Effective Expatriate Management Strategies

International assignments do not always follow the planned ideal expatriate life cycle and may end prematurely, but this does not necessarily mean failure. To ensure success, HR teams should focus on skills such as incorporating values and important information, language, labor laws, and regulations of both the host country and home country for expatriates and their families before and during their assignment. Pre-departure training and expatriate development programs are crucial to prepare them for a smooth transition back to their home country.

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Best Practices to prepare employees for their oversees assignment

Running Head: Essay
The study focuses on understanding the Pre departure training and the expatriate development
program for expatriates and their family before and during their overseas assignment. It is usual
for the employees, their spouse and their children face culture distress when they are transferred
to foreign land for any overseas assignment. A smooth transition for the employees and their
families at their changed workplace, aids in decreasing their nervousness, increase in their sense
of retrieval control, and eventually ensures a fruitful project. It is highly essential and
recommended that the company adheres to all the apprehensions of the employees and their
family and provide them guidance and intra cultural instructions about leisure, communal
incorporation, safety and schooling, along with service alternative for the accompanying partner.
The study discusses both the parameters of training required at the time of Pre –Departure
training and ongoing training program. The pre-departure training includes the most important
aspect that is understanding the language of the relocated country. Another point discussed in the
essay is the Information and resource management; Families can be oriented with books,
literature of the culture of the other country. They can be told about major travelling spots and
famous destinations, this will make employees and their families to settle in a better way.
Ongoing training program is also discussed. The study points out that the employees should be
welcomed and oriented properly by foreign Employer. This is essential for settling the
employees and if done properly will solve half of the problem of employees. Good orientation
includes introduction to company policies, country’s culture and language.
The first task in discussion is the Pre – Departure Training to the expatriate. This training is
essential for getting a knack of the working style, government regulations and other realistic
issues that can occur even in the alike cultures. The Expatriate has to be accustomed to the rules
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Running Head: Essay
and regulations, social customs, verbal and non-verbal etiquettes and gestures about the relocated
country to ensure the success of his assignment (Craig, 2008).
The pre-departure training includes the most important aspect that understanding the language of
the relocated country. Knowing the foreign language is vital for setting up network and
important personal and professional contacts. Personal connections can be particularly valuable
for securing access to scarce resources, such as government licenses, permits, special loans and
credit facilities, subsidies, discounted privatizations and contracts. Well connected expatriates
may have access to informal information about potential sources of income that may not be
publicly available (Group, 2016). Firms that employ such expatriates have an advantage over
firms lacking cross cultural capabilities. International assignment at most times, do not result in
the same way as they had been planned. They do not maintain the ideal expatriate life cycle and
therefore end up unsuccessful, but it is found out and argued that prematurely end of an
international assignment is not necessarily an expatriate failure.
The important capability required by the HR team for the senior expatriates are skill of
incorporating, and promoting the important values. This would help in shaping the cultural
relationships of the host company with the new company (Diary, 2013).
The second important aspect for the company with respect to expatriate is to focus on the
ongoing expatriate development program. This includes - Welcoming and orientation, where the
employees should be welcomed and oriented properly by foreign Employer. This is essential for
settling the employees and if done properly will solve half of the problem of employees. Good
orientation includes introduction to company policies, country’s culture and language. Then, it is
important to offer a reference person and place for the recently arrived persons. The employee
should be provided with information, links; purpose assets and fell at home activities. It is in
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addition also valuable to provide for repatriation training for the moving families to the foreign
land. Employment cooperation is important for a family to settle down. A family can be well
settled when both spouses are working in a good environment. Searching decisive job for the
partner can be solution for victorious adjustment, also condition of numerous service contracts
should be made accessible (Jobs in life sciences Team, 2015). Retaining links for local market,
providing help in searching options like household trade, and aid in participating in an
appropriate practical training are all decent options, and aid the non-employed spouse receives
the greatest out of life while abroad. Help in Education and schooling of children is essential. For
a family to get settled, it is also important that their children are settled in best schools, getting
the best education and access to sports. It is the duty of Relocation Company to provide
knowledge and links for local schools, arranging for secured children crèches and daycare will
also be beneficial for both working partners. The approach of local staff helping the expatriates
and their families in searching for jobs and schools for children is also essential because it would
provide them with information about the people and their style of working (Heaps, 2010).
Another point which has to be kept in mind is the Information and resource management;
Families can be oriented with books, literature of the culture of the other country. They can be
told about major travelling spots and famous destinations, this will make employees and their
families to settle in a better way. Making available resources like internet, to the employee’s
family will be valuable in the temporary period for the employee till he gets a connection of his
own. The approach to provide reading material to expatriates and their partners is cost effective
also and would help in educating the expatriate of all the characteristics of the new culture and
thereby reducing cultural shocks. The company should also provide Guidance and referral.
Contributing Employee Assistance Program facilities like private guidance, along with sharing
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Running Head: Essay
resources and referrals for issues like transfers, work pressure, spouse settlement, children
concerns, mental health concerns or any other office or personal concern. The company should
make EAP that is responsive to intercultural challenges, and is well-known with foreign projects.
Debriefing and counselling sessions are primarily aimed at meaningful exchange of ideas and
insights rather than venting out anger (Kozenkow, 2015). Also, it is essential that a career path
be communicated to the expatriate upon his return in order to avoid resentment at a later stage
Expatriates have an important role to play; it is maintaining associations with society and social
groups and local authority’s benefits emigrant. The Employee should be well aware of the
culture of abroad company and maintaining relations with it. In order to fulfill the objective of
having short Expatriate it is important that the expatriate has good dealing with the government
agencies to get the authorizations. The employees should also be trained about crisis and security
in the country (Movehub Team, 2013). The HR should also provide with the Cross-cultural
Business Training. It is the responsibility of HR staff to impart training to the expatriate on labor
laws and regulations of both the host country and the new culture. He also needs to know about
the disciplinary rules and local laws of the new location. The assignee should receive continuous
coaching via telephone and video chats. Knowledge management process should be implemented
as it helps organizations to reduce the repetitive issues and enable continuous learning (Miller &
Gordon, 2014).
International assignment at most times, do not result in the same way as they are planned. They
do not maintain the ideal expatriate life cycle and end up failing (Sander, 2012). Therefore,
utmost care has to be given to the Pre departure training and the expatriate development program
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Running Head: Essay
for expatriates and their family before and during their overseas assignment. It is the
responsibility of HR staff to impart training to the expatriate on language, values, important
information labor laws and regulations of both the host country and the new culture. The
organization can improve its repatriation process by focusing on preparing the mentoring system
for the expatriates. Career Path of the expatriates can be chalked out and expatriate can be
welcomed in a friendly manner and an internal repatriation program can be initiated. As
repatriation is a big challenge for the HR department, the company can also get in touch with the
expatriate one to two months before repatriation, and consider the possibilities the expatriates
have when he comes back. This will help in a smooth transition and provide reassurance at the
time of coming back. As the role of an expatriate is very essential and he should be investing in
time thinking about how to make his assignment successful and complete in a stipulated time
frame rather than thinking about ad looking for position and the future of his career. The
repatriate should not feel unappreciated after he comes back from his long assignment as if the
expatriate leaves the company or doesn’t get ready for another country assignment all the
expatriate training investment goes in vain.
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References
Craig, T. (2008, August 08). Working internationally: 10 top tips for sending an employee
overseas. Working internationally. Retrieved from
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employee-overseas/
Diary, G. (2013, July 13). Working Abroad: 8 Biggest Challenges & Tips. Working Abroad.
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tips/
Group, T. (2016). Global reach Local knowledge. Retrieved from http://www.tmf-group.com:
http://www.tmf-group.com/en/media-centre/resources/top-challenges/the-americas/chile
Heaps, W. (2010, January 27). Tips For A Successful International Relocation. Tips For A
Successful International Relocation. Retrieved from
http://internationalhrforum.com/2010/01/27/tips-for-a-successful-international-relocation/
Jobsinlifesciences Team. (2015). The Benefits And Challenges Of Working Abroad! The
Benefits And Challenges Of Working Abroad! Retrieved from
https://www.jobsinlifesciences.com/life-sciences-blog/the-benefits-and-challenges-of-
working-abroad/
Kozenkow, J. (2015). International Management Challenges. International Management
Challenges. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/international-management-
challenges-56168.html
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Miller, V., & Gordon, M. (2014). Meeting the Challenge of Human Resource Management: A
Communication Perspective. Routledge. Retrieved from
https://books.google.co.in/books?
id=Rd0ABAAAQBAJ&pg=PA69&lpg=PA69&dq=challenges+to+transfer+employee+in
ternational+location&source=bl&ots=3LG6y_pnky&sig=8sMiHvlDIisQTK0QXDVLfqz
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Movehub Team. (2013, November). Moving your employees overseas. Retrieved from
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overseas
Sander, K. (2012, April 02). The challenges of international employee relocation. The challenges
of international employee relocation. Retrieved from
http://www.culturesmartconsulting.com/employee-relocation
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