To smooth expatriates' transition to the host country — and to keep them from becoming too dependent on you — prepare yourself and give them valuable tips for life abroad. Elise Krentzel reports.

International HR managers can often find themselves doing double duty as HR staff and relocation assistants when it comes to helping new expatriates find their way around daily life in the host country.

The first-time expatriate, in particular, may not invest enough time and energy in researching their new host country. This is due to lack of experience, over confidence and other stress issues always associated with moving house. HR managers are in a position to guide expats – prior to departure and on arrival - to help make the transition smoother and thus make the employee a more productive and contented worker.

Visit the host country yourself

Mike Dijkstra is the HR Manager in the Netherlands for Stolt-Nielsen, one of the world’s largest chemical shipping companies. Dijkstra says around 40 percent of his employees are expats from 22 countries.

Dijkstra has lived abroad himself, which he says is a major advantage in understanding his own expatriates.

“If an HR manager doesn’t have foreign work experience and if a larger group is to be relocated from one relocation I recommend they pay an orientation visit to that particular country. You have to get a feel for their lifestyle, their culture in the broadest sense and their daily routines."

An orientation visit could include:

• Meeting with the families who have relocated.
• Staying in their neighbourhood and spending a day with them.
• Visiting their sports clubs, schools (if they have children) and shops.

Seeing the host country yourself will help you see it from the same point of view as the expatriates. Also, it will likely improve expatriates' confidence in you and the support provided.

Although you may not be able to make an orientation visit, at least spend some time researching the host country online and by reading the type of books you or your relocation company might recommend to expatriates.

If employees in your office have worked in that country and were repatriated, take the time to chat with them to get their impressions and tips for what makes the transition easier.

Understand the differences between expats

Not all expatriates are the same. Some may have lived abroad before, lived in a culture similar to that of the host country, or may even speak the local language.

A young, single expatriate will likely have an easier time adjusting abroad than an expatriate who brings a spouse and family.

Be aware that personal situations and background will, to some extent, determine how much and what type of help expatriates will want from you.

Expatriates with babies, school-age children or teenagers likely will need more support that expatriates without children.

Expatriates whose spouses make the move but had to give up their jobs at home present another type of challenge.

What the expatriate can do before the move

An expatriate who has important documents in order and has done some of their own preparation — in addition to what your company offers — is likely to feel more in control of their life abroad.

Isamar van Hilten, managing director of Partners in Relocation, based in Leerdam, the Netherlands, has a checklist that you can give expatriates before they leave home:

• Collect all relevant documents and make copies: birth certificates, marriage/divorce/ papers, school certificates, insurance policies/driving records.
• Close all relevant accounts or leases at home.
• Collect medical and dental records.
• Arrange to give partner (if unmarried) power of attorney. If something happens and there is no will and/or the partners are of different nationalities, laws can and will be difficult.
• Read books about life and culture in the host country.
• Talk to children and prepare them for the move weeks in advance; collect items about the host country.
• Check local laws about taking a child abroad if you are from a divorced home.

Dijkstra also advises new expatriates to conduct online research about the host country and to “speak to as many people as possible" in the company who have relocation experience.

On arrival in the host country

Both Dijkstra and van Hilten agree that expats must take initiatives to settle in once they’ve relocated. It is up to the HR manager to guide them and encourage them to take pro-active steps towards integration.

Some hints for new expatriates that you can give them:

• Attend workshops or courses about the host country and its cultural norms and values.
• Contact your relocation specialist ASAP to get listings of social clubs, women’s groups, expat groups etc.
• Do not stay at home all the time, get out and about.
• Meet with other parents if you have a school-age child.
• Continue taking language lessons.
• Join sports clubs to meet and mix with people from the host country.
• If a spouse is not able to get a work permit and wants to work, he or she must be creative and get involved in activities where they can get to know other people with the same interests.
• Rely on your relocation specialist to handle all the “official” talking at registrations and other administrative offices.
• Take photographs of what appears to be “very strange” or odd or unusual in the host country and share these photos with your family so you can all have a good laugh.
• Even with a heavy workload, couples should go out often and regularly as a couple.
• Stay in touch with friends back home and share with them all about your new life.

October 2002

Elise Krentzel is a journalist, author and cross-cultural trainer specialising in business practises who has lived and worked in six countries on three continents. She currently resides in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.