As promised in my previous post, today I would like to continue with the topic of challenges raised by assignments from developing locations. In my last entry, I discussed issues such as compensation, family concerns and cultural barriers. However, as indicated by the relevant survey from Brookfield Global Relocation Services (BGRS) this list of challenges […]
Assignments FROM Developing Locations: Latest Survey Results
Lately a lot is being said and written about the growing trend of sending international assignees to developing and emerging countries. In fact, emerging markets have remained a hot topic in the current year, and mobility specialists and relocation managers continue to point to the many challenges in developing destinations: Security issues, appropriateness of compensation packages, […]
Returning Home after Living Abroad? Not as Easy as Expected!
Undoubtedly, expat life can be very exciting. The experiences and challenges of life abroad develop one as a person, teach new skills and enhance capabilities, create new meanings in life, and generally translate into valuable memories, which are worth remembering for many years ahead. Nowadays, the young generation gets involved with a globally mobile lifestyle […]
Relocating Children Abroad: The Myths and the Truths
When thinking about relocations and expatriates’ mobile lifestyle, it has been common to acknowledge related challenges such as cultural shock, adjustment to a new environment, foreign language difficulties, and the slow process of socialization in the host country. Mostly, such discussions concern relocating adults, and when it comes to expatriates’ children, the common assumption is […]
Getting from One Side to the Other: Practical Tips to Survive Transition
One of my latest posts discussed the stages of cross-cultural transitions based on the book ‘Third Culture Kids: Growing up among Worlds’ (2009). Of course, the described stages do not constitute a straightforward pathway through the transition process, as everyone goes through the stages at different pace and in a different pattern. However, everyone still experiences the impact of mobility and challenges of transition, hence I found it worthwhile to summarize some of the survival steps for cross-cultural transitions provided in the book.
How to balance the biggest relocation challenges
Given the current economically challenging times, the notion of costs being the number one concern of international assignments is to be expected. However, apart from this finding, the Cartus 2012 Biggest Challenges survey points to a number of other key challenges and suggests that relocation managers are in constant strive for balancing these competing issues.
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).