An international posting is often seen as a great opportunity for professional growth: a new role, international experience and the chance to live in another country. For employers, the focus surrounding such a move is usually on the practicalities: immigration, accommodation, taxes, registration and ensuring the employee arrives at the right place on time.
But what happens to that employee’s day-to-day life once the move has actually taken place?
After all, an international move involves much more than simply relocating an employee from one office to another. It means that someone has to rebuild a large part of the structure and routines that underpin their daily life.
At home, you know how everything works. You’re familiar with the neighbourhood, know where to do your shopping, have a GP, know your children’s school and have a network of friends, family and colleagues. Your partner often has their own career, social circle and daily routines too. After an international relocation, much of that sense of familiarity disappears.
At the same time, the employee is starting a new role, with a new team and often a different working culture. Meetings may take place at different times due to time zones, and expectations regarding communication, hierarchy and collaboration may differ from what someone is used to. Even simple matters that require hardly any attention at home can suddenly demand a great deal of time and energy in a new country.
When everything outside work still feels uncertain, work can consequently become the most familiar part of daily life. The role, responsibilities and objectives are clear, whilst life outside work still needs to be built up. This creates the risk that someone will invest more and more time and energy into their work. It becomes harder to take holiday leave, delegating feels more difficult because new working relationships still need to be established, and the boundary between work and private life becomes increasingly blurred.
Moreover, this does not only affect the employee. An international relocation often involves the whole family moving with them. A partner may have to leave behind a job, career prospects or a social network. Children have to get used to a new school, environment and, sometimes, a different language. The family must build a new social network together and learn how everyday matters work in the new country.
When the family’s adjustment proves difficult, this inevitably affects the employee. It is hard to remain fully focused on an international role when there is still a great deal of uncertainty or unrest at home. Yet support for partners and families is still regularly viewed as a secondary aspect of relocation.
This overlooks a key aspect of international mobility. Relocation support does not end once the residence permit has been sorted, a home has been found and the boxes have been unpacked. It is precisely after that that the process of actually building a new life begins.
Good relocation support therefore looks not only at the logistics of a move, but also at what is needed to help a person and their family settle in sustainably. This may involve support with schools and childcare, finding healthcare, building a social network, guidance for the partner, and familiarising themselves with local systems and everyday amenities.
For employers, this is not merely a matter of wellbeing. It also has a direct impact on the success of an international assignment. If an employee is unable to settle in properly, this can ultimately affect their engagement, productivity and the duration of the assignment. Furthermore, an international assignment that is terminated prematurely entails considerable costs.
A successful international relocation should therefore not be judged solely on the basis of whether someone has arrived and is officially registered. The more important question is whether the employee and his or her family are actually able to build a new life, whilst the employee is able to perform to the best of his or her ability professionally.
How Move with IRIS can help you
At Move with IRIS, we therefore look beyond the practical aspects of relocation. We support companies and international employees with the various aspects of an international move, from immigration and accommodation to registration, integration and the practical challenges of building a new life abroad.
Because a successful relocation is not just about arriving in a new country. It’s about ensuring that someone can actually feel at home there.
"Move with confidence, Move with IRIS"
International Relocation & Immigration Services
