Focusing solely on career continuity for expat partners is a narrow minded approach that only works against Global Mobility. ‘Soft support’ can be vital to a partner’s adjustment, which always takes time.
The promised land
During a recent webinar, I heard an industry leader preaching the importance of career continuation for expat partners. It sounded like a rallying call to my ears, one that suggested: To reach the promised land this should be your focus! In other words, if expat partners are persuaded that they can continue their careers abroad, and assured they will receive support to achieve this goal, Global Mobility will find it easier to recruit talent. The strategy is partly a response to the rise of dual income couples. On top of that, expat packages aren’t as generous as before while lifestyle costs haven’t lessened. But it would be an error for any multinational to fixate on a single solution strategy (read: put all its eggs in one basket).
Adjustment phase
Why do I say this? Because the reality is that often finding a job takes time. The expat partner has entered an unfamiliar culture and needs to find their feet. They haven’t got to grips with the local ways. They haven’t built up a network of any kind. They haven’t even got day care for the kids sorted. This ‘jobless’ phase might be a period of uncertainty or even frustration for the expat partner, if they have also been convinced of the importance of their career continuity. But there is another way! They can be encouraged to use this time to a) focus on their adjustment and b) invest in themselves, both of which will put them in a good position to seize new opportunities when the time is right.
A decisive role
Which brings me to another recent conference, where I sat in on a presentation titled: ‘How to retain and attract the right talent while costs are “spiralling”’. To answer this conundrum, some multinationals might be tempted to cut corners and slim down partner support services by setting aside ‘soft topics’ and go ‘all in’ on career related support. But this is a mistake as soft topics can play a decisive role in a successful adjustment as well as a successful job search.
The rewards of patience
So even if your expat partners are tempted to immediately begin looking for paid employment, I would strongly advise enthusing them to first focus on their adjustment and get their new expat life on track. Encourage them to take the time to get to grips with the local culture and invest in themselves as that’s the clever approach, not a sign of weakness. As one old Arabian proverb tells us: “It is difficult to be patient but to waste the rewards of patience is worse.”
