Expatriate employees are invaluable to global organizations nowadays. Improving the expatriate employee experience in 2023 is a key goal for any organization that relies on international talent.
Companies must help expats as they adapt to new cultures as the world becomes more interconnected.
Here are some of the best strategies to improve expatriate employees’ experience in 2023:
Streamline onboarding processes
Onboarding is one of the most important aspects for a memorable employee experience. It’s essential that companies have clearly defined processes in place so that expats can quickly settle into their roles, without feeling overwhelmed or lost.
Develop an onboarding program which provides a smooth transition from their home country to the host country. By making sure you’re:
- providing pre-arrival information and checklists,
- supervising the visa applications to be filed correctly and on time,
- orienting expats to their role via job descriptions,
- setting up regular meetings with supervisors or colleagues to go over expectations,
companies can give them the best chance at success by setting up a more streamlined onboarding process.
Offer language support
Learning a new language can be one of the most daunting tasks for an expat employee. Companies should consider offering language courses, either online or in person. On top of that bilingual orientation sessions for non-native speakers might be a great idea! Thus, expats can better understand both the company culture as well as local customs.
This will ease some of the anxiety associated with being an outsider in a foreign country. Moreover, it will help with a better employee experience.
Provide training programs
Make sure you offer trainings that focus on cross-cultural communication, problem-solving skills, change management or diversity awareness.
Trainings should also address ways of dealing with potential conflicts that can arise due to cultural disparities or misunderstandings between individuals or teams working together remotely across different countries or continents.
Enhance digital experiences
Use technology whenever possible to facilitate remote collaboration among expat employees located in different countries or regions around the globe. This could include video conferencing platforms or online chatrooms as well as centralised assignment management platforms.
Doing so helps colleagues who may not be physically close enough to work together much better regardless of distance!
Ensure expat policies are up-to-date
Employee experience is impacted by the internal global mobility policies. Make sure that your policies are updated with all relevant laws and regulations pertaining to expatriate employment.
It’s important that employers are aware of any changes that occurred since their last policy update. This will allow them to provide accurate guidance and support to expat employees while they’re abroad.
Support mental health needs
Mental health should not be overlooked when looking at ways to improve the employee experience in 2023.
Many expats struggle with isolation due to being away from family and friends for extended periods of time. This can lead them down a path of unhappiness if left unchecked by employers who may be too far away physically (or emotionally) from noticing signs early on.
Therefore companies should look into initiatives such as virtual counselling resources or remote team-building activities.
These actions promote workplace well-being so that employees maintain healthy levels of engagement both professionally and personally even when away from home.
Establish a community network
Establish a community network of both local and international resources available for support such as ESL classes, networking events with fellow expats, etc. Having access to such resources ensurse that expats don’t feel isolated while they’re away from home and can easily find help if they need it quickly and efficiently!
Encourage regular communication
Encouraging regular communication among team members working remotely and establishing set times when everyone can meet virtually is a good idea. Furthermore, offering virtual social events like webinars or meetings where people can catch up with each other in a less formal way might be of great value!
These activities help keep everyone connected even if they’re not together physically which is key for successful collaboration across multiple countries or time zones.
Conclusion
These are just some of the strategies employers should consider when planning for how best to handle expatriate employees come 2023. But it’s important to remember that ultimately every organization is unique and there are more strategies to consider!
However, one thing is certain and applies to all businesses. In 2023 and from here onwards, you can’t fail if you think about your employees as your customers!
Need support with improving your expat employee experience and managing your expat fleet in a more effective manner?
Get in touch with us! xpath.global is the first SaaS-enabled marketplace that allows you to keep track of all ongoing assignment cases and access our expert partners, local and regional global mobility providers, with over 50.000 services in over 183 countries.
