Attendees discussed a series of views and assumptions about expat partner support that are still prevalent in many multinational companies. The discussion was led by Bettina Tang, Global Mobility Manager at Booking.com
‘Today’s partners are mature enough to make their own decisions. So save the hassle and give them cashout’
“We do believe that most expats are mature enough to make their own decisions, but with help it’s so much easier,” members of the audience remarked. “If you voice your plan [to a consultant] you’ll also find its weaknesses,” others noted. Some audience members highlighted that personalised support makes expat partners aware that the assignment is not just about the employee, but also about them. Moreover, they emphasised the importance of managing expectations and making partners aware of the challenges.
‘Serious coaching can only be done face-to-face’
Video calls are, in fact, a form of face-to-face communication as well and have the huge benefit of connecting expat partners with the right consultant or coach regardless of location, according to attendees. The importance of having someone who understands your situation and has the right knowledge is so much more important than having someone who is in the same spot. Therefore, companies intending to provide a robust, global support programme, shouldn’t limit themselves by making ‘on the ground presence’ a requirement for partner support providers, as working with a country-based organisation will actually lead to suboptimal solutions.
‘Partners of executives are more important, so they need a more generous support package’
In general, the audience agreed that every partner should be entitled to the same support, although there should be room for differentiation depending on circumstances. One expat partner said: “It was quite easy to pack up and move to Africa, when I was 28 and freelancing. But the older you get, the more difficult it becomes: before our expatriation to North America, I had just been made partner in a firm, and the decision to move abroad again really felt like a choice between my husband’s career or mine.”
‘Partner satisfaction is not the company’s concern’
Companies do take expat partners’ needs seriously, but the employee comes first. “We can enhance the expat partner’s life abroad, but there is only so much we can do; the partner also bears responsibility,” said debate moderator Bettina, summing up comments made by attendees.
‘We should mainly focus on the dual career couples: that’s where we run the biggest risk of assignment failure’
While many companies feel that giving up a job is the biggest risk to assignment failure, there is no reliable data to back this up, attendees noted. “It’s hard to say whether a move abroad is harder if you’ve given up a job. But it’s absolutely shortsighted to decide that only those who give up a job should benefit from support to build their life abroad.”
