Expat Productivity Cycle: How Events Boost It

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Expat Productivity Cycle: How Events Boost It

Expats who have moved abroad for work or other professional opportunities often face challenges, like adapting to a new culture and environment, understanding and learning the language of their new country (if necessary), and navigating new social structures. This change can significantly affect the productivity cycle in their new workplace as they slowly try to grasp their new reality. This article highlights how employers can help expat employees boost productivity.

Events

Employers can organize cultural events, professional development events, networking events, and team-building activities to help expats feel more comfortable in their new setting. Organizing these events offers an easier way to connect with their community and encourage them to engage with the people and environment. Planning an event can, however, be quite tasking and exhausting. Employers can simplify their work by choosing the space for the event, choosing a theme, and decorating the space with the theme in mind. They can opt for plastic dinnerware sets for serving the food as these are available in different colors that could match the theme of the event. They also do not need cleaning and therefore help employers to save a considerable amount of time.

Support and Resources for Adaptation

Employers can help their expat employees quickly settle into their new environment by providing resources to help them adapt. Most times, there is always a language barrier between experts and their host country. Employers can organize language classes to help remove this barrier. They could also organize cultural training sessions to help expats become more familiar with the culture of their new environment. Employers should make it a habit to provide accommodation for expats and their families, at least for the first year. This provision gives them enough time to find a suitable place to rent or buy an apartment where they can settle down. When expats do not have to worry about things like housing and other necessities, they can focus better, increasing their productivity.

Foster a Sense of Community

It is typical for expats to feel isolated and disconnected from their colleagues and community when they have just moved abroad. It can bring about anxiety and depression as they do not understand many things and cannot find people to provide clarification. Employers can help foster a sense of community with expats by offering opportunities for socialization. Employers can divide workers into smaller groups in the office to help people bond better. These groups can engage in team-building activities, cultural events, and other activities that encourage team effort so that expats can easily relate with older employees. These small groups will also help promote a sense of belonging and inclusiveness within the workplace. When expat employees are included in all workplace activities, they will do their best and produce impressive results.

Facilitate Communication and Collaboration

Expats find it challenging to communicate with colleagues, especially when such colleagues are people from different cultural backgrounds. Issues of cultural and language differences might interfere with work. Employers can avoid this by providing communication and collaboration tools such as video conferencing platforms, cross-cultural training/team-building opportunities, and translation services. This will help expats easily understand their colleagues or team members, allowing tasks or projects to be completed faster.

Promote Work-Life Balance

Expats find it challenging to balance their work and personal lives when living in a new country, especially if the new work routine is quite different from the one they are used to. Employers can make this easy by offering flexible work arrangements and promoting work-life integration for expat employees. This will help them achieve a better work-life balance, and they can become better at their jobs.

Offer Support for Expats’ Families

Expats often move to new countries with their families and dependents. Employers can support these employees by recommending good schools for their children. They could also help with relocating dependents to a new country or location, or also help them find the right health insurance company. Not having to worry about their family’s well-being and comfort in the new location can facilitate and boost expats employees ‘ productivity.

Conclusion

By organizing a host of events that cater to the needs and interests of expat employees, employers can help them feel more comfortable and integrated with their new environment. This will also create a more positive and supportive work environment, boosting productivity.

Moving Abroad Checklist

Initial Considerations

Will your partner be travelling with you?

If so, what will they be giving up in your present home and will they be able to continue with their career in your new home? You will need to check whether a separate visa is required for your partner to work or if your visa gives that right. If they are unable to work you will need to decide on the effect on your finances and what alternatives are available to give a fulfilling life (home business, training, voluntary work).

Are you taking family with you?

Moving with family raises many exciting opportunities, but also can create challenges. The HSBC Expat Explorer survey indicates that expat kids can take six months to settle in to their new country (see article). Getting young or even older children to prepare to move and leave their friends and family behind can be a challenge and should be thought through.

The options for education is another area that needs to be thought through.

Moving your child to a new country with a different education system can be a great opportunity to broaden their experience, but if they are close to key exams the timing can make this inadvisable. If you do take your family with you, it is important to decide between joining the local school system or choosing an international school.

Where will you be living?

Whether you will be living in a house or apartment, furnished or unfurnished, these decisions will affect what you need to take with you. The time you are planning to live overseas will also affect whether you should leave your property at home empty, rent it out or sell it. See the article Sell, Store or Ship.