Expatriate services

In our global economy it is common that higher management positions and special assignments tend to be filled with trusted and competent resources from abroad. Those employees or expats are often given a special status that reflects their importance for the organization.

The relocation of ‘expats’ has grown considerably more complicated due to dual career aspects of spouses and special allowances that need to be made for accompanying children, as well a variety of personal and cultural aspects that can impact an expat’s performance abroad compared to that proven in his or her home-country.

CCS has many years of experience in dealing with the issues of such people on the move, their families and their relocation issues, handling precarious situations for such people and reducing the organizational risks of such assignments.

CCS uses a well-tested and validated assessment and profiling tool allowing candidates and their family members to gain necessary and detailed insight into the level of preparedness and the ability to adjust in their new environment. Potential areas of conflict are highlighted and discussed with candidates and their family members. Through a process of guided reflection and professional counselling, candidates are helped to make appropriate decisions based on detailed data reports. Information gathered serves to make specific and detailed recommendations to the assignee and their family and further advising the decision makers at the organizational level, fully respecting the candidate’s privacy.

Next to the assessment and evaluation services, CCS has the unique position to also offer direct support services in many locations, becoming the new home of candidates. This allows to also offer on the spot support where it is needed with the process of integration and to cover when the going gets difficult. Through our extensive network of professionals we also provide guidance at the location of arrival for the employee in terms of housing, schooling, employability of the spouse and other related relocation issues.

While abroad, a 24/7 support structure similar to that of an EAP, offers the opportunity to seek assistance in dealing with the broader issues of relocation. This support specifically deals with personal adjustment and stress, special needs for caretaking, professional development and many other issues. This support is available via telephone, online and face to face consultations with our experts offering assistance in your language of choice.

An often-forgotten point to be reckoned with is that quite often employees, after several successful years abroad with an increased status and recognition in their work and in their social environment, return to their home base with a need to reintegrate into their place of origin. We observe that many people after maybe initial difficulties have finally grown comfortable to be in a different environment finding it difficult to reconnect with the place of origin. From a work perspective, often the reintegration into the work environment does no longer fit the expectations. No wonder that almost 65% of returners come to change their place of work within the first year of their return. This potentially is a second and often even more significant loss for your organization in terms of human capital (knowledge base, skill, earlier investments etc.) which is difficult to replace.

CCS can also help mitigate this risk by providing return-to-home support and guidance to ensure a proper re-integration into the native environment.