Bizcuits | We brought them. Support them?

Leanda Lee

There’s little doubt that expatriates perform better on assignment when they are supported by their companies – real studies confirm this.
Most expats are brought to Macau because they have proven themselves in a particular job somewhere and it’s expected they can do it again somewhere else. It is a rare organisation that assesses a prospect’s ability to integrate into the local community or adjust to a new environment as a major part of their decision criteria, although of recent times understanding what makes an effective “global leader” has started hitting the agenda. It’s clear that successful global professionals have particular traits: they are open-minded, welcoming of others and curious about the world. With these traits, it’s possible to leave these professionals pretty much to their own devices as their willingness to engage helps them muddle through. But for the expatriates that are needed for their technical skills, and in the organisations that haven’t checked to see if their new global hires have the characteristics that will have them kicking goals almost as soon as they touch down, support is crucial.
How many HR opportunities has Macau missed because spouses and families have taken one look at their prospective home, lack of HR support to integrate, Macau’s bureaucratic headaches, no car-parking at the local supermarket…and turned their backs? The inability for trailing spouses of Blue Card holders to work (MDT Special Feature Sep. 3), too, does untold damage to a spouse’s career.
Then to turn up finding value systems and social interactions so different that the behaviours of individual family members change puts incredible pressure on the family and in many cases leads to separation. Talking to a senior executive with over 30 years’ experience in Asia about expatriate couples recently, I was told that he’s seen many embark on this expatriate journey of a lifetime to attempt to rekindle, put spark back into their relationships only to find that the pressures of difference and exotic temptations did quite the opposite.
An expatriate position is not like a domestic one. Where there is family, family is necessarily involved in the decision and the move. They either come along, stay behind or influence the prospective expatriate to refuse the position. In our expatriate community we see intact families; intact couples with children overseas; spouses flying in and out a few times a year and some expatriates flying home on a regular basis (less regular as time passes); and divorce/separation prompted by disagreements about the expatriate position, change in lifestyle, loss of family connections, Macau’s unwholesomeness…the list is long.
These are the realities. Companies may prefer to keep a distance, particularly in Macau where authority figures are not partial to ‘interfering’ in family matters. At most, the removalist may be paid for, help to find schooling and housing, and perhaps trips back home once a year for extended-family festive reunions.
Nonetheless, family realities are business concerns. If HR is not seen to support the expatriate as a whole person, family and all, companies miss out on seriously professional and talented personnel. Those who have a choice don’t have to choose Macau. As like attracts like, these expatriates are all the more likely to have skilled and knowledgeable spouses with their own careers to consider – a potent reason not to make the move. Potential HR capital lost.
These family realities are also business concerns due to their direct effect upon the expatriate. The “happy wife, a happy husband” is not far off the mark. The cross-over effects of supported and satisfied family members makes a difference to the expatriate’s work performance. And the expatriate successfully undertaking family roles as spouse and parent spills over into confidence and commitment at work. Studies have repeatedly found that the most influential factor in expatriate assignment failure (returning home early) is stress on the home front, specifically spousal distress. It’s a business imperative to support the wellbeing of the family unit, not to mention a humanitarian one.
A company is expatriating not only the employee but the family; they have a responsibility to the family and the welfare of the entire family unit – in sickness and in health. Does yours?