We live in a very global society these days, and while it isn’t always easy for people to uproot and start to work in another country, many people are choosing to take advantage of visa offers and the demand for their skills and work elsewhere. It can be a way to see the world, as well as a way to earn more money in an economy where pay is a bit higher.
For organizations, it is great to have access to this pool of skills, but it doesn’t mean that everything will be smooth sailing. A lot of the time, having expats work in your business brings with it a set of cultural challenges and integration stumbling blocks. It can usually be overcome, with some thought and planning.
In this guide, we’ll explore some best practices for managing expats within your organization.
Understand The Culture They’re Coming From
Every culture is different, and they may have some subtle differences or some pretty significant differences.
For example, people from workplaces in the south of Europe may be used to having “siestas” or not working in the hottest hours of the day; it may therefore be a challenge for them to slip into a nine to five seamlessly.
You might need to address or at least consider several other cultural differences, even down to things like how the workplace operates. In some countries, a hierarchical approach with managers and leaders telling people what to do might be common, whereas a more collaborative approach is required in others in others.
Support and expat services can be an excellent way to give people the help they need outside of work hours, helping them to understand the new area in which they live and even find things like how to open a bank account or make friends in their new location.
Include Home Trips as Benefits in the Salary Package
It makes sense to put home trips in the benefits package and help people with flights and time off. That means they can still see family and loved ones when they want to. Otherwise, it is easy for an expat to feel isolated and alone, and they may even leave their role a lot quicker or find it much more challenging to settle.
This might mean that you must make accommodations for someone within working hours, too, if you want to keep them happy. For instance, if their family is in a different time zone.
We all should strive for inclusivity, but people will always yearn for home and want to find a way to visit regularly. This is something you may be able to help with.
It might well be that managing an expat doesn’t require you to make changes like this, but never assume. It is far better to make contact and check with someone.
Encourage People to Talk
Often, the biggest challenge for expats is being alone in a new city and a new workplace and not feeling that they can talk to people.
It might be that you allocate time for this to happen. “Team building” exercises are often seen as a little bit corny, but they can be an excellent way to incorporate all of your employees and make sure you all have a way of getting to know each other. Most people don’t understand someone else because they haven’t talked about their lives. Thrusting someone into a new environment without this opportunity and expecting them to thrive is rarely going to work out.
Incorporate Training
Training can be one of the best ways to get everyone in the organization up to speed on inclusivity and how to integrate people, even from other cultures, into your workforce. We’re all richer for mixing in this way and understanding other peoples’ religions, beliefs, and cultural norms.
Inclusivity and diversity training has become very popular in recent years, and there is pressure on workplaces to ensure that they always have a workforce that has been given every opportunity to understand this importance and support one another.
Be as Supportive as Possible
Support comes in many different forms. Often, when you take on a new hire within your business, you must make sure you support that person. As well as training and everything they need to do their job properly, it is in your interest to help them with other areas of their life and keep them happy in that respect. For example, if they have come to a new location, is there a way you can support them with flexible working and allow them to go home to visit their family regularly during holiday time?
Of course, you shouldn’t give extra dispensation to people if it is going to rock the boat (for instance, if all your other employees get four weeks of paid holiday, don’t give expats double that in the paid holiday as this will upset people). However, you could offer things like unpaid leave to help them out.
Make sure people in your organization know there is always someone to talk to if they struggle to adapt, as this can make a huge difference.
Conclusion
A little bit of time and effort to help people to settle in can go a long way, and if there are challenges such as cultural changes or even religious beliefs that could impact the working day, it is a good idea to chat about these things in an open forum and accommodate everybody equally.
Managing expats in your organization certainly doesn’t have to be difficult. Still, it is something that you should put time and effort into to ensure you get it right.
