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| Spouse Support Services in Europe |
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Michele Bar-Pereg, President, |
| European Relocation Association (EuRA)
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michele@4square-group.com
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In Europe, Relocation Companies have been offering settling-in services for very many years and Corporations transferring employees have been happy to use them when they are aimed at a family with a non-working spouse. As the demographics of a typical migrating family are changing, European relocation companies have been capitalizing in this change of attitude, by trying to offer a more complete and focused programme for potential working spouses.
Although Relocation companies have been offering spouse support in their programmes and services, it has rarely been taken up as an option by International Companies as a vital part of relocation. Most relocation programmes sold across Europe have traditionally been home-finding and settling-in services. Now, transferring spouses are 'fighting back' - demanding support programmes, as a necessity and not as an extra option!
In Europe, we are seeing a comeback for spouse support programmes, especially for spouses who are reluctant to move abroad unless they have an opportunity to find work.
In real terms this means the chance to search for work, ideally during the go/no-go decision making period. Unfortunately all too often, it has been only the spouses of the most senior executives who have this opportunity, though this exclusivity is shifting to include spouses who would wish the possibility to work abroad.
Corporations are waking up to the fact that spouses feel it is their right to continue a career and are learning about the merits of specialised Companies, including some relocation firms, that can provide an integral service, from knowledge of regional labour law to taxation legislation and help in CV adaptation related to the host country to actually finding work.
Dual career support is most often offered from North America, where years of experience in managing domestic relocation, coupled with the end of “trailing spouses” as a viable option for many partners, is driving this demand into Europe, with some U.S firms offering pan- European career support by means of counselling, coaching or web based information.
There is no doubt that a healthy work-home life balance is an intrinsic part of an effective relocation. Family happiness within the home leads to a well-balanced, realistic and productive work sphere.
The initial hardships of a non-working spouse have been well documented (“Breaking Through Culture Shock”- Elizabeth Marx, Nicholas Brealey Publishing) and even though many do try and seek working opportunities in their new environment. It is the non-working partner who has an empty agenda, week in and week out, who still has to get the practicalities of the relocation organized. To manage getting food on the table, finding the school route, mastering different modes of public transport, being a pillar of support for children and working spouse, whilst establishing a social and cultural network without benefit of a known infra-structure.
This is why it may be good advice during the period of transition and settling in, when there is a family in tow, not to look immediately for a working situation, but rather make sure that ones agenda is full with tasks relating to understanding and coping with the local environment and networking wherever possible, in order to become more integrated in a new society prior to finding a job.
For Organizations wishing to offer support for their transferring spouses set on finding work, it is true to say that spouse immigration issues are now somewhat easier in many European destinations... with special thanks and admiration to Kathleen van de Wijk-Carlton and the Permits Foundation.
We now understand that the pros and cons of finding immediate work should always be discussed in the decision-making period. The results taking into account the possibility of no suitable work being found and the spouse being willing to accept either a career break, diversification, or taking on further or additional studies for personal development.
There are specialised Companies that now offer support services to cover these decision-making moments. In the best possible circumstances it is during this early stage that there should be an evaluation of career prospects in the new location, immigration issues, and tax breaks, transferable pension schemes, childcare facilities and costs.
Spouses often need all the information to hand to boost their self-esteem, to give them food for thought and the feeling they are being especially cared for by the working-partners Company. Armed with this knowledge they sometimes decide to put their career on hold, change career, take up voluntary work, or study. Some even become entrepreneurs.
We see in our daily relocation management work that spouses have a wide reach of expert knowledge to hand, with information on local newspapers, job sites, recruitment companies, tax specialists and compatible professional organizations. Indeed, it is still up to the spouses themselves who must take into account their own professional reach and search for any international organizations known to them who will support their career and judge if it is transferable.
From the International Companies point of view, decisions on relocating a Manager abroad are still often based on technical skills and the individuals’ abilities to carry out a job. Despite all that has been written on the subject, still, very few Companies have taken the time to evaluate the suitability of a Manager for working in an expatriate location. Therefore, the support of working spouses has rarely been a consideration.
Having said that, it is now especially pleasing to see a growing natural shift in relocation services offered to international Managers in the area of cross-cultural training, look-see visits and indeed, we are seeing some growth in the purchasing of Spouse Programmes - at last!
Michele Bar-Pereg is also Founder-President of the foursquare-group S.A., a pan-European relocation company. In addition she works in the area of Consultancy and Training, using her 20-plus years in Relocation Management to guide and pass on her extensive knowledge of relocation policy and expertise on mobility issues.
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Edwin Cohen
Publisher & Editor
GLOBAL HR NEWS
www.globalhrnews.com
phone: +1.619.297.5700
email: news@globalhrnews.com |
President
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