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Company
Profile
Crown Relocations -
A Full Package for Expatriates and their Businesses
From
its start as a single branch firm serving US military clients
in Yokohama, Japan, Crown Relocations today operates from
90 locations in more than 40 countries. Over the years,
Crown has grown from being a moving company to providing
a full range of complementary relocation services. Crown,
Manila, being a part of this international network, is hence
able to make a full service commitment to our valued clients
here in the Philippines that we can fulfill at destination
and all steps en route.
Crown Manila handles movement of household goods for multinationals
and private individuals with the same dedication to client
satisfaction. Our packing teams, with average experience
of seven years, are one of the company's greatest assets
and each member of the team is extensively trained in all
aspects of the trade.
Crown Manila provides special employee relocation services
for corporations. The programs we offer have been specially
prepared with the expatriate community in mind. These programs
reflect a growing call amongst corporate bodies to provide
their incoming staff with complete services ranging from
orientation tours, home and school searches to tenancy management.
By offering the fullest range of services, Crown Worldwide
Manila is able to act as a one-stop shop for corporate Human
Resource Departments that are trying to help their new staff
settle in.
Crown Manila's Logistics and Records Management division
specializes in the management and storage of business records,
managing over 40,000 cartons of documents as well as digital
media. The company is also a leader in office relocation
services for corporations, and provides other specialized
transportation, forwarding, and warehousing services to
expanding businesses around the globe.
For further details visit us on the web at: http://www.crownrelo.com
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Chapter
12 -
Successful Transitions
This
Chapter has been contributed by JIM WARD…Managing
Director of our main sponsor, Crown Relocations.
Jim is an American who has lived and worked
in Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, Philippines (twice),
Australia and China.
Relocating is more than just moving boxes
and changing time zones.
As you have come to the end of this business
guide hopefully you have acquired a bit more
knowledge on being both an expat and a good
corporate citizen while here in the Philippines.
But what about future expat postings? Do conditions
vary much country to country or does the "
profile " of a successful expat carry
over? Having been an expat myself for some
twenty five years and having lived and worked
in six international cities outside my home
country I would like to share some of my own
observations along with some history that
our group has gathered on the expat experience.
While some are probably quite obvious to you
-some may surprise you :
When does one
stop " being " an expat ?
I would venture to say that day occurs when
you feel wherever you are currently hanging
your hat is truly home.. if even for the moment.
Approximately five to eight percent of our
clients are in the situation (most happily)
that they have spent most if not all of their
working life on various postings overseas.
One thing such managers have in common - whether
it was something as diverse as the military,
an internship, the peace corps or a Mormon
mission that brought them overseas in the
first place - they tend to have " felt
at home " from their early days overseas.
Another fairly common thread is the feelings
that they will take away more from the experience
then they contributed.
Are today's expats
different then those of year's past ?Are today's
expats different then those of year's past
?
It used to be that expats were pretty much
a mixed bag. They were sent overseas by their
employer and left to fend for themselves.
They were selected largely on their technical
abilities and not necessarily for the awareness
or cross cultural skills they would bring
to the position.
Today's expats tend to be younger, better
educated and informed then in the past and
often come with local or regional language
skills as well as a good understanding of
what the assignment country is about. In short,
while at the start they may lack breadth,
they certainly have some depth to offer.
How are multinational
companies producing this new breed of expat
?
Simply put, companies focus more these days
on the human resource component with more
emphasis on the individual and with the focus
on areas such as those shown below :
· Recruitment
and compatibility testing;
· Assignment
contract negotiation;
· Compensation
and personal benefits;
· Policy
briefing and local interpretation;
· Country
and job specific briefings;
· "Look-see"
visits allowed and encouraged;
· Budgeting
and reporting of expat costs by country and
region.
· On departure
& repatriation - briefing & de briefing
How about failed
assignments ?
Our experience shows that the cost to the
corporation of a failed assignment can be
between one and five times the cost of the
employee's salary. This sum includes "hidden
costs" such as decreased productivity,
decreased morale, loss of business (present
& future) and ultimately the loss of the
employee as well. Approximately 40 % of all
returning expats leave their company within
two years of returning home.
What seem to be
the most critical expat challenges?
When surveyed after an assignment these seem
to be the following
1. family adjustment issues;
2. children's education;
3. Resistance from non-working spouse;
It seems it takes the average expat an average
of nine weeks to return to full productivity
after a relocation.
How expensive
is the typical expat support ?
You'd be surprised…here are some facts
and figures :
An expat can cost up to four times a locally
engaged staff member in a developed market
and eight times as much in developing countries.
Emerging economies tend to command remuneration
levels some 30 % higher than in the home country.
Example: In China a senior expat manager averages
250,000 USD a year when considering salary,
cola, tax equalization, housing, education,
hardship allowances & home leaves.
By contrast a good local manager will average
60,000 USD all inclusive.
Ok…that's
all financial…what is the overall impact
on a failed assignment ?
To the firm it is the cost impact to the company's
bottom line, replacement and the interruption
to the project or mission at hand.
To the individual and family it is the career
& emotional impact plus the negatives
that can carry over to the extended family.
Why assignments fail - from two perspectives
:
Company
· Poor
candidate selection.
· Wrong
motive for sending.
· Poor
communication of expectations.
· Poor
job fit or personality conflicts.
· Poor
planning by assignee manager.
· Inadequate
consultation or family counseling.
· Reliance
on host co-workers.
· No pre
assignment visit.
· No clear
plan on " the next step "
Employee
· Lack
of employee commitment;
· Family
cultural adjustment issues;
· Spouse's
uncooperative behavior;
· Illness
in a far away environment;
· Unhappiness
with living conditions or security issues;
· Expectations
not met;
· Uncertainty
over repatriation;
· Unethical
behavior;
· Failure
to even attempt to interrelate.
As you can see - several items are seen from
both perspectives.
It is usually family issues NOT failure to
perform that curtail an overseas assignment
ahead of time.
Are there unique
issues for the non-working spouse (male or
female)?
· Children issues.
· Personal & family security.
· Finding fulfilling employment.
· Recompense for job loss.
· Lack of further education opportunities.
· Reduced or increased standard of
living
Yes…both can create issues.
Enough on the statistics….lets look at
the positives - A balanced expat will have
strong technical, business & management
skills. He or she will show both flexibility
in the workplace and respect for the local
culture. He or she will have the ability to
switch styles, to be less direct and to be
more inclusive. These traits seem to be the
hallmark of an effective expat anywhere in
the world.
With business downturns and changing markets
in mind…expats are not a dying breed
but do need to be an evolving one. Increasingly
we are being asked to take on more mobile
roles with no long-term attachment to a specific
country. Today's expat is seen often as a
troubleshooter and ambassador for best practices
and good corporate culture - a person binding
together the global organization. Expats that
make demands, who are not adaptable and expect
reward without result are doomed to fail in
today's international environment.
I would like to close with a very personal
observation…in the mid 80's I was posted
in Taipei and was sitting outside an expat
banker's office waiting to present our firm.
From the inside I heard the expat berating
his local subordinate in a loud manner that
all could hear. In awhile the local manager
came out and we exchanged a look of sympathy.
In my meeting I listened to the expat go on
about his accomplishments and the ineffectiveness
of the local population. On the way out…the
local manager pulled me aside and said "You
know I have been with this multinational bank
15 years now and I know one thing with certainty
- expats come and go and this too will pass."
The expat in question did pass. Currently
I understand he is dealing blackjack in Reno.
The middle age Taiwanese manager now runs
Greater China for his same bank.
I would only hope that when " we "
pass whether it's after a few years or a full
career we have all left something good behind
and taken away from our experience more then
we gave.
Click here to download
the PDF Version of this Chapter.
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