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The importance of family integration
The adjustment for the expatriate may be
difficult enough, but many believe that
assignments more often than not fail because
the worker’s partner and children don’t
acclimatize well to their new surroundings.
“Family issues are the biggest obstacle to
expatriate success,” says Yvonne McNulty, an
academic specialising in global mobility at
Monash University in Australia. “If the
organization is focusing only on the expat and
not on the family, problems can quickly surface.”
When you look at the available evidence, it’s
not hard to understand why. According to an
extensive 2008 survey by the Permits
Foundation, interviewing more than 3,000
expatriate spouses and partners of 122
nationalities, 89% of spouses were working prior
to the assignment, but only 35% during the
assignment itself.
Three-quarters of those not working said they
wanted to work, inevitably leading to frustration,
disillusionment and boredom. Eight in 10
working spouses reported a positive adjustment
to their adopted country, compared with only
32% of non-working spouses. “The location may
have changed, but the expat worker’s routine of
getting up and going to work hasn’t,” says
Shipley. “But the partner doesn’t know a soul –
he or she’s not working and, unlike the expat,
has no ready-made networks to tap into. Three
or four months down the line, you’re both fed up,
and we’re talking about bringing you home.”
Many companies, including BT, try to help
partners (also known as, “the trailing spouse”),
by offering them a few thousand pounds to be
used for anything that might help them to
integrate, be it a vocational training course,
language classes or club membership.
However, McNulty says that the amount of
corporate attention devoted to helping the
spouse and other family members is simply
insufficient, given the impact of their potential
unhappiness on the success of the overall
assignment. “HR departments have a hugely
difficult time getting sufficient funding for
something that doesn’t have a clearly
Insufficient corporate attention is
devoted to helping the expatriate's
family members
measurable return on investment,” she says.
“Family support has rarely been seen as an
essential part of expatriate management. Maybe
companies shy away from it because the issue is
too challenging, or perhaps they are wary of
crossing a line and interfering in their employees’
personal lives.”
Further statistics from the Permits Foundation
appear to verify these views. About threequarters
(76%) of expat partners, for example,
would have welcomed some guidance or advice
on their job search, but only 11% believed they
received adequate support in this regard.
Taking matters into their own hands,
expatriates and their partners have established
informal networks throughout the world,
including clubs to meet each other face-to-face
and websites for sharing ideas, anxieties and
local recommendations. Most partners’ websites
and blogs are set up by women (according to a
2010 survey by Brookfield Global Relocation
Services, 83% of expatriates are men), but there
are signs that support groups for male partners
are emerging, such as the Brussels-based STUDS
(Spouses Trailing Under Duress Successfully).
Careful consideration
Thomas Efkemann of Ernst & Young
recommends that expatriates should discuss the
potential international assignment in depth with
their partner and family prior to accepting the
offer. “Company managers should allow them
the time to consider all the implications,” he
says. “Sometimes, after the initial wave of
Companies need to intervene to
ensure that executives are not
placed at a financial disadvantage
enthusiasm for this exciting opportunity to work
abroad, problems begin to arise. Where will they
live? What about schooling and health care? Is
the partner able to work abroad as well? By the
time worker and partner both realize they don't
really want to go, they may have already made a
commitment.”
A “look-and-see” trip to the relevant
destination, often paid for by the company, can
give the family the knowledge they need to make
an informed decision, prior to formal acceptance.
If they then do decide to take the plunge, a good
destination service provider who can assist with
the practicalities of the move is also invaluable.
“Having someone there to help you find the right
property to live in, sort out your bank account, get
you a driving license or show you the local grocery
store, can greatly ease the stress involved in the
transition to a new country,” says Shipley.
“Cutting back on this service is a false economy
for companies. They need their expatriates to hit
the ground running, not spend their days
worrying about how to pay an electricity bill.”
For any potential expatriate family, an open
and curious mind, and the motivation to make the
assignment work, along with the initial assistance
an employer might provide, will make for a good
start to what can be a fulfilling and successful
venture. But those who are inflexible by nature,
or are accompanied by a family member dragged
to the foreign destination against their will, are
unlikely to get successfully through the long days,
weeks and years that lie ahead, even with the
most expert tax advice or instructive cultural
training course in the world.
Most common issues
affecting international
assignments
49%
Family- or spouse-related issues
47%
Compensation package
36%
Repatriation
32%
Location or cultural issues
14%
Others
9%
Position-related issues
(e.g., unsatisfactory position)
*multiple responses possible
Source: Ernst & Young's Global
Mobility Effectiveness Survey 2011
Ernst & Young Issue 07 T Magazine 33