What are the factors contributing to expatriates failure?

There are number of ways in which organizations can do to improve international assignments for all concerned. To lower the incidence of failure and raise productivity and motivation among expatriates, individuals and organizations can take a number of steps.

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1. Changing Business Conditions
2. Inability of the Family to adjust
3. Dual-Career Issues
4. Cross-Cultural Understanding
5. Language Training
1. Culture Shock
2. Family Stress
3. The Global Mobility Team
4. Responsibility Overload
5. Poor Candidate Selection

Before moving overseas, prospective expatriates begin to make certain adjustments. They try to determine the ways in which their work and personal life will change, they try to prepare for those changes and, when possible, they make adjustments before arriving in the host country. Determining what and how to adjust is based both on an individual's past experiences and on perceptions of where gaps exist in his or her abilities, skills, and knowledge. But many times there is also a gap in the individual’s and/or organization’s perception and ability to see what is actually needed or missing for them to carry out a successful assignment abroad.

1. Changing Business Conditions

The number one reason for assignment failure is changing business conditions, 63% in Cartus Global mobility policy & practices survey stated. That encompasses everything from declining business and failed performance to legal obstacles and internal organizational changes.

2. Inability of the Family to adjust

61% listed inability of the family to adjust as the number-two reason assignments failure in the same Cartus survey. Spouse and children are experiencing a tougher time at the destination than they could have imagined beforehand. Many times this is due to lack of sufficient support from the assignees employer.

3. Dual-Career Issues

Dual-Career challenges are a major issue for organizations experiencing early returns of assignees. According to Permits Foundation 21% of the organizations said that is was the main reason for failed assignments, while a significant minority, 29%, did not even know the reason.

4. Cross-Cultural Understanding

Failing to adjust to the local culture and environment for the assignee and accompanying family is a stress factor pushing for assignment failure. Not feeling confident in the new culture and not understanding the cultural gaps and differences compared to home pushes assignment failure over time. Only 38% offer cross-cultural training to the assignees and family while a significant part, 35%, does not offer cross-cultural training at all as standard according to KMPG.

5. Language Training

Understanding and getting around with the local language highly improves the sense of feeling localized. Language and cross-cultural training remain included under the majority of organizations’ standard policies, but overall only 40% of the organizations featured in KMPG’s Global assignment Policies and Practices 2015 are said to offer language training as standard. A significant minority of 23% does not offer language training at all.

Global Mobility and HR leaders, here is your toolbox for developing a more successful international assignment and talent management program.

As we move out of pandemic restrictions in most parts of the world, the working world remains impacted. Most office-based businesses are offering employees the benefit of hybrid working. It remains to be seen what this will mean for expats as they return to delayed assignments, but it is likely they will still face many of the challenges of their pre-pandemic predecessors.

If you business is investing in an expat, there are several ways HR or global mobility teams can help prevent expatriate failure including:

1. Send the right people

Just because an employee has the hard skills needed to excel at a role at home, it does not mean they are the right person to send to do that role abroad. It is essential you are involved from the very beginning of the process and interview potential expatriates to identify those with skills like:

Cultural flexibility: a love of travel may not be an indicator of cultural flexibility if the candidate spent all their time with people from their own country and ate familiar foods most nights. Look for those who love to learn about and interact with people from different cultures.
Enthusiastic communication: was there someone in your office who tried their halting Spanish with a client or wanted to learn some Mandarin from suppliers visiting from China? They may be the right person for an international role as they may be more willing to pick up the local language and adapt their communication style to local norms.
Cosmopolitan outlook: when interviewing potential candidates look for examples of understanding other cultures, whether that is a diverse social network, learning other languages or adapting to another culture while studying or travelling abroad.

2. Expat training

Providing holistic pre-assignment training improves expatriate success by helping the individual (and their family) feel more prepared for potential stressors that lie ahead. For an assignment lasting a year or more, you should work to design a training programme that lasts for more than a month and takes an immersive approach. This programme should include extensive language training, information on healthcare, support for families and cultural training to help them adapt to ‘how things are done’ in their new home. If possible, a visit to their new location would also be ideal.

3. Expat support

HR support should not end once the expat is in situ. A lack of local support can be a contributory factor to overall expatriate failure so building a support plan once they arrive at their new destination is key. Elements to include are:

4. Local support: pair the new arrival with a fellow expat or local colleague who can offer them advice on getting set-up in their new country. Things like having cable installed or finding a family doctor can be confusing and very frustrating when you don’t understand the process.

5. Updates on home country: keep your expats up to date with what is happening in their home office with fortnightly calls or emails from a nominated contact. This helps the person remain in the loop with what is going on in the office but also prepares them for their return home as their assignment comes to an end.

6. Satisfaction surveys: have employees working abroad complete short satisfaction surveys at regular intervals to identify problems before they become serious. Use the feedback provided to optimise pre-assignment training for future expats.

7. Plan for repatriation: the companies with the most successful expats took repatriating the employee at the end of their assignment seriously. Unfortunately, many businesses do not take such care. Former expatriates are expected to return to their home office as if they had never left despite the fact colleagues and company objectives may have changed in the time they were away.

Providing your expatriates with the healthcare they may need while they are working abroad is key to their physical and mental health and wellbeing. We offer a wide range of group schemes for employers and would be happy to answer any questions you have.

Expatriate failure isn’t hugely common, but it still does happen.

Often the reasons for it are either one of two things – personal, or due to insufficient support and help from a global mobility team. Given the life changing nature of such relocations, it is unsurprising that there are sometimes major issues – it’s not a move everyone is going to be able to make. So why does it happen?

1. Culture Shock

Culture shock is often one of the most typical reasons for expatriate failure. It occurs where a candidate is not fully prepared for the new culture their assignment requires them to be a part of, whether there are language barriers, strict laws or customs or even just a totally unfamiliar climate and daily routine. While an element of this can be down to a lack of preparation or insufficient information, often the candidate is simply just not right for the role based on his or her own personality and needs. Culture shock is most common on assignments based in the Middle East, where, especially for women, laws and customs can be debilitating. Yet, for those candidates who are culturally flexible, these assignments can be greatly rewarding.

2. Family Stress

International assignments are already difficult for the individual, and for a family they can often be even harder. Relocating the entire family is difficult: there needs to be spousal support, decisions made about schools, daycare, the partner’s career and even basic things like family healthcare. Language barriers and housing needs can become more complicated and rather than just one person’s ability to adapt to a new culture defining the success of the assignment, it’s an entire family. There are still opportunities and fantastic experiences to be had by sharing in an international assignment, but they are not without their risks.

3. The Global Mobility Team

A suitable and well-organized Global Mobility team are essential to the success of an international assignment. They are responsible for arranging all support for a candidate: information about the local culture, transport, housing, school searches, spousal support and many other vital aspects of daily life. If the team fail to supply adequate information or offer the right support, candidates can often sign up an assignment very different from what they were expecting, costing companies thousands in relocation fees.

4. Responsibility Overload

As well as dealing with the responsibilities of a new job, candidates have to adjust to a new culture and new work environment and the challenges that brings. Trying to manage local staff can often be difficult due to cultural differences, and often staff teams can be larger than a candidate may have before been used to. Overload of responsibility can lead to increased stress, physical exhaustion and emotion impacts such as anxiety, frustration and anger.

5. Poor Candidate Selection

More often than not, the assignment fails because the corporation has made a poor choice in candidate. If a selection is based on headquarters criteria, rather than the assignment needs, or even the candidates needs, the assignment is almost doomed to fail. While someone may appear to be perfect for the role on paper, their own personal needs can often make them the worst candidate overall.

There’s a lot to take into consideration when choosing candidates for assignments. Ultimately a balance needs to be found between a candidates personal needs and their suitability for the responsibilities of the job itself.

Posted in categories: Culture & Languages, Expats, International