Feb 22

UK Ranked Worst Place to Live in Europe – Is It Really That Bad?

Cross Cultural Training, Cultural training for Relocation, Culture, Culture training for Business & Management 1 Comment »

According to the uSwitch.com Quality of Life Index in September 2011, the UK was rated the worst place to live in Europe. This Index calculates the quality of life of 10 European countries using factors such as cost of living, income, hours of sunshine, life expectancy, culture and working hours.

Although some may argue that bad weather makes living and working in the UK difficult, it is unfortunately not the only reason why the UK lags behind. In fact much of this poor ranking is down to the high cost of accommodation, public transportation and fuel which overshadow the UK’s high incomes (ranked 4th in the study). These factors combined with the higher number of hours workers spend in the office, fewer days off and a later retirement age all lead to the argument that the UK is the worst place to live in Europe.

London Skyline ferrantraite i4 UK Ranked Worst Place to Live in Europe – Is It Really That Bad?

© istockphoto.com/ferrantraite

The 2011 urban riots that shook the country and confirmed the idea of a ‘broken society’ put the finishing touches to this negative image of living and working in the UK. For some there is no wonder why the country is becoming less attractive to expats. According to the HSBC Expat Survey 67% of the expats living and working in the UK believe that the economic situation in the country has worsened over the past few years.

But is living and working in the UK that bad? What happened to the legendary British ‘Home, sweet home’? We should not be too pessimistic. Last year International Living magazine published its 2010 annual ranking of the world’s best places to live in and the UK dropped to 25th place falling behind former communist countries such as the Czech Republic and Lithuania. However the UK was ranked 7th in the same study in 2011 which is quite a positive change.

Besides many recent economic difficulties, living and working in the UK does come with other challenges. Expats should understand British culture in order to successfully fit into British society. For example, a key British behaviour that some expats struggle to understand is indirectness. People in the UK are often perceived to be very polite and have an indirect way of communicating. They don’t always say what they mean, answers are often ambiguous and many rely on non-verbal communication such as facial expressions to understand other people’s reactions or perceptions. This can be difficult to interpret without an understanding of British communication styles.

Living and working in the UK also requires an understanding of British business culture in order to operate successfully in the UK work environment. The typical flat structure of many organisations in the UK can be confusing for many foreign newcomers. First names are often used, employees have great responsibilities and managers tend to act more as coaches than as authoritarian leaders. This combined with the importance placed on results and performance can be stressful for international workers who don’t anticipate and have the skills to manage the challenges they may face when living and working in the UK.

Even if some argue that the UK is becoming less attractive to expatriates, its colourful cultural and historical background combined with its dynamic innovations and increasing diversity make it a great place to live. With the many events taking place in 2012 such as the Queen’s Jubilee and the London Olympics, it will be interesting to see whether expatriates and residents will improve their opinion of the UK as a place to live and work.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2012

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Sep 17

Cultural Awareness Training: Ensuring a Successful Cultural Adaptation

Cross Cultural Training, Cultural training for Relocation, Culture, Culture training for Business & Management, Culture training for Human Resources, Culture training for the Public sector No Comments »

An international assignment is always a challenge from both a professional and personal perspective as coping with the differences within the workplace and the personal environment can be difficult.

Statistics show that failed international assignments are mainly related to a lack of adaptation either from the expatriate or his/her family. A failed expatriation can have severe consequences for an organisation and result in a significant loss of money as expatriates can be expensive.

Globe Kasia i Cultural Awareness Training: Ensuring a Successful Cultural Adaptation

© istockphoto.com/ Kasia

Studies suggest that a failed international assignment can cost between$100,000 and $300,000. Failed business or project objectives also indirectly harm the brand image and limit the future business perspectives of the company. Finally, the damage on the expatriates’ morale and performance can also be disastrous, depression and a long lasting loss of confidence can affect them even after they return.

Working habits are one of the main problems encountered by expatriates as they can be fairly different from one country to another. The way people deal with risk, hierarchy, time and decision making processes are different and these differences can hinder an expatriate’s performance. Expatriate cultural programs can increase the understanding of the impact of these differences which will help them to adapt more easily to his/her new environment. Cultural awareness training will also provide expatriates with key insights and practical information about business and social practices in the country.

It is also crucial to assess and understand the expatriates’ main concerns in order to help them to succeed. According to the HSBC Expats Survey results, expatriates are mainly preoccupied with their ability to make friends abroad, socialise and adapt to the local community. They are also concerned about ensuring their partner and family have an enjoyable experience.

All of these challenges can be difficult to overcome without the appropriate and relevant cultural awareness training. Deciphering Chinese or Indian social and business practices and customs is almost impossible without the proper guidance. During an expatriate cultural program, delegates can also benefit from the experience of their trainer who will share anecdotes and first hand testimonies that can help expatriates to foresee what await them in their host culture. Cultural awareness training also helps to break down myths and stereotypes which sometimes lead to false assumptions and cultural insensitivity.

Providing expatriate cultural programs such as Living and Working in India or Living and Working in China can help future expatriates to adapt quickly to their new environment and reduce the risks of failure. The relevant and appropriate strategies and tools they will receive on expatriate cultural program will give them the confidence they need to work effectively in another culture and cope with the specific challenges of their expatriation.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010

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Sep 10

Helping the Whole Family to Adapt to a Foreign Country

Cross Cultural Training, Cultural training for Relocation, Culture, Culture training for Business & Management, Culture training for Human Resources, Culture training for the Public sector No Comments »

According to the 2010 Global Relocation Trends Survey, only 47% of international assignees had families with children when they went abroad last year. This all time low percentage shows a new trend in international human resources: organisations increasingly prefer to send expatriates with no children for short and long term assignments. This is primarily because the inability of the family to adapt is one of the primary causes of failed international assignments and is one of the main concerns for HR professionals.

Family H Gall i Helping the Whole Family to Adapt to a Foreign Country

© istockphoto.com/ H Gall

Indeed, sending a whole family to a foreign country can represent a huge challenge without the proper preparation. Offering an expatriate cross cultural program to the partner and children can be an excellent way to prepare them for their international experience. By undergoing an expatriate cross cultural program, families can get the insights and understanding they need about the environment, way of life, currency, customs or food in the target country. Increasing their understanding of the visible part of the culture they are going to live in is just one aspect. Training can also make expatriates aware of the core cultural values of the target country that they will need to understand and adapt to.

Deciphering the core cultural values of the target culture can help all family members to cope with culture shock which is one of the greatest challenges they will face and can jeopardise the whole expatriation process. An expatriate cross cultural program can also help them to understand the different communication styles and social etiquette to ensure they can communicate what they need and behave without making any cultural faux pas during their expatriation.

Expatriate cross cultural programs can also provide the partners of international assignees practical tips about finding a job or building their social network. This ensures partners avoid getting bored and feeling disconnected from society which can negatively impact their adaptation to the new country. Getting the children ready is equally important. Expatriate cross cultural programs can help kids to understand the differences they will encounter in their new school while it will also improve their ability to adapt to their new environment and make new friends.

Regardless of where you are going on an international assignment, going through a cross cultural training course is the best way to make sure you enjoy your new life as an expatriate. Cultural training programs can also provide peace of mind to human resource professionals responsible for ensuring the expatriation is a success.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010

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Sep 08

Getting your Expatriates Ready for an International Assignment

Cross Cultural Training, Cultural training for Relocation, Culture, Culture training for Human Resources 1 Comment »

International organisations recognise the benefits of sending skilled employees overseas to open new offices, win new business, manage local teams, etc. Assuming that employees selected for an expatriation have the skills they need to be efficient in that role can be dangerous. Every culture has a unique set of values and working practices that can be difficult to understand, adapt to and manage if the expatriate does not have the appropriate level of intercultural preparation.

Meeting Neustockimages i1 Getting your Expatriates Ready for an International Assignment

© istockphoto.com/ Neustockimages

Culture shock is probably the first and most important challenge expatriates will encounter when relocating abroad. The different lifestyle, food, language and environment among other things can result in a feeling of culture shock that needs to be considered by both the expatriates and the organisation in order to prevent serious performance issues. The inability to cope with culture shock can result in a failed expatriation which can represent a huge financial loss for any organisation.

Culture also widely influences working practices. Attitudes to time for instance can vary dramatically from one culture to another. Germans tend to consider time as linear and will schedule projects carefully and do their best to follow the project plan or agenda. Indians on the other hand, tend to consider time as circular, meaning they usually don’t plan their actions throughout the day and are likely to do several tasks at a time. Bringing the two cultures together without an expatriate intercultural program before their collaboration can result in frustration and misunderstandings about when things should be completed. Attitudes towards authority, decision making or reward systems are other examples of where working practices can also vary significantly across cultures.

Communication styles are another factor of international working that can greatly differ from one country to another making it difficult at times to decipher your foreign counterpart’s message. Non-verbal communication such as eye contact, touching, smiling or even the distance between people can have totally different meanings depending on your culture. Other elements of communication such as context, accents, acronyms or specific vocabulary (e.g. American vs. British English) can also be obstacles for expatriates communicating across cultures.

Expatriate intercultural programs like Living and Working in Germany can ensure that expatriates have the right knowledge of cultural attitudes and how they impact business practices in other cultures. The importance of expatriate intercultural programsshould not be underestimated as with the right level of intercultural preparation expatriates can avoid cultural conflict, loss of time and failed assignments.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010

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