When a company provides temporary housing to relocating employees or to employees on business travel, often the employees have little input as to the location or type of home in which they stay. While it is common for companies to limit a relocating employee’s time in temporary housing, they may feel that their selection is appropriate to limit costs or to provide comparable accommodations to all employees.
Employees on extended business trips may feel at more of a disadvantage staying in a furnished apartment, as they do not have any motivation to assimilate into the destination location. Understanding the needs of people from other cultures will aid in securing the most suitable housing for employees.
Expectations
Sean Dubberke, cross-cultural program coordinator, RW3 CultureWizard, New York, New York, advises, “The biggest issue that I’ve noticed in interviewing expatriates for cross-cultural programs is the overwhelming feeling many get from the abundance of choices and options one has in the U.S. It’s good to prepare them for this. I like to describe going to the supermarket and having hundreds of different types of dry breakfast cereal or going to a sporting goods store and having dozens of athletic shoes to choose from. This is a hallmark of American individuality and consumerism, which is quite unique in the world. It may be delightful for tourists to experience this, but it tends to be overwhelming for expatriates on a daily basis.”
Dubberke further advises that expatriates may be familiar with U.S. film, TV, and music; but not understanding that these images are not reality for many U.S. residents warps their expectations of daily life.
“The biggest surprise may be the large size of homes and apartments, which, again, marks the American dream of having space and room for acquiring material possessions, which reflects one’s status,” he said.
Dubberke suggests providing a preparatory pamphlet outlining the norms of U.S. life (in and out of temporary housing) so that shock is less pronounced post-arrival. Topics he recommends that are addressed include:
- Extended family members usually live in separate housing.
- Children move out of the house often at age 18, or when they go to college.
- Most Americans are self-sufficient in maintaining and cleaning their homes.
- Cooking at home may not be the preferred option, given the vast array of prepared food eateries in most American cities (NYC/urban perspective).
Further, to prepare expatriates for the realities of life overseas, Dubberke says a key piece of the puzzle is to help expatriates understand the different emotional phases one goes through during relocation. Setting realistic expectations for expatriates or employees on extended business trips may reduce the culture shock they experience on arrival in the host country.
Location
Dubberke explains, “It is important to scope out the individual’s social needs in advance of a move to determine the best area of a city for that person to live in temporarily. For example, there are group-oriented or collectivistic cultures, including many of those in Asia, such as China, India, Thailand, and Korea. A suburban location for a group-oriented culture is not conducive to making friends and meeting new people. Suburban zones can be isolating, so expatriates should be prepared for this.”
Beth Searls, vice president of sales and marketing for Furnished Quarters, New York, New York, agrees that determining the location of the apartment may help employees be more comfortable in temporary housing. For example, she says that “there is a strong Indian community in Jersey City, and we try to place these guests in our Jersey City properties. It has worked out very well and we frequently have requests for these locations from unrelated companies due to our guests’ networking.”
Patricia Hintze, vice president, client services, Marriott ExecuStay, Hobe Sound, Florida, acknowledges, “The inability to socialize is often a problem, so for larger groups we will provide a monthly social event so they can spend time with other guests. Many of our markets also provide details on local events that are happening so these travelers can choose some events to participate in.”
To further address the concern of socialization, Searls indicates that they also send a weekly newsletter “to all our guests in New York City, New Jersey, and Boston that includes cultural activities and local things to do.”
Amenities
To enhance the comfort for overseas guests, Searls says her company provides rice cookers for visitors from Asia and electric tea kettles for visitors from the United Kingdom, as requested, as well as offer international cable television stations for specific nationalities. “We tailor any amenity we might provide to the nationality of the guest. As an example, on occasion, a guest may experience some kind of inconvenience and we would send an amenity as a gesture of good will. Just yesterday we sent German cheese and wine to a guest from Germany.”
Dubberke advises, “People from countries where domestic help is common or expected by executives and other managers (e.g., cooks, nannies, maids, drivers, and the like) find the lack of this in the United States difficult. Doing one’s laundry and operating a washing machine also may not be easy for international assignees used to affordable, fullservice laundry in the home country. It is probably valuable to the international assignee to have a packet of information on where to find exactly what he or she needs to continue living comfortably by somehow assessing their living situation in the home country.”
Searls adds, “We provide information when guests arrive on how to use the appliances (washer/dryer, dishwasher, and the like); we have had guests try to use the garbage disposal as a blender and put Palmolive in the dishwasher.”
Further, Hintze advises, “Each guest receives a walk-through of their new apartment home with a member of the local ExecuStay staff. This walk-through is scheduled on a day and time that is convenient for the guest and, preferably, within a day or two of arrival. They are given an overview on how the appliances work, how to work the television remote control. They also have an opportunity to ask questions about the apartment, the community, the neighborhood [and the like].”
Neighborhood/transportation
Searls indicates, “On arrival, we provide welcome packets with information about the neighborhood and area, including a map and list of local establishments such as grocery stores, restaurants that have the flavor of whatever the guest’s particular nationality is, banks, [and the like].”
Hintze says, “Transportation can be a major challenge. Whether it is using public transportation or navigating highways, in a rental car, it is usually a major hurdle to overcome.”
Dubberke confirms, “Transportation is another contentious issue with foreign nationals. Navigating in a car or using mass transit implies many things. A good ‘settling-in’ counselor will set realistic expectations for international assignees.”
Hintze says, “In urban settings, we always provide an overview of the transportation system and, if they are driving, we will offer maps [and so forth]. Recently, we did have a group coming from India to our Wilmington market and we actually arranged for a private bus service to pick up the 12 travelers every morning and bring them home in the evening, since the public transportation was causing such concern. We also notice that the age of the traveler also plays a part in all of this. The younger travelers are more willing to go out and try things and seem to quickly make friends and acclimate to their surroundings. Middle-aged travelers and those with families tend to have more challenges.”
Booking/billing
Searls indicates, “During the booking process and while international guests are with us, we often communicate in their own language. Through our staff, we have the ability to converse in about 15 languages. For what it’s worth, we are very flexible with billing and payment as it can be a little more challenging with international guests. We had a group from India that needed to pay with traveler’s checks and our staff went to their offices to manage the payment transaction and make it as convenient as possible.”
Moving Forward
In response to customer surveys, Searls advises, “We all agreed we needed to amend our website to include key information in multiple languages. As we know, the availability of information in one’s native language makes international travelers more confident and at ease when communicating. Besides being surrounded by familiar food, customs, and culture in general, nothing makes an international traveler as comfortable as being able to use their own language, if necessary.”
Hintze concludes, “We find that this personal touch really makes a difference and helps overcome some of the normal challenges that occur when spending an extended period of time away from home.”
Stefanie R. Schreck, CRP, GMS, is manager of corporate relocation for American International Group, Inc., New York, New York, and a member of the MOBILITY Editorial Advisory Committee. She can be reached at +1 212 770 8094 or e-mail stefanie.schreck@aig.com.