2023
Annual State
of Mobility Report
Exploring the value of talent mobility — to companies and careers
Start exploring
Report Methodology and Participant Scope
Graebel partnered with Wakefield Research to survey 850 adults who have experienced a corporate relocation — domestic or international — in seven global markets. The insights captured paint a picture of how mobile employees perceive the value of mobility, both to their companies and their careers. The results also uncover areas of opportunity for mobility managers to improve the mobile employee experience, based on feedback
from those who’ve been through the process.
850
mobile employees
7
countries
Use our interactive roadmaps to follow five mobile employees on their unique journeys and take a deeper dive into the survey findings.
Explore Employee Journeys
Quick Read — Top 10 Survey Highlights
Mobility’s Company Benefits
Mobility’s Career Benefits
Building Stronger Mobility Programs
Explore Employee Journeys
See these data points and more come to life through
five interactive Mobile Employee Journeys.
01
agree their company gains some degree of competitive advantage through talent mobility
98
%
Able to attract more and better talent due to potential for relocation (38%)
Reduced time spent getting up and running in new markets (40%)
More specialized talent in new markets than competitors (40%)
98% agree their company gains some degree of competitive advantage through talent mobility.
The top reasons why:
02
say their relocation has benefited their employers
99
%
Having broader knowledge of markets where the company does business (37%)
Being better prepared to help the company grow (39%)
Developing relationships with colleagues that make teams more cohesive (39%)
Mobile employees believe mobility delivers significant value for employers, not just themselves. According to them, the top employer benefits from their relocation include:
Enabling colleagues to benefit both from the expertise brought to the new location by relocated employees and what mobile employees learned while there (37%)
03
see the value of mobility for employers differently depending on their location
Mobile
employees
Respondents from Brazil (48%), India (48%), Singapore (40%) and China (38%) more often cite relationships developed with colleagues as an employer benefit, compared with U.S. respondents (34%)
Respondents from Brazil (50%) and China (43%) are more likely to cite ability to help the company grow as an employer benefit, compared with respondents overall (39%)
04
agree they’re more likely to remain with their company long-term
80
%
80% of mobile employees agree they’re more likely to remain with their company long-term because it invested in their relocation
05
say they’re more loyal to their company
85
%
85% of mobile employees say they’re more loyal to their company because of the company’s investment in their relocation
06
believe they advanced in their career more quickly
84
%
84% of mobile employees believe they would not have advanced in their career as quickly if they didn’t relocate
07
believe they are more likely to be promoted
74
%
74% believe relocated employees are more likely to be put on a track to be promoted to company leadership
08
of mobile employees agree that relocated employees are less likely to be laid off
83
%
As more companies cut jobs, 83% agree relocated employees are less likely to be laid off
Difficulty in feeling a part of the new local community (30%)
09
faced unexpected challenges during their relocation and settling in
84
%
84% faced unexpected challenges during their relocation and settling in. The top three most common challenges were:
Difficulty with fitting in socially at work in new location (29%)
Feelings of stress and anxiety (28%)
10
said if they were to relocate again, would do something differently
94
%
Negotiate extra time to prepare to relocate (32%)
Connect with other relocated employees for advice and support (32%)
Seek training to help with their transition, including learning new customs and a new language (31%)
If they were to relocate again, 94% would
do something differently or would want their employer to do something differently. The top three items mentioned include that they’d want to:
Start exploring
2023
Annual State
of Mobility Report
Exploring the value of talent mobility — to companies and careers
Explore Employee Journeys
See these data points and more come to life through five interactive Mobile Employee Journeys.
Report Methodology and Participant Scope
Graebel partnered with Wakefield Research to survey 850 adults who have experienced a corporate relocation — domestic or international — in seven global markets. The insights captured paint a picture of how mobile employees perceive the value of mobility, both to their companies and their careers. The results also uncover areas of opportunity for mobility managers to improve the mobile employee experience, based on feedback
from those who’ve been through the process.
7
countries
850
mobile employees
Use our interactive roadmaps to follow five mobile employees on their unique journeys and take a deeper dive into the survey findings.
Explore Employee Journeys
01
agree their company gains some degree of competitive advantage through talent mobility
98
%
Able to attract more and better talent due to potential for relocation (38%)
Reduced time spent getting up and running in new markets (40%)
More specialized talent in new markets than competitors (40%)
98% agree their company gains some degree of competitive advantage through talent mobility.
The top reasons why:
02
say their relocation has benefited their employers
99
%
Having broader knowledge of markets where the company does business (37%)
Enabling colleagues to benefit both from the expertise brought to the new location by relocated employees and what mobile employees learned while there (37%)
Being better prepared to help the company grow (39%)
Developing relationships with colleagues that make teams more cohesive (39%)
Mobile employees believe mobility delivers significant value for employers, not just themselves. According to them, the top employer benefits from their relocation include:
03
see the value of mobility for employers differently depending on their location
Mobile
employees
Respondents from Brazil (48%), India (48%), Singapore (40%) and China (38%) more often cite relationships developed with colleagues as an employer benefit, compared with U.S. respondents (34%)
Respondents from Brazil (50%) and China (43%) are more likely to cite ability to help the company grow as an employer benefit, compared with respondents overall (39%)
04
agree they’re more likely to remain with their company long-term
80
%
80% of mobile employees agree they’re more likely to remain with their company long-term because it invested in their relocation
05
say they’re more loyal to their company
85
%
85% of mobile employees say they’re more loyal to their company because of the company’s investment in their relocation
06
believe they advanced in their career more quickly
84
%
84% of mobile employees believe they would not have advanced in their career as quickly if they didn’t relocate
07
believe they are more likely to be promoted
74
%
74% believe relocated employees are more likely to be put on a track to be promoted to company leadership
08
of mobile employees agree that relocated employees are less likely to be laid off
83
%
As more companies cut jobs, 83% agree relocated employees are less likely to be laid off
09
faced unexpected challenges during their relocation and settling in
84
%
84% faced unexpected challenges during their relocation and settling in. The top three most common challenges were:
Difficulty in feeling a part of the new local community (30%)
Difficulty with fitting in socially at work in new location (29%)
Feelings of stress and anxiety (28%)
10
said if they were to relocate again, would do something differently
94
%
If they were to relocate again, 94% would do something differently or would want their employer to do something differently. The top three items mentioned include that they’d want to:
Negotiate extra time to prepare to relocate (32%)
Connect with other relocated employees for advice and support (32%)
Seek training to help with their transition, including learning new customs and a new language (31%)
Quick Read — Top 10 Survey Highlights
Mobility’s Company Benefits
Mobility’s Career Benefits
Building Stronger Mobility Programs
The Graebel Relocation Survey was conducted by Wakefield Research (www.wakefieldresearch.com) among 850 employees who have experienced a corporate relocation in the following markets: US, UK, Germany, Singapore, India, China Tier 1 Cities, and Brazil, between April 21st and May 1st, 2023, using an email invitation and an online survey. Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results. For the interviews conducted in this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 3.4 percentage points in the overall sample, 6.2 percentage points in the U.S., and 9.8 percentage points in the remaining markets from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample.
© 2023 Graebel Companies Inc. All rights reserved.
Hans: Developing Future Leaders through Strategic Assignments
Plus, supporting the relocation of a same-sex couple
Singapore
Berlin
Berlin
Hans is a technology director in the Berlin office of a global enterprise software development company. After seven years of high performance, company leaders have discussed the potential for him to grow into a Chief Technology Officer (CTO) role. To support that growth, Hans has been placed on an advanced leadership track to help build the needed skills for a CTO.
The company recently closed its office in Hong Kong and is relocating some of those employees to Singapore. As part of his training and professional development, Hans is being tasked with managing the merger of the two offices, which requires him to temporarily live in Singapore for a year, similar to the 33% of mobile employees whose companies relocated them as part of a leadership development program. Hans will work in a hybrid arrangement, in the office four days a week and from home the other day.
From a professional perspective, Hans is eager for the opportunity, just like the 39% of mobile employees who said developing their leadership skills to position themselves for advancement was among the top three reasons for relocating. Yet despite seeing the potential benefits to his career, Hans has some reservations about the assignment. Hans’ partner, Karl, would move with him, and while Singapore has become more accepting of the LGBTQ+ community, it’s not as inclusive as other countries.
Hans’ company anticipated this could be an issue and is prepared to provide the support needed to help Hans and Karl feel comfortable in their new home city. The organization, through DEI consulting with their relocation management partner, has been actively working to make their mobility policies more inclusive and equitable. Combining those learnings with insights from a pre-departure needs assessment with Karl and Hans, the organization has come up with a plan to support the couple’s unique needs.
As a first step, Hans’ company sent the couple to Singapore on a preview trip, to help them get a feel for the country and what their lives would be like there. The organization also facilitated pre-departure cultural training for both Hans and Karl with someone who has been in their situation, helping set realistic expectations and allowing the couple to have an honest dialogue and learn from someone else’s experience.
Feeling a bit more confident after the preview trip, the couple is focused on figuring out Karl’s work situation while in Singapore. Karl, who works as a project manager at a renewable energy development company, will be able to continue working for his company remotely from Singapore. Singapore, however, doesn’t allow unmarried same-sex couples to apply for a joint visa.
Since Hans’ acceptance of this assignment is so important to the organization’s leadership development goals, and Karl’s business is not obligated to support a self-initiated move, Hans’ company has agreed to assist Karl with immigration support so the two can move together and both work in Singapore.
Hans and Karl have settled into their three-bedroom rental apartment in Singapore. Competition for rental apartments in Singapore is stiff, but Hans’ company provided a sufficient budget for Hans and Karl to live in an area near other expats, to help ease the transition.
The organization also ensured there was sufficient Wi-Fi for both men to work remotely; 32% of mobile employees said requesting
a home office set-up at their new location, including sufficient internet connection and Wi-Fi, is something they’d do differently if they were to relocate again.
Hans is enjoying meeting his colleagues in-person for the first time, and integrating the Hong Kong and Singapore offices is testing his skills and experience, but he’s rising to the challenge. Company leaders are taking notice of Hans’ success.
Despite the pre-move support, Hans and Karl still struggled at first to feel part of the community in Singapore; this sense of not belonging in the new community is the top unexpected challenge mobile employees experienced during their relocations and settling in. However, true to its promise, Hans’ company has continued to support the couple in navigating Singapore’s cultural differences when it comes to LGBTQ+ acceptance.
Hans and Karl did a follow-up cultural training session three months into their move, which gave them an opportunity to have more of a conversation with the trainer about their real-time challenges. The company also worked with their employee resource group to connect the couple with a support group of other members from the LGBTQ+ community and shared recommendations of local expat social groups to join to connect with others in their position.
A year after moving back from Singapore, Hans was promoted to CTO, a role he excitedly accepted. Hans credits the relocation as a pivotal growth experience, one that helped him earn the promotion more quickly than if he had stayed in Berlin — just like the 84% of mobile employees who believe they wouldn’t have advanced as quickly if they hadn’t relocated.
The company is equally excited about Hans’ promotion and that their financial, time and resource investment in Hans is being fully realized through his growth with the company. Working in-person with the Singapore team for a year helped Hans build strong relationships with his colleagues, which has made the team more cohesive — tied for the top benefit to the company as cited by mobile employees — and therefore more productive.
He also developed a deeper understanding of diverse business environments and cultures (which 34% of mobile employees said was a benefit to their company), something that will help his colleagues and organization work better with partner companies and clients with diverse backgrounds.
While the settling in wasn’t without its challenges, both Hans and Karl are glad they made the move. They were able to integrate into the community over time and made some lifelong friends. In fact, Hans and Karl will be traveling to France soon to celebrate the marriage of a couple they met in Singapore!
Key Takeaways:
Relocations can be an important strategy in a company’s talent management and retention toolkit — and in helping develop future company leaders
Mobile employees see the value of a relocation for their career growth and motivated employees will seek out those opportunities; companies that aren’t offering them are putting themselves at a disadvantage
Mobile employees recognize the value of talent mobility for companies, too, not just for their careers; 38 percent of mobile employees say that being able to attract more and better talent due to potential for relocation is a competitive advantage for their company
Not all mobile employees have the same needs and it’s important to uncover and address the unique needs of each mobile employee to ensure a positive relocation experience; evaluating mobility programs and policies through a DEI lens can help companies be successful in this
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Arjun: Supporting the Settling-In Phase to Boost Productivity
Plus, understanding cultural norms that create unique family needs
Bengaluru
Mumbai
Mumbai
Arjun is a supply chain specialist at a pharmaceutical company in Bengaluru. He’s been with the company for four years and is moving into a customer service-focused role, to better align with his passion for helping those in need. To learn from and work with the rest of the company’s customer service team, Arjun will be permanently relocating to Mumbai. Arjun is one of the 39% of mobile employees who asked to relocate, which was the top reason cited by mobile employees for their relocation.
Because Arjun’s professional development would also positively impact the company’s objective of increasing customer satisfaction ratings, the business has decided to provide Arjun with more extensive benefits than he and his family would have received under its standard self-initiated relocation policy.
Relocating with Arjun are his wife, Pooja; his six-year-old daughter, Saanvi; and his mother-in-law, Lakshmi. Pooja is unable to continue her job remotely or transfer offices, so Arjun's company will be helping Pooja find a new job in Mumbai, a service that 26% of mobile employees would ask their employer to offer if they were to relocate again. Lakshmi will watch Saanvi after school while Pooja and Arjun are still at work.
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Arjun had to relocate to Mumbai quickly to be in-person for a customer service training session. Relocating across the country with a spouse, small child and elderly mother-in-law within three months proved to be a rushed and stressful experience. Arjun isn’t alone in that – feelings of stress and anxiety were the third most common challenge noted by mobile employees during their relocation and settling in. Arjun has said that if he were to relocate again, he’d negotiate for extra time to prepare for
the move, just like 32% of mobile employees.
Despite the time crunch, Arjun was able to make it to Mumbai in time for the customer service training. While he’s enjoying the customer service role much more, uprooting his family, especially so quickly, remains a bit unsettling for all. In particular, Arjun and Pooja are concerned about finding the right school for Saanvi, who is making the transition from kindergarten to primary school. Fourteen percent of mobile employees can empathize, as making sure their child(ren) can easily transition to new schools or daycare is something they’d do differently on a future relocation.
The school uncertainty has created a bit of a distraction at work for Arjun as he worries about Saanvi. However, by working closely with his consultant and destination services provider to find and apply to schools that feel like the right fit, he is confident that the school situation will be resolved, and he’ll be able to focus more at work.
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The new role was a promotion for Arjun, a benefit 38% of
mobile employees experienced as a result of their relocation. The promotion also came with a raise, which 48% of mobile employees also enjoyed because of their relocation. The raise comes as welcome news, as the cost of living is higher in Mumbai than in Bengaluru, and because Arjun and Pooja
found out they’re expecting their second child.
Arjun is grateful to his company for the opportunity to move into
a role he’s more excited about and has said he envisions staying with his company for years to come because of their investment in him. Arjun is like 80% of mobile employees in that respect, who said they’re more likely to stay with their current company long-term because their companies invested in their relocations.
Key Takeaways:
The quality of the relocation and settling-in experience is highly likely to impact the mobile employee’s work performance; mobile employees worried about how they or their families are fitting in, or who are worried about finding permanent housing that suits their needs or when their belongings will arrive, won’t be able to fully commit to and focus on their work until these issues are resolved
Understanding what each mobile employee and their family needs is key to creating an exceptional relocation experience – and in reaping the benefits through employee loyalty and satisfaction, which tend to result in increased productivity and output
When discussing each mobile employee and their family’s needs, remember to approach the conversation through a DEI lens, to ensure cultural expectations and diverse backgrounds are being acknowledged; for example, like Arjun, some mobile employees may expect to relocate extended family with them, as it’s more common in certain cultures for extended families to live together
Hannah: Building the Talent Pipeline through Positive
Intern Assignments
Plus, providing additional guidance to lump sum mobile employees
Cambridge,
MA, USA
Seattle,
WA, USA
Cambridge,
MA, USA
Hannah just finished her junior year at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where she’s studying software engineering. Over the summer, she has a three-month applied sciences internship with an e-commerce company based in Seattle, Washington. Hannah will be moving to Seattle for the duration of her assignment, to work in the same office as her team and supervisor.
Hannah will be temporarily relocating by herself and while she thinks her move will be straightforward, she’s never relocated for a work assignment before and doesn’t know the ins and outs of all the decisions she’ll need to make during the process.
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The e-commerce company established a lump sum arrangement for Hannah to self-manage her move. As a 21-year-old still figuring out how to manage finances, and as a first-time mobile employee, Hannah had a tough time determining how to budget her lump sum and which vendors would best suit her budget and needs.
For instance, Hannah didn’t realize that the rent for an apartment near the Seattle office, accessible via public transportation, is about 20% more than she was paying in Cambridge, and she didn’t leave enough room in her budget to cover the difference. Hannah is like the 24% of mobile employees who ran into more expenses than planned for during their relocation.
Hannah is the youngest person on her team by 15 years, so while she’s learning from colleagues with vast experience, at the start of the internship she also had a hard time fitting in socially at her office – similar to 29% of mobile employees, making it the second most common unexpected challenge cited.
But two of Hannah’s colleagues took her under their wings and helped her adjust to working at the e-commerce company and with colleagues who have different life experiences. This has made Hannah feel more comfortable and, as the internship has progressed, Hannah is settling in, absorbing all she can from her team and contributing new, innovative solutions to the work the team is handling.
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During the fall semester of her senior year, Hannah interviewed with and got job offers from several companies, including the e-commerce company she interned for over the summer. The positive assignment made Hannah feel loyal to the e-commerce company, just like 85% of mobile employees felt toward their companies, so she has accepted their job offer over the others. She’ll be moving back to Seattle once she finishes her degree and graduates.
Given the bumps Hannah experienced with navigating the move on her own, especially determining how to allocate her budget to fit her needs in Seattle, she suggested the idea of starting a support group at the e-commerce company to connect future relocating interns with current employees who previously were sent on assignment for the internship program.
Current employees could share advice about avoiding the problems they encountered and provide support to help future interns have smoother moving experiences. As connecting with other relocated employees was tied for the top thing mobile employees would do differently if they relocated again, the e-commerce company would be smart to set up the program.
Key Takeaways:
Interns may use fewer services, including minimal to no household goods to ship, but generally need more support and guidance on everything from how and when to choose service providers to what to pack for the move; if a company is hoping to use internship programs as a talent development pipeline, setting expectations (particularly about costs), communicating clearly and demonstrating care during the relocation will create a positive experience that’ll entice the intern to stay with the organization longer-term
Employees that self-manage their relocations using lump sums still need support in making smart decisions for their moves; coordinating with local Destination Services Providers to share resources like support groups, social media pages with former mobile employees, FAQs about the destination city or one-on-one dialogues with recruiters/hiring managers can create that extra touch that enables mobile employees to feel cared for – creating more favorable impressions of the company from the start
In fact, it’s a smart business decision to provide resources and guidance to lump sum mobile employees, especially for interns; if the lack of support leads to a negative relocation and internship experience, interns probably won’t feel as loyal to the company and might accept a different job offer out of college — and the company would have to start the training and onboarding process over again with a different employee
Louise: Leveraging Mobile Talent to Drive Growth
Plus, providing concierge consultant services to allow executives to focus on work
London
São Paulo
Dublin
Louise is the Chief of Revenue and Business Development for a London-based finance company. As a result of growing investments and broader business interest in Latin America (LATAM) and several years of positive growth for the company, it has decided to expand its business to LATAM, starting in Brazil.
Louise is charged with leading that expansion and will be relocating to São Paulo for three years to get the new business unit up and running; she is like the 38% of mobile employees who were relocated to establish their company’s presence in
a new market.
Louise is a single parent who will be moving to Brazil with her 15-year-old son, Oliver, who suffered a spinal cord injury playing rugby a year ago and is now a wheelchair user. As such, Louise and Oliver will have unique transportation and housing needs, and will need access to more inclusive healthcare, as Oliver has special medical needs due to his injury.
Given Louise’s position, the company provided executive concierge service for her relocation, assigning her an executive concierge consultant to provide tailored support for all her needs. The one-on-one expert support helped Louise focus on the key aspects of the move that most concerned her, including her son’s needs being taken care of, feeling prepared for doing business in a very different culture than her own and managing her home in Kensington while she and Oliver were out of the country.
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Her executive concierge consultant did a great job listening
to and addressing Louise’s family’s unique needs, based on
a detailed needs analysis. Her company provided property management services, leading the process of finding suitable tenants and maintaining her house while she was away. They also offered her and Oliver intercultural and language training, to help prepare her for new business practices and customs and to help them learn Portuguese.
What made the biggest difference in the relocation process, and helped put Louise’s mind most at ease, was the executive concierge consultant’s spot-on support of Oliver’s needs. The consultant found an ADA-compliant condominium that fit Oliver’s wheelchair needs and was close to his school and Louise’s office; coordinated travel logistics like securing airport wheelchair transfers in London and São Paolo; and worked with a Destination Services Partner to help Louise select the right hospital and doctors’ offices to continue supporting Oliver’s physical and mental needs post-injury. Louise’s HR department also walked her through her insurance options to make sure the chosen hospitals and doctors’ offices were covered by insurance.
Oliver transferred to the São Paulo location of an international school, so he was easily able to integrate and quickly make friends. However, life outside of school was a bit of a transition. Despite the language training before leaving London, it took more practice and time for Oliver to become fluent in Portuguese, and at first, he found it difficult to do social things outside of school, such as seeing movies in a different language and shopping.
However, the executive concierge consultant helped enroll him
in additional language courses and within a couple months of
the move, Oliver was speaking Portuguese well enough to build relationships outside of school and integrate locally.
The high level of support from the executive concierge consultant, both pre-departure and during the settling-in period, has allowed Louise to really focus on her work establishing the company’s presence in a new market, rather than worrying about how she and Oliver would settle into life in Brazil.
Not all mobile employees are as well taken care of — in fact, when asked what they’d do differently if they were to relocate again, 25% said they’d ask their employer to provide accommodations for the unique needs of their family and 31% said they’d seek training to help transition, including learning new customs and a new language.
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After three years of living in Brazil, Louise's assignment is ending and she's temporarily moving to Dublin to be close to Oliver, who will be attending Trinity College. While based in the company’s Dublin office, she’s sharing her insights and learnings from the LATAM expansion to help the company expand into APAC in two years. Her concierge consultant will continue facilitating the management of her Kensington house until a long-term decision is made about her next career steps.
Despite the second expansion being in a completely different region, Louise can share how she brought characteristics and practices of the company’s headquarters to the new market, detail successes and pitfalls to learn from and help the team navigate how the strategies she used in São Paulo may or may not work in APAC, based on local laws and regulations.
Louise firmly believes that the relocation was pivotal to the success of the company’s expansion into LATAM, as she reduced the time spent getting up and running in a new market, which mobile employees viewed as the top competitive advantage relocations bring to their companies.
She also thinks its benefits will continue, as she is better prepared to help the company grow and she has a broader knowledge of markets where her company does business —
two of the top three perceived relocation benefits to companies in the survey.
Key Takeaways:
Relocations can support strategic business goals, help the company’s bottom line and enable company-wide growth, including expansion into new markets
Talent mobility should be viewed as a strategic function that provides value to the overall organization, rather than a practice of moving employees from Point A to Point B
Offering concierge services for high-level executives is more cost-effective in the grand scheme, as they allow the mobile employee to focus on their company leadership and work, rather than worrying about the details of their relocation
When discussing each mobile employee and their family’s needs, remember to approach the conversation through a DEI lens, to ensure cultural expectations and diverse backgrounds are being acknowledged and to foster a workplace environment where open communication allows for sharing personal needs and circumstances
Guo: Understanding Negative ROI Impacts When Relocations Fail
Plus, mitigating culture shock and reverse culture shock
Hangzhou
NY, NY, USA
Hangzhou
Guo grew up in Shanghai and moved to Hangzhou four years ago when he began working as an analyst at an energy company based there. After four years of top performance, his company is supporting his temporary relocation to New York City to pursue his MBA at Fordham University.
The company is offering him tuition reimbursement and is investing in his move to New York City, with the intention of Guo acquiring and bringing back knowledge and expertise (which tied for the most common reason mobile employees cited for why their companies relocated them).
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Guo is enjoying his classes, particularly his management training classes. He hopes to grow into a leadership role at his company within the next couple years, so the MBA’s focus on leadership, planning, business strategy and organizational behavior are all relevant to Guo’s aspirations.
Having traveled to the United States before and because
New York City is an international city, Guo is adjusting
to life in America. In fact, he’s met and married Jessica,
a Kansas-born American who was living in New York and working at a publishing company. Despite never visiting China before, or anywhere in the APAC region, Jessica is quitting her job at the publishing company and looking forward to moving to Hangzhou with Guo when his degree program is completed.
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After two years in New York and with his degree in hand, Guo has returned to Hangzhou to work as a senior analyst at his company and is ready to apply what he learned in his MBA program. The move back to Hangzhou marked the end of his relocation, which didn’t include cultural repatriation training. Guo didn’t expect this to be an issue for him, as he grew up in China and felt certain that he’d settle right back in upon his return and be able to help Jessica navigate the transition.
However, the move back to Hangzhou was a much harder transition than anticipated for both Guo and Jessica. While living and studying in the United States, Guo had incorporated new thinking patterns and behaviors as he integrated into his host environment. Because those two years of experiences had changed him, he experienced reverse culture shock upon moving back to the country where he’d grown up. He felt unsettled and out of practice regarding both social norms and the cultural business customs of his company. For example, Guo declined to join his team for drinks after work, preferring instead to get home to Jessica who’s been having a hard time adjusting to life in Hangzhou; this was viewed negatively as a very individualistic decision to decline a personal relationship-building opportunity with his colleagues. His supervisors have had a few conversations with Guo about several missteps and have asked him to be more mindful in the future.
Jessica struggled to feel part of the new community in Hangzhou — the top challenge noted by mobile employees as part of their relocation and settling-in, or their family members. She didn’t know the language, customs or anyone besides Guo and, since she wasn’t working, she didn’t have an office where she could meet new people. Jessica felt isolated and, without the skills needed to connect with others, express herself, and stay connected to the work and hobbies that she identified with, she became depressed. This loss of identity, combined with her unhappiness at being far away from her support system, added to Guo’s struggles at work; he was worried about Jessica’s well-being and distracted by her wishes to leave Hangzhou.
After two years in Hangzhou and Guo’s corporate obligations were fulfilled, he decided to quit his job at the energy company so he and Jessica could move to Shanghai, where there’s a larger expat community for Jessica to connect with and where Guo’s family lives. All of the time, resources and money that the energy company invested in Guo —moving him to New York, helping finance his pursuit of his MBA and in relocating him and his wife back to Hangzhou — have been lost for reasons that could have been mitigated. Plus, Guo’s colleagues at the energy company no longer benefit from the expertise he brought to the office and from what he learned while living in New York (which was tied for the second most common response from mobile employees as to how their relocation benefitted their companies). Instead, his new company in Shanghai will benefit — without having invested in any of it.
From his perspective, Guo has regrets that his return wasn’t successful, and there are things he’d do differently if he were to do it over again. The first would be to request repatriation training, to help refamiliarize himself with Chinese culture and business customs. He also wishes he’d done more to help Jessica with the transition; while his assignment was ending, Jessica’s relocation journey was just beginning. Even though his company was not obligated to provide support services for her, he wishes he’d asked for an exception and advocated for intercultural training for Jessica, to help with the cultural transition — something 31% of mobile employees would do if they relocated again. He also would have inquired into exceptions or extended benefits that would allow Jessica some paid trips home, so she could ease her homesickness by seeing family and friends more often — something 29% of mobile employees said they’d do differently if they relocated in the future.
Key Takeaways:
Companies should never underestimate the impact that a relocation may have on an employee, while on assignment or upon repatriation; it's important to remember that living in a host location for an extended period of time can have a profound impact on employees' ways of thinking and behaving and intercultural training provided prior to departure and as part of the repatriation benefits goes
a long way toward ensuring that employees are able to focus more fully on work while on assignment - and that companies will retain them after the assignment is over.
Companies can analyze their relocation data to uncover patterns where relocations were successful and where they weren’t, using those patterns to also determine if there are consistent service offerings that are making a difference – whether positive or negative – or that might be missing altogether; this strategic approach to building mobility programs can help companies save time and money by producing more successful relocation experiences that help retain talent
Companies can often leverage – and should promote – services like employee assistance programs and employee resource groups to help create more positive relocation experiences; in addition to aiding valued employees, the company would reap the benefits of a positive relocation, supported by services they’ve already invested in
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Hans
Arjun
Hannah
Louise
Guo
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Graebel State of Mobility Mobile Employee Journeys
Travel with five mobile employees on their relocation journeys for a more personal look into the benefits of talent mobility – for their companies and careers – and first-hand insights into building stronger mobility programs and exceptional relocation experiences.
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Hans: Developing Future Leaders through Strategic Assignments
Berlin
Hannah: Building the Talent Pipeline through Positive Intern Assignments
Cambridge, MA, USA
Arjun: Supporting the Settling-In Phase to Boost Productivity
Bengaluru
Guo: Understanding Negative ROI Impacts When Relocations Fail
Hangzhou
Louise: Leveraging Mobile Talent to Drive Growth
London
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