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Spousal/Partner Support Best Practices and Key Success Factors

Spousal/Partner Support Best Practices and Key Success Factors. Alain Verstandig - President NET EXPAT Group Chicago, September 13 th 2011. Corporations vs. Spouse vision How to balance resources with expectations?. Spouses/partners. Corporations. Aware of the need to do something

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Spousal/Partner Support Best Practices and Key Success Factors

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  1. Spousal/Partner Support Best Practices and Key Success Factors Alain Verstandig - President NET EXPAT Group Chicago, September 13th 2011

  2. Corporations vs. Spouse visionHow to balance resources with expectations? Spouses/partners Corporations • Aware of the need to do something • Tighter budgets • Multiple decision makers (business lines, host locations) • Tested “split family” but it doesn’t work • Spousal assistance: “Cash” or “support”? • More working spouses • Lower expat packages (second income needed!) • Stretch on families (commuting, split family) • More demanding and results oriented • Increasing female expats (with male spouses)

  3. Dual Career: Permits international survey 2009 source Permits Foundations 2009:- 200 employers- 122 nationalities- 117 countries - 3300 expat spouses Employment status of spouse prior to expatriation

  4. Dual Career: Permits international survey 2009 source Permits Foundations 2009 Aspiration to work abroad…

  5. Dual Career: Permits international survey 2009 Importance of having the choice to work abroad source Permits Foundations 2009

  6. The nature of “spousal assistance” over time • 20 years ago: … anecdotal • 5 years ago: mostly cash allowance (flat screen TV syndrome) • Today: mostly support oriented (cash allowance disappearing) • Successful spousal assistance = recognized as a competitive advantage by most corporations • Permanent transfers: used as a mean to ease international recruitments

  7. What do corporations offer? Source: KPMG, Global Assignment Policies and Practices survey 2011 • Expat partner assistance is offered today by • 62% of corporations in the US • 70% of corporations in the EU • Recognition of non-married partner: 39% US vs. 77% EU • Overall trend: less support offered in ”cash” • expensive (need to be grossed it up) • money does not solve the dual career issue

  8. Why is it difficult to find a job abroad? Studies • Conjunction of multiple specific challenges: • 0,1% to 5% of the local job market is open to foreign nationals • No structured communication media for Job Ads relevant to foreign nationals • Lack of local network and contacts for the expat spouse • Local standards are different: Resume/CVs, interviewing techniques, negotiation techniques …  A job ad is far from enough! • Spouse are often over-qualified, but lacking local experience • Workpermits, availability of child care.

  9. Visible Part Hidden Part Misleading impressions in a new job marketCultural differences Looks increasingly similar Still differs very much!!!

  10. Example of Spousal Assistance ProgramNET EXPAT Career Program • Free exploratory session • Highly customized • Resources online • My Job Hunt Manager • Country Info … • Proactive Job Hunting • Results driven • 82% success rate • 17 weeks average duration Proactive Job Search Interviewing Techniques Resume/CV& cover letters Job Hunt Strategies Communication techniques Career Counseling Preparation for selection tests Intercultural awareness Web-based Resources Center

  11. ExpatSpouse support Example of policy host-country coaching pre-departure coaching Non Working Partners 4 hours Social Integration Repatriation coaching:- SIR (non WP)- JSCR-CPR (for WP) Working Partners Individual sessions4 hours Choice of JSC or CP 6 hours Repatriation Decision Expatriation “WP” = working Partners“non WP” = non working Partners

  12. The positive impact of working abroad (I) Source: Permits international survey 2009 The positive impact of working abroad as a spouse… Positive impact Negative impact source Permits Foundations 2009

  13. The positive impact of working abroad (II) source Permits Foundations 2010

  14. The positive impact of working abroad (III) source Permits Foundations 2010

  15. Real cases (I) Examples of spouse/partner integration • German woman moving from Munich to NJ: • Logistics specialist with 4 years professional experience. • Substantial cultural shock; resume too long and not to US standards; inappropriate interviewing skills; afraid of making mistakes in English, leading to a lack of self-confidence. • She scheduled counseling sessions with her NET EXPAT local expert; a few “easy” interviews were organized and her confidence rebuilt • After 4 months: she obtains a “first step entry job”Not the ideal job, but led her to a promotion and a better job

  16. Real cases (II) Examples of spouse/partner integration • American woman moving from Chicago to Shanghai: • Finance director, 7 years professional experience. • Very direct, impatient, thought everything could be done by e-mail. • Two days interviews planned in Shanghai with disastrous results (interviews delayed, unprepared local interviewer, offended by “personal” questions…)Valuable job opportunities lost. • Finally activated her NET EXPAT support, got it done the “Chinese” way, approach and timing reset more realistically. • New trip to Shanghai, job offer 7 weeks later.

  17. The work permit issue • A growing number of countries now allow expat spouses to work. • Few important exceptions: Brazil, South Africa, Russia… • What to do in countries where working is not an option? • Career continuation type support • Further education • Non-profit (works for US citizen, but not for all cultures…) • Beware of the risks linked to the freelance status!

  18. Conclusions • Importance of the “exploratory session”(assessment based on personality, professional experience, local job market, legal constraints) leading to the right job search strategy • Be proactive: don’t wait until the spouse is depressed! • “The first challenge is to find a job, the second is to keep it!” Prepare the spouse to the new ways of working once the job is found • HR branding: corporations can be “people-friendly” while being cost-conscious tobuild a positive image of international mobility • Anticipate & Communicate more than ever

  19. Thank you for your attention NET EXPAT Inc. Pinnacle Building - 3455 Peachtree Road NE Atlanta, GA 30326 Tel: +1 404-995-7035 www.netexpat.com – clientrequestamericas@netexpat.com NET EXPAT has offices throughout America, Europe and Asia

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