International Hires Need Holistic Relocation Support
Looking
specifically at employer support in the featured countries, employers in
the Qatar and UAE provided the best moving
assistance to international hires, compared to those in the other featured
countries - 52% of international hires received it (nine percentage points
above the global average for international hires). Furthermore, employers in
the Netherlands supported international hires best with the lump-sum payment -
49% received this support (13 percentage points above the global average for
international hires).
On the more
negative side, employers supporting international hires in Hong Kong fared
the worst in offering moving assistance - only 15% of
international hires received it (28 percentage points below the global
average). Those in the UK fared the worst with offering the
lump-sum payment as only 19% of international hires received this (17
percentage points below the global average). ( Courtesy - Theresa Häfner, Head
of Business Solutions at InterNations)
Relocation
support - a necessity in today’s job market
The
recently released Expat Insider Business Edition Country Focus,
a country-specific report based on the InterNations Expat Insider survey of
18,135 expats, identifies the needs that international hires and their
partners have in terms of both practical and personal support.
With a war
for talent going on, many employers have started looking abroad in
search for top talent.
This
research provides valuable insights on expats who moved abroad for work-related
reasons and live in China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, the Netherlands,
Switzerland, The state of Qatar , the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United
Kingdom (UK), and the United States of America (USA).
Among other
topics, the relocation support that international hires (survey respondents
that found a job abroad on their own or were recruited by a local company) and
relocating partners (survey respondents that moved abroad with their partner)
received are explored in the report.
Zooming
in on relocation support
The nine
types of relocation support that was covered in the survey are:
- Language classes
- Intercultural training
- Additional spouse support
- Access to local networking
opportunities
- Access to local socializing
opportunities
- Membership in an expat
organization
- Information on local life
- An organized move by the
employer or a service provider
- Lump-sum payment for expatriation-related expenses.
These were
structured around discussions with and feedback from employers regarding the
types of relocation support that companies offer.
From the
survey results, it is clear that employers tend to offer international hires
more practical types of support, such as moving assistance and
a lump-sum payment for expenses incurred, than personal support,
such as networking and socializing opportunities.
Practical
support is more commonly offered
When
looking at the nine types of relocation support offered to international hires
globally, the organized move and lump-sum payment stood out
with having the largest shares of international hires receiving them - 43%
received moving assistance and 36% received financial assistance.
Looking
specifically at employer support in the featured countries, employers in
the Qatar and UAE provided the best moving
assistance to international hires, compared to those in the other featured
countries - 52% of international hires received it (nine percentage points
above the global average for international hires). Furthermore, employers in
the Netherlands supported international hires best with the lump-sum payment -
49% received this support (13 percentage points above the global average for
international hires).
On the more
negative side, employers supporting international hires in Hong Kong fared
the worst in offering moving assistance - only 15% of
international hires received it (28 percentage points below the global
average). Those in the UK fared the worst with offering the
lump-sum payment as only 19% of international hires received this (17
percentage points below the global average).
Personal
support is greatly lacking and more desired
In terms of
the personal types of assistance, the shares of international
hires that received these are low when compared to the
aforementioned practical assistance - globally, 14% of international hires
received intercultural training (52% wanted it), 17% received access to local
networking opportunities (62% wanted it), 20% received access to socializing
opportunities (59% wanted it), and 8% received membership in an expat
organization (63% wanted it).
Employers
in certain countries do however set certain benchmarks with the personal
support that they offer. Employers in China and the Netherlands,
for example, stood out most positively in terms of offering
their international hires the more personal types of support with the largest
shares receiving them when comparing the nine featured countries. Even so,
large percentages of international hires still indicated needs for these
support types.
Of the
international hires in China, 24% received intercultural training
(57% wanted it) and 33% received access to local socializing opportunities (51%
wanted it). Of the international hires in the Netherlands, 22%
received access to local networking opportunities (62% wanted it) and 12%
received membership in an expat organization from their employers (59% wanted
it).
International
hires in the Netherlands were also happiest of those in all
the featured countries. While employers with international hires in China and
the Netherlands offered some of the better personal support, those in countries
such as the UK, France, and Hong Kong, provided some of the poorest
support - below the global averages.
Even though
employers in some countries are providing good support, the findings indicate
that employers supporting global talent still have quite some room for improvement in
offering balanced relocation support.
What
about partner support?
The survey
findings indicate that relocating spouses also tend to receive
more practical support than personal support.
For
example, on a global level, 54% of partners received the
organized move and 50% received the lump-sum payment, compared to 12% receiving
access to networking opportunities, 15% receiving access to socializing, and 8%
receiving membership in an expat organization.
Of the
featured countries, employers in both China and Hong Kong stood
out for providing the best support to relocating spouses. In
China, 68% of partners received the lump-sum payment, 16% received networking
opportunities, and 18% received membership in an expat organization. In Hong
Kong, 68% received the lump-sum payment (equal to those in China) and
74% received the organized move. All of these percentages are significantly
higher than the global averages.
As with
international hires, the partners also indicated bigger needs for personal support
- globally, 53% wanted intercultural training, 68% wanted access to networking,
65% wanted access to socializing, and 67% wanted membership in an expat
organization.
Furthermore,
in the UK, 83% of partners would have liked access to networking
opportunities and 75% wanted access to socializing, while in the UAE, 76%
wanted membership in an expat organization - all much higher than the global
averages.
Why
employers should focus on the balance
Why is it
important for employers to close the gaps in relocation support and focus on
a holistic approach which takes both the professional
and personal aspects of these individuals into account? Because these types of
support can ultimately help international hires with their social integration
and to really feel at home abroad.
Most
aspects of life are about having a sense of community and belonging - whether
through a sport group, online chats, professional networking, receiving
practical information, or connecting with other parents. International hires
are no different - they need to rebuild their sense of community when abroad
and a balanced approach of practical and personal support helps them to really
do this.
This should
be a core focus for all HR teams that are responsible for international talent
acquisition and retention. If international hires don’t receive
support with these aspects of life abroad there is a great risk of unhappy
employees, low productivity levels and talent loss.