Budding relationships: formal global buddy programs can help ease the transition for expatriates and improve retention and productivity

HR Magazine, June, 2005 by Eric Krell

On one of his first outings in England, South African expatriate Ferdinand Heugh got lost. Fortunately for him, Tony Marsh, his official relocation "buddy," was there to help him find his way.

With Marsh's help, Heugh has navigated a variety of other relocation challenges as well. And along the way, the two have formed a friendship that has eased the transition for Heugh and his family from Cape Town, South Africa, to Sheffield, England.

But it all started with a formal buddy program, one that matched Marsh and Heugh in an effort to assist the expatriate's adjustment--inside and outside the office--to a new country. The process, like many formal buddy programs, focused on elements that often slip through the cracks of intercultural seminars, paperwork sessions in the host HR department or outsource providers.

Buddies at Balfour Beatty (and at other companies) often inform expatriates of host-office norms and politics, invite them into their homes, introduce them to friends and networks, and help bolster their credibility in the office.

On a personal level, they show expatriates where to receive emergency medical assistance, school their children, buy groceries and eat out.

Balfour Beatty, KPMG International and some other global companies invest in buddy systems to alleviate the stress new expatriates and their families normally endure, to reduce the time it takes for expatriates to operate at peak productivity and to help lessen the cost of expatriate programs (by, for example, reducing stays in more expensive temporary housing).

Such programs are valuable because usually there are few safe opportunities to get acclimated to a business environment in a new land. "When you go to a cocktail party for the first time in a new country, you can post yourself in a corner and observe how people behave. You can watch how they greet each other, whether they eat a lot or not at all, and other facets of their behavior," notes Dominique J. Herrmann, executive director of global mobility at KPMG International in Woodcliff Lake, N.J. "You don't have that same opportunity when you attend a business meeting for the first time in a new country."

Despite the value of such efforts, to date, few companies have established formal buddy programs. Only 15 percent of the 200-plus international organizations represented in KPMG's expatriate information database offer formalized one-on-one support systems for expatriates throughout their assignments. Evidence suggests more companies should follow suit, judging from obstacles that slow the expatriate's adjustment to the host office and community.

'People Can Lose It'

Based on her experiences moving to Colombia, Noel Kreicker--a member of the Society for Human Resource Management's Global HR Management Panel and founder of IOR Global Services in Chicago--can personally attest to the difficulties expatriates face.

When Kreicker, her husband and their three children arrived in the country, her husband's new colleagues said they were too busy to help the newly relocated family get settled. So the Kreickers had to find, on their own, a school for their son. Fortunately, a parent at the school helped them find housing--another pressing need.

What's more, the Kreickers' luggage sat on a rain-soaked airport tarmac for three weeks because no one in the host office had informed them that it was customary to give local customs officials a "gift" to have the luggage located and delivered to their hotel.

Although Kreicker emphasizes that the experience was an aberration in Colombia, variations of it play out in a host of countries when expatriates fail to make in-country connections that can help them navigate logistical, familial and professional challenges.

The top "settling-in" challenges expatriates face, according to IOR Global Services, in order of importance are:

* Choosing schools for children.

* Securing housing.

* Finding medical facilities.

* Opening bank accounts.

* Finding transportation and obtaining drivers' licenses.

* Completing government forms.

* Locating food stores.

* Learning about community and entertainment offerings.

Aside from the critical decisions expatriates must make in a short time period, the logistical delays inherent in many government offices can be frustrating.

"People can lose it when they're waiting in long lines for their taxpayer ID number or trying to get their car registered" in assignment locations, warns Timothy Dwyer, national director for international HR advisory services at KPMG LLP in New York. "That downtime takes them away from being productive in the office."

If an expatriate is married, the spouse tends to bear the brunt of the logistical legwork and its frustrations. Sarah Caldwell, a destination assistance counselor with IOR Global Services, helps expatriates from outside the United States settle in Chicago and surrounding areas.

She also frequently helps expatriates work through personal challenges, such as a child's learning disability, psychological issues or a special medical need, which expatriates may prefer not to share with their host manager or HR representative. A buddy can also help make such connections with local experts to ease the transition for and alleviate the burden on the expatriate's spouse and family.