll begin with the area that may most often contribute to marital strife: children.

Accompanying Children

International schools, often English-speaking, are available in most countries around the world for the children of international employees.  Parents may require support identifying the various school options, choosing the best, and following through with enrollment.  Trailing spouses surveyed by researchers reported widespread concern about the disruption the move had caused to their children’s education, for instance.  Even more were concerned about their children’s loss of social ties and friendships, with just 7% unconcerned by such losses.

Many parents also fret over the cost of international schools. These are private, tuition-charging schools which can be pricey even in otherwise inexpensive countries.  First-time staff on overseas assignment may not realize the extent of these costs.

What can HR professionals do?  Ideally, foreign staff will have their children’s school costs fully subsidized, though not all organizations offer this benefit. Regardless of coverage, however, HR pros can help reduce stress by transparently outlining what will and will not be covered in the overseas assignment compensation package.

In addition, HR can do some of the groundwork on behalf of their employees.  Which schools do parents have to choose from?  What are the pros and cons of each?  And, to help children socialize and integrate, which schools are other international co-workers sending their children to?  These are just some of the answers that expats and their spouses may have – and to which HR can have answers at the ready.

Read Also: Expatriates: Choosing the Best International School

As a final point, it’s worth noting a not-altogether surprising finding: the most stressed staff were those on a foreign assignment with children but without a spouse.  HR should spend additional time addressing challenges with these staff members before departure, during assignment, and on repatriation.

For instance, childcare options may be especially vital for these employees.  Organizing get-togethers between expat families is another great option to consider, as this can help prevent children from feeling socially isolated in their new homes. In addition, these employees may require additional vacation time so that they may accompany their children on flights back home.

Of course, children are not the only source of angst.  Spouses, too, must overcome a set of challenges in their new homes.

Accompanying Spouses and Partners

The scholar Paul van der Laken writes that as “family members experience a disruption of their established social network, they often experience feelings of isolation, loneliness, depression and stress.”  Other research shows that over 90% of all expat partners were concerned about the loss of friendships and their distance from family.

One solution to this issue can be local employment for the trailing spouse.  This not only offers obvious financial benefits but can help them integrate into the local culture.  Yet, studies show that too many spouses must fend for themselves in new countries. As few as 10% received assistance finding work, according to one study.

Without support, many previously employed spouses fail to find work abroad.  Those that do report lower rates of job satisfaction. In one study, only 8% of working spouses expressed complete satisfaction with their work. A mere 2% indicated that the new job worked well with their family life.

Read Also: How to Avoid and Overcome Trailing Spouse Syndrome

This is unfair to the accompanying spouse. It is damaging to the international employee who experiences increased work-life conflict. And it is harmful to the organization.  One staff member on assignment, for instance, described to researchers a “weakened long-term commitment [to the organization] because of [the] heavy price paid by family.”

Research also suggests that many potential expats choose not to volunteer for international assignments due to concerns about the professional impact on their partner.  LGBT employees may also resist international assignments given the broad scope of potential challenges they face – including but not limited to finding work for their spouse in certain LGBT-unfriendly countries.

Organizations can assist in several ways.  They may work with the spouse to find employment befitting their skills and experiences.  They may also hire the spouse themselves.  This is more common in developing countries or in countries with limited opportunities for employment.  For instance, spouses of diplomats in the US Foreign Services are regularly employed within the Embassy.

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Challenges When Family Stays Behind

A family separation.

Not all expatriates travel with their families, of course.  In the US, around 30% go on assignment without the company of their families.  Among East Asian workers on assignment, the number rises to about 50%.

I spoke, for instance, to Chinese employees on multi-year assignment in Kazakhstan.  Due to a combination of company policy and personal preference, all had left their families behind in China.  This, the Chinese expats explained in a series of interviews, was a product of a culture that emphasized not just the nuclear family but the broader family as well.  Many spouses were caring for – even living with – their elderly parents.  Their children would continue bonding not only with siblings but with nieces, nephews, and even more extended family members.

This focus on extended family also justified accepting the international assignment. As one explained, “I work overseas, so I have [a] better salary. When I was young I live in a very poor family. If I earn more, I can [help] my father, mother, and my wife have a better life.”

In addition, finding adequate Chinese language education facilities for their children abroad proved an insurmountable barrier to many of these parents. This is an issue for many non-English speaking foreigners, especially those working outside of major, globally connected cities.

While far from their families, these expatriates still are subject to work-family conflict.  In fact, the very distance between them and their families can be a source of tension.  For these employees, therefore, HR must step in to provide support of a different kind.

Organizational Support for Families Back Home

In the case of the Chinese expat I spoke with, they reported that their organization had responded forcefully to support both them and their families.  To help reduce loneliness, the foreign staff lived in comfortable corporate housing.  They had their own cleaners, a restaurant with free Chinese restaurant-style food, personal security, transportation services, access to sports clubs, and other perks.  This created a camaraderie between them which offered the possibility for deep friendships among their coworkers.

In fact, many described these relationships as the highlight of their international assignment.  One staffer explained that “we are single here.  Our [co-workers] are our family.  We have relationship[s] with them. We go together, shopping, for a walk, things like this.”

This policy may not be exactly replicable for a traditional western organization, in which employees tend to highly value privacy and independence.  It does however offer insight into the types of social practices that organizations can support to ensure employees feel connected to one another at a time when their families are far away.

The employees I spoke with also received generous leave allowances. They worked in 3-month intervals, followed by a full month off for a total of 90 annual vacation days.  Most staff I spoke to rushed home the moment their assignments ended. As one young father explained, “When I have vacation [time], I will spend all my time with my family. If it’s not necessary, I will not go out. Not for the club, not to [socialize] with friends. Only with my daughter and with my parents.”

Expats even reported that their company’s leaders back home would periodically check in on family members. They would ask if the family needed anything and do their best to provide it. The company also assisted family members with medical issues, for instance by finding a good doctor or overseeing emergency room visits.

The result, according to most of those I spoke with, was satisfaction with their work and gratitude towards their employers. Indeed, the lengthy duration of their assignments was noteworthy, extending to seven years in one case.

However, this feeling was not universal.  One explained that he regularly experienced loneliness, “and I have to face it by myself.  [There is] no one [I] can talk to.”  He went on to worry that “for the family, we can do nothing.  Like my daughter, some days ago was ill, and [went] to the hospital.  I [could do] nothing, only be very sad here. But I cannot help.”

This example demonstrates that even with extensive organizational support, HR must remain compassionate to the very real struggles that many of their staff will face.  Providing benefits and tangible support is of course a key element in helping employees on overseas assignment and in reducing sources of work-family conflict.

To that end, organizations should follow the example of this Chinese organization in ensuring that family back home and employees on assignments are cared for.  Ultimately, however, we must not lose sight of the fact that expats and their families are facing immense disruptions to their lives. While many flourish, others need more than just a robust policy – they need a friendly face and a helping hand.

This article has not presented a comprehensive list of challenges that expat families may face – a list that would be long indeed.  But education and employment, as well as issues relating to safety, security, and healthcare, are among the most common challenges faced by these families.  So, if you haven’t already, review your checklist one last time – and make sure that support for your employee’s family is near the top of that list.

Related Articles

• Expatriate Selection: Lessons From the U.S. Peace Corps
• Understanding and Preventing Expat Failure
• The 5 Best Countries to Work in for Expats

Sources and Further Reading

Anderson, B. A. (2001). Expatriate management: An Australian tri-sector comparative study. Thunderbird International Business Review ,  43 (1), 33-52.

Forster, N. (1997). ‘The persistent myth of high expatriate failure rates’: a reappraisal.  International Journal of Human Resource Management ,  8 (4), 414-433.

Guzzo, R. A., Noonan, K. A., & Elron, E. (1994). Expatriate managers and the psychological contract.  Journal of Applied psychology ,  79 (4), 617

Lin, C. Y. Y., Lu, T. C., & Lin, H. W. (2012). A different perspective of expatriate management.  Human Resource Management Review ,  22 (3), 189-207.

Takeuchi, R. (2010). A critical review of expatriate adjustment research through a multiple stakeholder view: Progress, emerging trends, and prospects.  Journal of management ,  36 (4), 1040-1064.

Van der Laken, P. A., Van Engen, M. L., Van Veldhoven, M. J. P. M., & Paauwe, J. (2019). Fostering expatriate success: A meta-analysis of the differential benefits of social support.  Human Resource Management Review ,  29 (4), 100679.

Wang, C. H., & Varma, A. (2019). Cultural distance and expatriate failure rates: the moderating role of expatriate management practices.  The International Journal of Human Resource Management ,  30 (15), 2211-2230.

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8 Tips for Preparing Expatriates for Foreign Assignments

Preparing expatriates for foreign assignments is a crucial undertaking for either expansion processes or short-term business travel. The challenge here is to ensure that the employees chosen to go work abroad do so successfully. Much of that effort will be produced by them, but even more important is for the wider company to provide support.

When moving and managing assets - in this case, your talented employees - you want to make sure that all that time and effort isn’t for nothing. You want to make sure the move is compliant and that workflows shared by your team and the expatriate employee are streamlined. 

So what do you need to focus on? Here are eight tips for preparing expatriates for foreign assignments in a successful mobility project. 

• Pre-Move Training
• Sourcing Immigration Support
• Ensure Continued Communication
• Provide Support On The Ground
• Undertake Project Alignment Meetings
• Invest in Knowledge Management
• Provide Home and Host Sponsorship
• Take Into Account Domestic Duties

1. Pre-Move Training

Preparation for expatriation is of utmost importance. This training needs to be well-researched, taking into consideration the potential challenges that employees and mobility teams might face. For example, identify:

Your potential challenges : For example, a specific country could require a specific tax set up for expatriates or business travelers. You’ll have to research the requirements that apply to your expatriation.

Strategies that help you deal with these issues: Some global organizations work with Professional Employer Organizations (PEO) in order to maintain compliance and work in line with cultural requirements. This is one potential solution that you might find appealing.

Areas for cultural training : Cultural expectations can be radically different in one country compared to another - while this may seem like the last thing to focus on, it’s worth spending time looking into cultural differences, just so no accidental faux pas are made.

The overarching goals of the assignment : An expatriation depends on all stakeholders having visibility and an understanding of the reasons for it. 

Local language training : Even if the host country has a good rate of use for your language, it’s worth helping your employee get to grips with the basics.

2. Sourcing Immigration Support

Immigration and the requirements therein are obviously crucial. Border controls, regulatory environments and immigration law are therefore all things to contend with. Now, these can be daunting and confusing, but it’s imperative to fully prepare for them, as they’re some of the first barriers to overcoming when expatriating an employee for foreign assignments. 

You need to make sure that you’re expatriation is in line with national and international immigration policy for both your home and host country. Similarly, visas and short-term or permanent residency applications need to be sent off for. Without these, alongside a considered approach towards global immigration , your overseas assignment won’t be able to continue. 

3. Ensure Continued Communication

Without communication, there’s no expansion. Home and host teams need to be on top of carrying out frequent communications, so that data is acted upon and problems can be solved collaboratively.

Assignees need to be proactive in this and so too do home teams. Communication allows organizations to leverage what’s being learned and respond actively to specific events. On top of that, communication needs to be structured so the learnings and updates shared are easily tracked. Monthly meetings and weekly check-ins are good places to start. 

4. Provide Support On The Ground

Alongside frequent communication, on-ground support also needs to be offered. This is a job for HR teams, who can help expats and their families (if applicable) adapt to their new surroundings. This kind of support covers:

• Finding accommodation.
• Creating bank accounts and setting up payroll in line with host-country regulations ( This is another obligation that a PEO can support you with ).
• Providing health insurance.
• Enrolling children in school (if applicable).
• Preparing accurate taxation processes.

Taxation is one thing to be aware of, as getting the process wrong can result in legal ramifications. Again, this is something a PEO can help support , as they can act as local Employers of Record, managing and deducting taxation at source - making sure your expatriate assignment is compliant in terms of taxation. 

5. Undertake Project Alignment Meetings

Once the critical information regarding the expatriate employee’s assignment, residency, taxation and other requirements has been exchanged with the relevant stakeholders and/or authorities, it’s time for a project alignment meeting.

This meeting should be held between the employee, a host manager or host team and home team. In it, you should identify the potential causes of friction for the assignment and work to strategize mitigation techniques. Similarly, go over mutual expectations held by the home and host team so that visibility and transparency are also captured. 

Overall, you’ll want to firmly pin down issues that may affect:

• Data collection.
• Reporting strategies.

6. Invest in Knowledge Management

Any assignment knowledge generated needs to be properly disseminated to the relevant parties, quickly and efficiently. These lessons are not only worthwhile for future expatriates, but for the wider company itself and how it approaches global marketplaces. 

When we ensure that learning is absorbed and spread across the whole enterprise, we help to reduce mistakes and delays in the future.

7. Provide Home and Host Sponsorship

As we’ve briefly discussed, having home and host teams managing the expatriate are important, but let’s cover that more in-depth. 

Communication via email isn’t the best way to manage a remote employee. To make sure the expat doesn’t feel cut off from home office processes, create teams or ‘sponsors’ that oversee the experience and work of the employee. 

Whether they be points of contact or mentors, these individuals (or wider teams) help to anchor an expat employee to the work in the home country, keeping them updated on any new developments. Both sides help to co-manage and resolve problems when they arise.

Sponsor individuals within the home country are best suited if they too have had experiences with expatriation, because a lot of this management is about empathy - not just looking for hitting the next performance goal. Expatriation is a difficult process, especially if the host country is a radically different place.

8. Take Into Account Domestic Duties

Another tip for preparing expatriates for overseas assignments is to make sure their family is supported.

Some expatriate employees have children and spouses, which sometimes do make an overseas assignment a lot more complex. These difficulties are usually hard to spot, as many employees will be reluctant to share them with employees, due to the size of the project and the personal nature of these difficulties.

It can be the case that the people most likely to be able to help are the last to know, so this is another thing that good communication can help with. From the home country team’s point-of-view, they need to inquire regularly about how the domestic side of the project is going. 

It needs to be made clear that any issues in regards to this need to be made known, but also that no judgment will arise from those issues being aired. Expatriation is a tough process for a family and businesses need to be supportive. This kind of transparency will dramatically help the overseas assignment. 

To discover more about overseas assignments and expansion, we’ve created a fantastic foundational guide that will help you when strategizing your next moves, be they domestic or international. 

The Guide to Global Expansion

There’s a lot of different info out there on the web about taking your business abroad - or even just sending an employee overseas. To help cut through the noise, our detailed guide will help your business’ journey to expansion.

Inside, you’ll discover more on expansion methods, the crucial considerations and further information on PEO. Just click the link below to get your copy.

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An Employer’s Guide to Expat Benefits & Compensation

When a first-time, or returning, expat is sent internationally to complete an assignment, there are questions that may seem difficult to answer. An employer might be questioned about the competitiveness of what’s on offer, or whether it’s even attractive enough for employees.

Consider, for example, the following: 

• Are your expat benefits benchmarked competitively?
• Should salary and compensation reflect the host country’s expectations?  

When growing companies send staff abroad on international assignments, a level of negotiation is often needed when it comes to agreeing compensation and benefits. It’s important that employees are properly incentivized and rewarded, however such arrangements also must make financial sense for the company.

Read on to find out about best practices and what might be expected when it comes to expat benefits and compensation.

Agreeing Expat Benefits and Compensation

Usually, when a business decides to expand internationally, it’s useful to expatriate existing employees to ‘set up shop’ or establish a business in a foreign market. This is because these employees will already be familiar with the way the company works, as well as its ethos and goals.

When approaching staff for an international assignment, business leaders need to ensure they properly incentivise the move for the best outcomes. Whilst some employees may look upon expatriation favourably, others may have reservations unless the offer is attractive enough. This is especially so if the employee(s) have dependants and other commitments outside of work, such as schooling considerations or are anxious about housing opportunities.

Employers should consider the following allowances when it comes to international relocation:

• Housing opportunities
• Education opportunities
• Driving and transport options
• Travel practicalities and expenses

In either case, it’s important for employers to understand that the opportunity to move and work abroad is a substantial one for any employee.

To properly incentives and benchmark employee relocation, careful consideration should be given to expatriate benefits and compensation. Business leaders need to offer an appropriate salary, cover the costs of relocation, and include various other employee benefits in an expat package (including any tax complications).

Importantly, any agreements should be made in negotiation between employee and employer.

Finding the Right Expat Benefits

While a competitive salary and the cost of relocation should be simple enough to determine, expatriate benefits can be somewhat more complicated to agree on and arrange. This is partially because expatriate benefits will need to be flexible enough to work compliantly and competitively in different locations across the globe. 

Compliance should prioritize which benefits are offered in the first instance. A host country may have different employment laws from the location where a business is headquartered, so benefits will need to carefully negotiate both compliance and employee expectations.

Certain employee benefits may not always work as expatriate benefits. Examples of this include:

• A company car

This would only be useful if the expatriated employee is confidence enough – and legally able – to drive in their new country. Where this is not the case, access to a personal driver, or public transport passes may be more useful.

• Private healthcare

In the US, many companies offer access to private healthcare as an employee benefit. In many European countries, however, this is not worthwhile because all residents have access to public healthcare, which is of high quality.

Other expatriate benefits are, on the other hand, considered more desirable. Those include:

• Overtime pay

Where in the US many states do not require employers to offer staff overtime pay, in other countries this may be expected, or even lawfully compulsory.

• Language classes

If employees are being expatriated to a country where they do not speak the language, offering access to language classes as a benefit can help them to properly integrate into society.

Expectations Among Expat Communities

There are many parts of the world in which expatriated employees are more common, and often communities around expat lifestyles start to develop here. Exposure to these communities could be valuable, as employees become less isolated in their new roles and have local reassurance from a similar type of worker.

But benchmarking benefits and compensation is critical in ensuring that these remain competitive and that employees are satisfied.

Common Places for Expat Assignments

The following is a list of the biggest expat communities across the world, according to International Money Transfer .

• Toronto, Canada
• Chiang Mai, Thailand
• Brussels, Belgium
• Sydney, Australia
• Berlin, Germany
• Los Angeles, USA
• Amsterdam, The Netherlands

When a business expands into one of these areas, it can be beneficial for company representatives to do their homework. It’s advisable to research the types of expatriate benefits that other companies are offering their staff. In addition to relocation costs, any of the following could be common expatriate benefits in these locations:

• Education for dependants
• Healthcare and dental
• Cultural training
• Health & fitness memberships
• Electronic devices (mobile phone, laptop, etc)
• Regular bonus

In addition to finding out which types of expatriate benefits are often seen in the new location; business leaders also need to make sure they are fully compliant with the employment law in that location. When it comes to benefits, there are some which may be legally compulsory – such as overtime pay – and others which may need to be reported to the local tax jurisdiction.

Achieving Compliance

The most reliable way for a business to ensure they achieve compliance with HR and payroll law in a new location is to procure the services of an experienced team. The experts at IRIS FMP have experience in navigating employment legislation all over the world, and we know how to make sure your company operates well within the law.

The two main considerations regarding compliance when it comes to expatriate benefits are:

• Offering lawfully compulsory benefits
• Reporting benefits to the tax jurisdiction

Offering Lawfully Compliant Benefits

All over the world there are different employee benefits that must be offered by companies operating in certain countries. Getting familiar with employment law in a country where you intend to expand your business is vital but can seem like a daunting undertaking. See our individual in-country guides as a starting point.

Compulsory benefits that may need to be offered, in spite of what is usually offered in the company’s origin country, include:

• Holiday leave and pay for a specific number of days
• Sick leave and pay for a specific number of days
• Parental leave and pay for a specific number of days
• Time off to take care of parents or dependants

Reporting Benefits  to the Tax Jurisdiction

Employment law in different countries may also stipulate that some expatriate benefits need to be reported for tax purposes. The reason for this is because employees and/or employers may need to pay tax on these benefits.

Examples of this include in the UK, where the following benefits need to be  reported to HMRC :

• Health insurance
• Company cars

And in the US, where the following need to be included on employees’ annual W – 2 Wage and Tax Statement :

• Car allowance
• Education allowance
• Host country housing costs
• Utility bills

Payroll teams in expanding companies need to keep track of all expatriate benefits issued, and determine when and if they should be reported, and to whom.

Offering the right expat benefits and compensation to staff on international assignments is an important part of ensuring business expansion is successful. The reason for this is because only with appropriate expat packages will employees feel valued and fully supported. Employees who feel like this will then feel more inclined to deliver their best work, allowing the new company branch to thrive.

For all the advice you need regarding expat benefits and compensation , and supporting staff on international assignments, get in touch with IRIS FMP.