From relationship troubles to pushing for policy exceptions, expatriates present problems that don't receive as much attention as they should. Jo Parfitt reports.

Take one look at the Global Relocation Trends Survey Report released last year and it should not be difficult to work out the top problems faced by international HR departments.

The number of employees on overseas assignment is on the decrease. Companies are looking for ways to reduce costs, moving towards the recruitment of local staff, short-term and commuter assignments.

Considering all the changes, chances are the types of problems have also evolved. Yet most surveys do not always reflect the true nature of some of these problems.

The dual careers issue, the subject of numerous surveys already, is one problem many companies have already recognised. That's why June Steggles, head of international assignments at British Telecom in the UK, and Carrie Shearer, a US-based international HR consultant, have not included it in this list .

Here are the top expat problems they believe few people talk about, along with advice on how to prevent them.

Relationships

Separations and divorces can occur on assignment, and at BT this has happened to both accompanied and non-accompanied assignees.

"We actively encourage the partners to attend the assignment briefing as you can tell, immediately, if the posting is something they both want," says Steggles.

If a marriage is shaky before a move, it is even less likely to survive on assignment. Even the most solid of relationships can take a battering overseas. In her brand new book, A Moveable Marriage: How to Relocate Your Relationship Without Breaking it, author Robin Pascoe is quite clear about the role of the corporation. "Widespread corporate indifference, combined with an appalling lack of coherent family relocation policies, is directly responsible for the breakdown of marriages," she writes.

Fitting in

Despite the provision of pre-departure training, it is down to each individual to be able to adapt to the host culture.

"In these cases we arrange for our outsource partner to make welcome calls to the assignees in the first or second week, to check how they are settling in, how they are finding things like accommodation and so on," says Steggles.

Repatriation shock

"Big fish in a small pond is suddenly swallowed up by the corporate beast on his return", says Steggles, a spot-on summary of repatriation. And anecdotal evidence shows that some repatriates resign because they no longer feel they fit in.

"From an international assignment management perspective we have introduced debriefs at the end of an assignment which take place one month after their return. They are face to face and (where possible) conducted by my team and not outsourced," says Steggles.

"It has been well received and acts as a form of closure to the assignment experience, giving them an opportunity to get it off their chest to someone who understands and actually wants to listen and help."

Digging in their heels

Some employees neither want to go home nor move on at all. It is not uncommon for the employee to resign from the company and choose alternative employment rather than move.

"Smart HR would consider localising the expatriate at this point," suggests Shearer. "The localisation can be structured to take place over a two year period or a phasing in process that works for everyone."

Policies police

There are always problems when expatriates ask for exceptions to policies. Discussed at the local level, by an employer desperate to retain that employee, HR is more likely to be flexible.

Shearer believes this problem depends on whether the policy is a "guideline", in which case it will probably work for 80 percent of expatriates and the remaining 20 percent will have to be dealt with individually.

As HR frequently lacks the time required for individual attention, the guidelines become "rules" and HR become "police".

"The more enlightened companies have the HR person speak to the expatriate to discover why the policy appears not to work in his case and make a determination."

Expatriate greed

Even in these uncertain financial times, many expatriates still expect HR to pay for a wide range of household expenses. Shearer says it is common for HR personnel to find themselves having to explain to individual expatriates why their expense claims do not hold water.

"HR would be clever to conduct meetings on site with expatriate employees and their spouses to allow them to air their complaints about the allowance structure. In this way HR can learn about the real issues and address them," advises Shearer.

Substance abuse

When HR fails to check the psychological make up of a potential expatriate employee prior to sending him on assignment, they could pay the price later.

Depending on the hardship of the area or the difference form the home country, problems that were not as obvious at home can explode overseas. This can be particularly awkward for HR because a problem like substance abuse often comes to light when it has gotten out of hand.

"The best way to deal with this challenge is to deal with it in advance," says Shearer. "HR should put testing in place prior to assignment so that people with a predisposition to stress are not sent abroad.

"Alternatively there should be an employee assistance programme (EAP) in place locally that is well publicised and to which no stigma is attached."

March 2003

Jo Parfitt is the author of A Career in Your Suitcase 2, a guide to portable careers and finding your passion.