Five things to consider about the expat experience (because it is an experience!)

This article by Lexology was written for the inexperienced expatriate and family to help them consider five important things before agreeing to head off on an international assignment. It's all good stuff, and no question every expatriate should think through these things prior to agreeing to go on an assignment, but it did make me think that these points could also be extremely helpful for global mobility managers who are trying to improve the employee experience in their programs.

Many mobility programs are endeavoring to discover, define, develop, differentiate and deploy initiatives that improve the mobility experiences of their relocating employees. Sometimes that starts with making sure we understand the "come to" state of the employee. That is, trying to understand their concerns, needs and interests to be able to provide the support that makes a positive impact on the experience. 

Much of the advice in the blog below addresses very real concerns of expatriates. If these items are proactively addressed, it would help improve the communication, process, support and overall experience of being a mobile employee. These concerns are things like compensation structure, allowances, benefits, healthcare, family support, duty of care, and safety and career implications.