How Can Expatriates Stay Current on Assignment?

22 THE VALUE OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON ASSIGNMENTS How Can Expatriates Stay Current On Assignment? ‘SoMe’ Solutions For Business Expatriates know all too well the on two levels; firstly, the language statistic hasn’t changed since I started value of Social Media, increasingly barrier and secondly, the ‘Injection in the relocation industry years ago. known as ‘SoMe’, for keeping in Education’ nature of the beast; if Bob Failure to prepare is failure to succeed; touch with loved ones back home. Smith has mastered enough Chinese an Expat returning home has challenges Skype, Facebook, YouTube are all to understand the workshop trainer, of reverse culture shock, has to fit back invaluable in sharing the highs and what does Bob do 3, 6,or 9 months in, yet has emotionally and mentally lows of relatives’ lives 1000s of miles later when the trainer isn’t there for moved on, and has to find their place away. We like to stay connected, we him? Learning at the point of need is where they have had no visibility. All like to stay current, we like to learn. what is driving Expatriates and their of this can be eased if social learning It comforts us to know what our colleagues to turn to social learning via tools are adopted across a business. loved ones are up to, to celebrate the internet. Platforms such as Salesforce Chatter, even minor successes, or to share a Social learning is a modern way of Yammer, or Fuse give all staff, no matter laugh about a trending amusing cat offering employees the ability to more their location, the ability to share best video. It is usual for all of us to use easily and informally learn from each practise, to belong, to get their name Social Media in our private lives for other. For hundreds of years we have internally known, and to therefore ease everything from sharing photos, learnt this way; from a farmer teaching the transition back home, or to a new to finding new recipes, to learning the farmhand, to the master and host location. The cultural as well as how to change a light bulb. Almost apprentice. It is only in more recent learning value of such tools cannot be everything is available to learn via decades that we have put qualifications underestimated. Staying connected Google. Where businesses are failing and ‘formal’ learning ahead of this whilst on assignment allows an Expat their employees, especially global more traditional value system of young to stay current in a once familiar employees, is in translating the use learning from old, or peer learning from world. They do so in their private lives. of such social learning into a business peer. It is ironic in many ways that as Catch up Business, before you blow environment. Wake up Business! Be we see some breakdown of community millions on yet another Assignee’s failed aware that if you are not providing in the western world, we see the rise of Homecoming. Meanwhile your Expat is social learning tools, your employees communities of practise springing up using their LinkedIn profile and ‘SoMe’ are finding them anyway. YouTube, in the virtual world. Expatriates turn to presence to plan their next move. LinkedIn, SlideShare and more are Twitter or LinkedIn to build strong and used daily for sales teams to find reliable networks across geographies. Following 15 new selling techniques, for customer Internet forums allow connection to years in the services to find better ways to serve others, and these can be especially Relocation industry in operational your customers, and for Expatriates helpful to spouses looking to build a and L&D roles, to navigate their way around their network without belonging to a host Michelle Parry- host locations. location company. Some forums, such Slater was most Expatriates in a host location are as InterNations.org, also engage in recently The often out of sight and out of mind regular meet ups, which add additional Academy Manager for global relocation provider Santa from the home business. Whilst value to the local information, jobs for Fe Group, based in London with they are busy gaining all manner of spouses, housing and marketplace it responsibility for the learning of life experiences on assignment, a offers online. Twitter too can result in a staff located in 56 countries across formal learning programme as part Tweet Up, taking the virtual into reality. 126 offices globally. Following the of performance management can One element we have yet to address is hugely successful implementation of The Academy Online at Santa Fe fall through the cracks of home and the important question of why should Group, Michelle now heads up Kairos host. For localised contracts, there is an Expat care to stay current? Surely Modern Learning, a new consultancy the advantage of being part of a local immersion in the locality is the point specialising in helping businesses performance management programme, of an assignment? Without doubt this and trainers offer a modern, digital however, that programme is unlikely has worth, however, an Expat knows learning journey to employees and to harness the wealth of learning freely the bubble they live in will eventually clients. To see how your business can benefit from a modern look at your available on the internet, and indeed is pop, as they are localised, or repatriated. learning strategy, likely only include local language face They need to be prepared. Most contact Michelle via to face training workshops, such is the businesses fail to adequately prepare Twitter @MiPS1608 state of business learning today. In my for an Expat’s repatriation, with high Telephone: 07967 375547 opinion, workshops fail Expatriates attrition rates the result. Sadly, this Email: [email protected] INTERNATIONAL HR ADVISER SUMMER.

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