Relocating for work is a rewarding, yet challenging experience. Both personally and professionally. Assignees, whether they have relocated once, twice, or three times before, may struggle with uncertainty prior to accepting a foreign posting. What personal challenges will they, and their family, face in the new host country? Will they struggle to assimilate, and make new friends and professional connections? Will the language, or unique culture, be a shock to the system compared to their daily norm? All common, and very valid, questions for assignees in 2025.
Family obligations and personal preferences aside, we’ve noticed a lot of the hesitancy for assignees in 2025 seems to stem from skills-based insecurities. If culture and language are feared, or seen as a deterrent to moving abroad, surely the right training and resources from employers can address this? HR certainly agrees. But what do assignees think of the training and support that’s on offer to them?
Missing the mark` ` `
HR continues to play a central role in providing information and support to employees considering an assignment. Here is trhe results from 1,000 global expats.*
Two fifths (39%) said their company’s HR or mobility specialist was their primary source of information concerning going on assignment, compared to only 17% turning to family and friends who have relocated before for their advice. While HR is a vital resource, I believe employees could benefit more from consulting those with firsthand experience of assignee life, such as family and friends who have previously relocated. Their lived experience can provide unique insights that HR may not always offer. Nonetheless, it’s clear that there’s a spotlight on HR teams to deliver against guidance, training and support expectations.
And HR and mobility managers feel they are delivering. We also surveyed over 250 of them across the globe, and the majority said they provide significant, or some level of training to relocated assignees. They claim to cover all the key problem areas, too. Language lessons, technology skills training for the new country, and even cultural training, to name a few.
Yet, the assignees themselves feel differently. A significant amount told us they received no culture training or language training at all. While HR managers feel their training and support is making a real difference to their assignees’ experience, the data begs to differ.
So why is the training not landing, and why are the challenges persisting? The truth is that assignees can sometimes be their own worst enemy; quietly struggling through their adjustment period when speaking up to request a specific training programme would have helped them massively. HR has the opportunity to enhance the efficacy of its support (and raise awareness that it exists) by regularly checking in with each individual, to better understand their specific cultural and language challenges.
This more tailored, human-centric approach to training, paired with ongoing communication with assignees, is bound to make a substantial difference – ensuring support is not a shot in the dark, or a ‘one and done’ tick-box exercise.
The F word
Something important that is often not addressed between assignees and managers is family – and the training and support needs of spouses, kids, and others relocating to accommodate the assignment. Today, supporting assignees is often only half the battle. The willingness of an assignee’s spouse and/ or family to make the move can be make or break during the consideration phase. And their wellbeing while away can also massively impact the success of the assignment.
HR and mobility managers, again, believe they make a sufficient effort to address this need for assignees. For example, they claim to offer coaching to accompanying spouses and partners to help them build an independent life in the host location, as well as cultural training. Yet assignees still feel this is lacking, and that this may have contributed towards hardship on the assignment.
It’s worth noting here that financial concerns about relocating remain top of mind for assignees. With so many dual-income households today, I believe these financial worries are intrinsically linked with the need to support the partner. The reduction to a single income, as a result of relocating, is a reasonable concern for many families today.
Supporting partners during the relocation process is not only a matter of providing cultural training to ease their adjustment, but should also include tailored coaching to help them secure financial independence and paid employment in the host country. This type of support will ensure that families can return to being dual-income households once they relocate and is likely to resonate better with assignees and their partners.
Looking ahead
Hesitancy and challenges aside, corporate relocation will continue to be a valuable asset to employees and employers heading into 2025, and beyond. We know it’s an effective tool for building skills and keeping employees engaged. It’s also a great litmus test for resilience and agility, for employers looking to identify their next generation of leaders.
For those planning, or rethinking, their mobility strategy, now is not the time to scale back on training and support. HR can, and should, advocate strongly for the provision of training and the protection of training budgets. Training often faces cuts when budgets are tight, but investing in it is clearly essential for the success and well-being of assignees (and their families).
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