The Topia Blog

It’s time to talk about EEE: Expat Employee Experience - Topia

Written by Stephanie Laugeni | 8/7/18 7:00 AM

From attracting the best candidates to retaining skilled workers, employee experience matters in each stage of the life cycle. Providing expats with an enjoyable relocation or assignment experience is challenging but necessary for organizations.

The struggles of relocating and readapting

Imagine you are an employee preparing for an assignment. Navigating your destination city, rebuilding your social network, and entering a new office environment are all stressful in their own right. Add logistical challenges that are associated with relocating, and the move has become a job within itself. Now, immigration, home sale, and shipping are also piled on your plate. Not only are you less engaged in the office leading up to the move, but the logistical burden will leave you less focused upon arrival. This is where an HR department equipped with a Global Mobility Management (GMM) solution can help.

 

Tailored Service and Support

Issues stemming from planning oversights are often costly- for both the expat and the company. Leveraging a technology based GMM solution fosters communication between your mobility team and mobile employee, enabling an individualized and supported relocation experience. Planning the move won’t be left solely on your expat, and they won’t be on their own upon arrival at their destination city. A global mobility solution with a strong employee component can paint a complete logistical picture with personalized employee information before the move, and uses that information to anticipate and avoid obstacles along the way.

Assistance and expectation setting before relocation allows employees to begin their journey on a confident note. Your expat’s only focus will be on acclimating to their new work culture and succeeding at their new role.

Industry leading offerings will often provide a relocation consultant. In the case that an employee on assignment is having difficulties or questions, they have a knowledgeable resource that doesn’t divert useful energy from your HR department. Pairing technology solutions with personal relocation consultants create pleasant transitions and produce happy employees. The result? Happier work environments and positive project and career outcomes.

 

Why you can’t afford for them to be displeased

Investing in a GMM solution is investing in the value of your employees. Expats will bring their experiences back to their home offices and use them in a way that to improve their work, the company culture, and future endeavors.

With a limited talent pool in today’s employee market, relocation is becoming more of a necessity for companies across industries to get top talent in the right place. Business operations will continue in a global direction moving forward, requiring more and more relocations as the talent pool gets thinner and thinner.

Positive expat experiences will grow the pool of employees willing to relocate, filling the talent gaps your company faces. Adopting a streamlined approach to global mobility is necessary for an impactful and scalable relocation program.  

Topia’s GMM solution provides a framework that can be tailored to individual employees to optimize their experiences and productivity, benefiting both the organization and its expat. To learn more about how Topia’s streamlined services foster a positive employee experience download our factsheet on Topia Go here.