Careers Just Became More Complicated

Once on assignment, they may abandon the assignment if the family adjustment (or back-home) stresses are too great, or they may continue the assignment at a reduced efficiency and under a great deal of stress.

Working internationally has always been part of the oil industry career path and development structure. However, this new era of international assignments is more complex than yesteryear’s assignments. New expatriates (expats) are younger, more diverse and less experienced. A study by the relocation firm SIRVA, in conjunction with Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, found that companies will be utilizing large numbers of first-time, inexperienced employees, who “will generally require more support from their companies to successfully adapt to new locations.”

Supporting complex needs

New expats view their careers differently, placing a premium on family lifestyle as well as frequently managing a dual-career family. A “career consideration” is less an individual issue and more of a family-system issue. The new international assignments involve the needs of children (education, health/medical, social environment, safety concerns), aging parents back home, spousal career concerns and even the pets (“If the pets can’t go, then we’re not going either.”). If a human resources system does not recognize or support these complex needs, potential expatriats (expats) increasingly will “just say no,” with serious negative consequences on the talent pool.

Research studies from GMAC relocation, Cendant (Cartus), and PriceWaterhouseCooper reveal family adjustment issues account for 67% of failures in international assignments, with expats ranking family adjustment issues as the No. 1 issue they face, ahead of cost management and working across cultural boundaries. Relocation, tax and cross-cultural programs are working as expected, leaving family adjustment support as the new key to individuals and managers developing their careers as well as companies gaining an edge in recruitment and development.

Two perspectives on careers

Non-managerial expats—These are often first-time expats, increasingly diverse (more women than ever before) and facing tremendous challenges of dual careers. The career issue is “balance,” merging personal career ambitions with their spouse’s career and ambitions while maintaining a shared burden of family responsibilities. They have job portability and expect physical relocation support, financial/tax/real estate support and pay equity.

Once on assignment, they may abandon the assignment if the family adjustment (or back-home) stresses are too great, or they may continue the assignment at a reduced efficiency and under a great deal of stress. While their attitude and motivation may be stellar, the stress and duress of trying to do a good job in the face of difficult family or back-home issues results is substandard performance, with negative career impact. One first-time expat (who later left her company) put it bluntly: “I messed up my marriage, put my kids at a disadvantage, was unable to care for my mother back home and still got a lousy performance review. That’s a great thank you. It was the worst mistake of my career.”

Managerial expats—Expat managers are faced with all the foregoing issues of being an employee with a family, but they also face the complication of completing the work assignment. Expats who report to them are “resources,” and if they are distracted, worried about back-home issues or suffering from family-related adjustment stresses, they will not likely perform as well as expected or required.

When production quality, quantity or deadlines start to become compromised, the manager sees his or her own career in the balance, resulting in more stress and even guilt for the manager.

“I feel bad that I persuaded John to join me over here. His wife hates it, and he was unable to help care for his father, who passed away in a nursing home. I took over some of his work for him, but it really put me behind.”

These savvy managers would never accept physical resources and equipment with disregard for support or maintenance, but they readily accept employees and families with no knowledge or awareness of the support needed for these “human” resources. Careers suffer as well as business performance.

Technology to the rescue

Until recently, helping a family adjust to an inter-national location was a time-consuming and expensive proposition. No longer is that the case. New systems relying on artificial intelligence and advanced technology can now conduct an online interview with an employee and spouse, gathering information about their family’s specific needs, preferences and situations (children, medical, social, educational) and their concerns about the living conditions (religion, women’s issues, political stability, safety) in their new location.

After analyzing the data, the family is presented with a prioritized “working list” of major issues that will impact their assignment and can work with a company-based counselor (HR, EAP or relocation) or a third-party counselor to begin the process of adjustment before departure. Soon, these systems will also guide families to resources, Web sites or professionals who can help them adjust quickly and make their assignment more successful.

The cost of the systems, with feedback infor-mation to the family as well as costs of any professionals involved, is minor compared with the cost of failed or compromised assignments. The focus is not on “screening out” families who have difficulties but on “supporting in” families by identifying the issues most likely to negatively impact the assignment, thus fostering career success while maintaining the talent pool.

An international assignment is a critical event in any career. Companies have succeeded in supporting their employees in the physical and financial aspects of relocation. Research strongly suggests, however, that the next area of activity will be in acknowledging and supporting family complexities. New technologies and systems make this support not only possible but also inexpensive.

Leading companies adopting these technologies already have realized an advantage. Common interests prevail: successful careers will fuel successful companies.