Cultural differences are by far the most important reason why some countries are seen as ‘challenging relocation destinations’, much more so than issues such as security, a complicated language, legislation, tax or the political climate. That is one of the findings in ‘The Global Mobility Survey 2012’ (n = 1,119), commissioned by the Santa Fe Group.
China most challenging and common
Asked what the most challenging relocation destinations are, companies taking part in the survey mentioned China with 17 percent, followed by India (12 percent), Russia and Brazil (both 7 percent). China is now also seen as the most common relocation destination overall. With 21 percent, it tops the United States (13 percent) and the United Kingdom (8 percent).
Business traveller versus expat and family
That ‘cultural differences’ are the main reason why countries such as China are perceived as challenging is interesting, as many HR professionals note that in the international workplace “we’re all the same now,” because of the convergence of business and people management. “Yet outside the workplace,” says Peter Reilly, Director HR Research & Consultancy at the Institute for Employment Studies in a comment published in the survey, “social customs and attitudes remain very different, a fact which is more apparent to the expatriate and their accompanying family than the business visitor staying briefly in a westernised hotel.”
