Complete Paperwork, Incomplete Support

My employer got every piece of paperwork right when I moved abroad, but none of it touched what actually made the transition hard.

Photo by Tanja Tepavac on Unsplash

An Hour at the IND

On a rainy, wind-swept January day, I made my way to the Immigration and Naturalisation Service office in central Amsterdam. I was there to confirm my status as a “highly skilled migrant” and get my Dutch identification card. I had spent enough time in American passport offices and DMVs to expect this errand could take all day. But I was about to get my first taste of Dutch efficiency: my employer had ensured that my paperwork was complete and accurate, and I was out the door in less than an hour.

What the Paperwork Doesn’t Cover

It’s standard for an employer to provide administrative support for an international move. Legal, financial, and logistical services helped to smooth my transition to the Netherlands, and I was grateful for all of it. Looking back, however, the support I received didn’t address the multiple forms of change that I was navigating: cultural, personal, and professional.

Not Alone in the Adjustment

In talking with friends and former colleagues who have lived and worked abroad, I found I wasn’t alone. Some shared frank assessments of their international assignments: highs and lows, challenges, and what services they wished they had been offered. They felt alone managing the pressure of helping a partner or child adjust. Few felt equipped to understand the new culture they were now working in. Expectations for their workplace performance ran the gamut from unclear to unrealistic. They struggled - as I did - with establishing credibility and building trust. 

The Risk of Assuming it Sorts Itself Out

I’ve shared in earlier posts the mis-steps that I made because I didn’t understand the context I was suddenly in. I was fortunate to find mentors and advocates who helped me understand the cultural norms of both the country and the company I was working in. I was also able to lean on my innate curiosity, and view my experience as an adventure or a puzzle to be solved. But for many others, the combined pressures of work and family life leave them searching for help that their employers haven’t provided. 

That search often starts early. I described this period in an earlier post as an adjustment curve. Competence gives way to uncertainty before stability and confidence return. The first few months of an international assignment are often the most challenging stretch of that curve. The support offered during this time can often determine if someone weathers the transition or starts thinking about a way out.

But employers should not stop with initial support, as the transition back home also presents a risk. Close to 40% of employees leave their employer within a year of repatriation. This represents a financial loss for the employer, and a loss of the employee’s experience and perspectives. Providing resources for social, cultural, and familial adjustment at the start and the end of an international assignment can help employees feel more engaged and supported.

If you work in global relocation or human resources, are there parts of an employee's adjustment that your program assumes will happen on its own?