Culture & Languages

Returning home

When going on an international assignment, culture-shock in a new country is a very common, even expected, part of the process. Many employers are aware of this and make provisions for their employees, such as ‘look-see’ trips prior to assignments, and cultural training to help combat feeling out of place in their new home. But what about when the assignment is over? Coming home may be thought of as an easy process, however in reality this is often not the case.

This phenomenon, known as reverse culture shock, is experienced by many assignees who find returning home just as difficult, if not more so, than leaving in the first place. After the initial high of returning to your family, friends and ‘old’ life, various negative emotions can rise to the surface.

Top Trends

Global Mobility has become an essential factor in a company’s development and can prove invaluable for both the individual on assignment and the company itself. However, in such a fast-paced industry it is important for a company to adapt to the latest global mobility trends if they wish to thrive. Here are some of the top trend’s companies should be anticipating for 2019...

Gender Divide

Over the past few years “gender divide” has become a common phrase. With initiatives to promote female seniors and business leaders highly publicised in the press, has the world of Global Mobility followed suit? The short answer is no. 

Ahead of The Global Mobility Executive Roundtable…

Global Mobility Pressures

Global Mobility is subject to rapid and frequent change. International HR and Global Mobility teams are consistently being asked to reduce costs; as international business presents an increased need for a mobile and diverse workforce, mobility policies become progressively complex. A good way of addressing this is the open sharing of information between individuals and organisations within the sector. Information sharing encourages connection and collaboration between professionals, which can result in important new findings regarding issues and solutions within the field.

I recently had the opportunity to attend the 2018 Worldwide ERC Global Workforce Symposium, held in Seattle, WA. Many attendees (including myself), were extremely surprised how lucky we were with the lack of rain! The location was excellent and the company even better!

Sending an employee on an International Assignment can be a costly experience for a business in terms of both time and money; particularly long-term assignments which can last for years. Various studies have shown that a significant number of assignments end in failure, but why? A key contributor to either success or disaster is the nature of the assignee experience – good or bad.

There are several ways to ensure that your assignee has a great expat experience…

According to Cartus Corporation’s 2018 ‘Trends in Global Mobility: Biggest Challenges’ Survey, controlling the costs of assignments continues to be the most frequently mentioned challenge for global organisations. However, there has been a notable increase in concerns over immigration and the challenges immigration can cause. In fact, 70% of survey responders stated that immigration is a greater concern for their organisation than it was last year…

Some organisations move as many as 2000 employees around the world each year.

Most companies have a standard policy per each assignment type including; Long term assignments, Short term assignments, Permanent Transfers and Business Travellers.

Here we take a look at the main benefits provided within a standard global mobility policy.