New report reveals challenges surrounding international assignments for employees
Mobility strategies for organisations assigning employees overseas will need a "redesign" as a new report found that various challenges drive workers to end their international appointments early.
Research from AXA Global Healthcare across ten international markets identified family concerns, cultural adjustment, and social isolation as the three most common reasons employees terminate assignments prematurely, each cited by nearly half of respondents.
Challenges in global assignments
The premature end to these assignments comes amid significant gaps between the support assignees expect and what they currently receive.
Only one in five assignees said their family received relocation services for their current assignment, yet one in three expect this support for future placements.
Cultural adaptation also remains a persistent challenge, according to the findings.
One in three assignments that end early do so because of difficulty adapting to local culture, with demand for cultural preparation having increased by 24% since AXA's last report in 2020.
Language training support fell 12.5% short of expectations, while cultural adaptation support lagged nearly 20% behind assignee expectations.
Mental health challenges also emerge quickly for international assignees. Over half reported their mental health being challenged within the first three months of assignment, when the environment feels most unfamiliar.
These findings carry significant financial implications as the average cost of an international assignment has surged more than 50% since 2017, reaching $79,636 per year above base salary.
Short-term placements are also predicted to increase by 69% in the next five years and are expected to shorten further with the rise of digital nomadism.
Ellen Hughes, Chief People Officer at AXA Health Business, said mobility strategies must evolve beyond traditional business metrics.
"When we think about mobility strategies, the focus should not only be on business outcomes but on how well we prepare people, and their loved ones, for change," Hughes said.
Communication shift needed
The research identified a significant awareness gap: employers provide more support than assignees recognise.
Just 19% of assignees cited access to language preparation, compared to 36% of HR leaders who say they provide it.
Similarly, 17% of assignees cited cultural preparation support, against 34% of HR leaders.
Gaps were consistent for mentoring and buddy systems (28% versus 46%), as well as expatriate support groups (24% versus 45%).
The report underscored that the problem was not resourcing, but communication.
It stressed that support for globally assigned employees and their families already exists, but isn't accessed because of communication gaps.
"AXA Global Healthcare's research demonstrates that in order for preparation to deliver the best outcomes, businesses should design mobility strategies which recognise the full experience of relocation, and individuals must actively engage with the support available to them," Hughes said.
"Only then can the value and investment at this stage of an assignment be realised."
