| With any relocation to another
country, there are typical challenges that expatriates
face. First, there are environmental and logistical
challenges: unfamiliar bureaucracy, transportation,
differences in cost of living and in standards of living,
learning where and how and when to shop for what one
needs, navigating the school systems, finding suitable
medical care and other services, and even adapting to
climates that require some getting used to.
Then there are the cultural differences: language (even
if it is similar to your home country), customs, lifestyle,
work patterns, and so on. Add to this the loss of one’s
immediate network of friends, family and colleagues,
and that adds up to a lot of new experiences.
For Brits taking a company assignment to work and live
in the US, they will probably be relocated by a cooperative
effort between the workforce mobility or human resources
administrator in the company, and one or more relocation
service providers. But regardless of how many individuals
help with the move, it will usually start with the relocation
policy: the company document that standardises and spells
out the kind of assistance the employee will receive.
Relocation policies are specific to a company, and often
are developed based on a company’s home country
experience, although more companies are reviewing the
need to develop policies that capture local needs, culture
and align payment scales with their in-country counterparts.
Industry experts note these common areas of assistance
in relocation policies for Brits relocating to the US:
househunting trips; temporary living in the US before
one’s residence is available; rental assistance;
settling-in services; tax gross-up/tax assistance; language
and/or cross-cultural training; and an incidental relocation
allowance for items not covered by other areas in the
relocation policy.
Depending on what elements are included in the relocation
policy, the British expatriate and his or her family
may also be offered assistance with:
- Visa and immigration information
- Banking
- Services available at the local
post office
- Identifying local hospitals and
medical centres, obtaining lists of local doctors
and their specialities, and even learning what it’s
like to make and go to a doctor’s appointment
in the US
- Identifying local chemists (“pharmacies”
)
- Connecting utilities, including
heat, electric and water for one’s home. It’s
best to have these services transferred to the assignees’
name prior to moving into the new accommodation. If
the assignee is moving to a flat/apartment, the water
services are usually included in the rent and paid
by the landlord
- Obtaining renters’ insurance
or homeowners’ insurance
- Arrangements for home telephone
service, cable TV, computer cable service and cell
phone service
- Information about buying or
leasing automobiles
- Driving in the US, tutoring for
the drivers’ written test, and assistance with
the Motor Vehicle Association to obtain a drivers’
licence
- Automobile insurance (it’s
helpful if the assignee brings a letter from the current
UK insurance company regarding the driver’s
past experience with insurance claims)
- Purchase of often-used products,
such as petrol (gasoline) at gas stations
- School search: navigating the
US school system, finding day care and pre-schools,
and universities if such information is needed (see
page 52).
- Information about where and when
one might purchase alcoholic beverages. Practices
vary by location: in some areas, beer and alcoholic
beverages are sold at separate businesses, some of
which may be closed on Sundays. In other locations,
beer and alcoholic beverages may be purchased in supermarkets
seven days a week
- Shopping – making sure
the family is familiar with local supermarkets, large
department stores, speciality shops, electronics and
appliance stores
“Statistics show that the
spouse and family’s satisfaction with the move
impacts strongly on the success of the international
assignment,” says Mary Ann McCarry, a US workforce
mobility professional who has both relocated corporate
transferees and worked with them in a service capacity,
and knows that assistance with day-to-day life issues
makes a major difference to British families.
She notes: “The goal of assimilation services
is to provide the assignee and the assignee’s
family with the assistance they need. Normally, the
assimilation services specialist will continue to be
available by telephone for a period of time, so that
they can answer any new questions that may develop.”
McCarry also points out that there are specialised interests
that can be addressed on an individual basis, such as
flying lessons, fishing licences or names of clubs or
organisations. And she’s particularly mindful
of “the football factor” – making
sure interested assignees know when matches will be
televised and where they can be viewed!
Freda Ingram-Brown is Senior Vice President and Relocation
Manager for MBNA America Bank, NA, a national bank in
the US and the largest independent credit card lender
in the world. Ingram-Brown is also 2004 President of
Worldwide ERC, the association for global workforce
mobility, with a network of more than 12,000 members
who are concerned with employee transfer issues.
She says: “The further away the employee and family
are moved, the more alienated they can become if the
company doesn’t take steps to connect them. The
most important lesson we have learned at MBNA about
bringing employees into the US is that we’re never
finished with our education. For example, we found that
it makes more sense for us to provide cross-cultural
education here in the US rather than offering it pre-relocation
in the expat’s home country, and that it’s
even more effective if we provide it after the expat
and family have been here for two or three weeks.
”MBNA may also provide access to an individual
outside the company who acts as a life and lifestyle
mentor. “Basically, they continue to help the
expat, spouse and family connect to their new community
and build their lives in the US.” She also emphasises
the importance of collecting feedback from expats and
encourages those who relocate for their companies to
offer constructive suggestions that will make the path
smoother for the next relocating employee.
Tony Coe, Chief Executive of Saunders 1865 (a UK relocation
business that serves North American corporations and
sources relocation services in Europe), notes these
advantages and lessons for British expats working in
the US: “Assignees expect to deal with a relocation
professional who is local at both ends of the move.
While they are still in the UK, they particularly appreciate
being able to speak with someone who knows the US well.
When we Brits go to the US, we need to remember that
communication styles are very different, even though
our language is essentially the same.
”But, says Coe, advantages abound: “Good
relocation support has become expected – the real
estate agency service is so much better in the US. It
is a pleasure for Brits to find that they only have
to go to one real estate agent to access all the listings
in the area, which is impossible in the UK. Customer
service – particularly in retail stores and restaurants
– is vastly superior in the US. Dining out, buying
clothes and petrol, and the overall cost of living is
less expensive. The cultural divide is closing, meaning
Brits are becoming more American rather than the other
way around. McDonald’s taught us that we don’t
need cutlery to eat hamburgers. Nevertheless, we still
only eat pizza with knives and forks – and we
don’t do that ridiculous manoeuvre where Americans
cut with the knife and fork, put down knife, change
hands and pick up with fork!”
A last bit of advice from Coe for his British colleagues
who will spend time in the US and for the companies
who relocate them: “When doing business in the
US, Brits have to adapt. Most, but not all Brits are
good at this. As with all global relocation, it’s
important to pick those employees who want to adapt
because – guess what?- the country of destination
is not going to change to suit the assignee.”
Worldwide ERC® provides leadership, advocacy, education
and networking to global workforce mobility professionals
and stakeholders through specialised training, meeting
events and information exchange.
For more information, contact:
Tel:
+1 202 857 0857
Website:
www.erc.org
Useful reading
I’m a Stranger Here
Myself
by Bill Bryson, published 1999 by Broadway Books
ISBN 0 7679 0381 1
Brit-Think Ameri-Think, a
Transatlantic Survival Guide
by Jane Warmsley, published 1987 by Penguin Books
ISBN 0 14 00 9367 2
Cambridge International Dictionary
of English
published by Cambridge University Press
ISBN 0 521 48421 9
Hello! USA, Everyday Living
for International Residents and Visitors
by Judy Priven, published 2002 by Hello! America, Inc.
ISBN 0 9635633 7 8
Understanding American Schools
by Anne P Copeland and Georgia Bennett, published 2001
by the Interchange Institute
ISBN 0 96729 342 1
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