On a recent family trip to a shopping mall, our younger daughter pointed to a drastically reduced product and enthusiastically lobbied for us to purchase it. After all, it seemed so cheap. The original price was prominently displayed, crossed out, and replaced by a much lower number. The discount appeared irresistible. So I found myself […]
Does the accompanying partner have a negative or a positive impact on the expatriate’s own experience?
About 80% of expatriates are accompanied by their partners during the assignment. Usually partners give up their jobs and go through their own relocation challenges, which naturally inlfuence also the assignee. However, despite these ‘extra’ problems for the expatriate him/herself, the majority still prefers to relocate with their partner. Why so?
International salary management: Some more evidence.
Lately several of my blog posts related to expatriate compensation systems; hence I thought that giving an overview of the most recent survey results on international salary management is an appropriate closure to the topic.
A primer of expatriate tax issues
In one of my previous posts, I gave an overview of the most commonly used expatriate compensation packages, focusing on their gross income. However, expatriate compensation topics also include taxation issues, which is why a separate review of expatriate tax is worthwhile.
Highly mobile expatriates don’t attach any sense of home to the different places they travel to? Some evidence.
Whether expatriates do not feel ‘at home’ in the host country and refer to their country of origin as their home can be true for some expats and false for others, as it depends on many factors. However, the notion that expatriates overall lose a feeling of home and become ‘placeless’ needs to be contested.
Take a look at some evidence.
Spotlight emerging markets – How important are the costs of expatriation?
The 2011 report on Mobility Challenges in Emerging Markets by Cartus aimed to establish baseline practices used by multinationals in emerging locations. The report highlights the variety of markets perceived as emerging and that companies have a strong need to succeed in these markets. Moreover, it seems that when dealing with emerging markets the question of expatriation costs becomes secondary. Take a look at the arguments.
Statement: Highly mobile expatriates don’t attach any sense of home to the different places they travel to.
Going on an assignment makes an expatriate leave behind most of the belongings; to some extent detaches from personal relationships; and settles into a new culture and society. Adjusting to these changes and converting the new reality into a new home is probably very difficult and time consuming. Hence, do the highly mobile expatriates attach any sense of home to the different places they travel to?
Expatriate compensation: a review
From an organizational perspective, thinking about expatriation often starts with thinking about expatriate compensation.
Broadly speaking, we can differentiate between two different approaches to expatriate compensation: the balance sheet approach and the going rate approach. Have a look at the review.
Expatriate adjustment: Is there always a ‘honeymoon’?
Speaking about expatriates’ adjustment, one of the most cited, the classic U-curve cross-cultural adjustment model, describes adjustment as a process over time, starting with the honeymoon stage, followed by ‘culture shock’ (the lowest point of the ‘U’), adaptation and finally evolving into the mastery stage. However, the universality of the model can be questioned.
Is there always a honeymoon?
Global competition drives changes in expat sources and destinations
A recent article in the Financial Times stated that ‘Companies in the developed world are increasing their commitment to emerging markets at a faster rate than ever before’. However, the trend is ‘far from a one way street’. The term ‘global competition’ that we increasingly use today entails not only Western multinationals going global, but increasingly also competitors from the emerging markets. Does global competition bring changes also to expatriate sources and destinations?
Not relocated but still away from home? A closer look at flexpatriates
A quick literature search on the term “expatriate” will lead to multiple sources dealing with expatriation topics, its issues and challenges. However, these issues are mainly treated in reference to long-term assignments while neglecting other types of expatriation practices, for example frequent flyers or so called flexpatriates. Lets take a closer look at them.
Expatriates have less work-life balance abroad than at home. Some evidence.
The statement that expatriates have less work-life balance abroad than at home is a Fact. Expatriate survey findings indicate that expatriates spend longer hours at work than they do in their home countries, working on average 13.4 hours per week more.
Statement: Expatriates have less work-life balance abroad than at home
Moving abroad and becoming an expatriate pulls one out of his/her daily routines and the established work-life balance at home. As a result, we would assume that expatriates have less work-life balance abroad than in their home country.
Fact or Fiction?
Current trend: Lacking financial metrics for assessing international assignments
Companies argue that expatriates provide benefits both in the short and long term; yet, only a few can quantify these benefits. According to the 2011 Brookfield Global Relocation Trends survey, only 8% of responding firms actually appear to measure the return on investment (ROI) for global staff mobility.
The first challenge of expatriation is finding the right candidate
The annual Brookfield global relocations survey consistently reports that finding suitable candidates is one of the main relocation challenges for companies. Specifically, the recent 2011 survey findings highlight candidate selection as the third most important challenge, topped only by assignment costs (1st) and career management (2nd).
If you want to solve expatriates’ adjustment problems, don’t forget the spouse!
With expatriation becoming an integral part of the talent management in global companies more and more attention is paid to its challenges and the problems that international assignees face. However, focusing only on the difficulties that expatriates themselves encounter is not enough…
Self-initiated expatriates are happier while staying abroad than company-initiated expatriates? Some evidence.
The statement that self-initiated expatriates are happier while staying abroad than company-initiated expatriates is not a fact. Although there is no clear evidence for one group’s higher well-being over the other, there is enough evidence for differences between self-initiated and company-initiated expatriates.
