How to Prepare Employees for International Assignments

Expert Tips and Strategies for Successful Global Employee Relocation

International assignments can have a huge impact on both employees and organizations. They can help your company expand globally and strengthen leadership while allowing employees to gain valuable international experience and develop greater cultural intelligence.

However, getting employee relocation right can make all the difference in employee satisfaction, team performance, and overall business success. This article provides practical tips, checklists, and best practices to guide you through every step of the process, helping you navigate common challenges and set up every expat assignment for success.

Setting Up Expat Assignments for Success

Successful expat assignments start with careful planning. When done well, employee relocation benefits both the organization and the assignees, as it helps fill critical staffing needs, leverages employee expertise in growing areas of the business, and provides employees with valuable opportunities for professional and personal growth.

HR teams should set clear goals, define roles, and establish performance expectations before an employee departs from the organization. Documenting these considerations in international assignment policies ensures transparency and clarity for both the organization and the employee.

To further support assignees, consider scheduling a Q&A session with an employee who is currently on assignment or has recently returned from one. This allows new assignees to build connections and gain practical advice from someone who has been in their shoes.

A successful assignment requires planning that goes beyond job responsibilities. Employees and their families need a realistic understanding of everyday life in the host country to adapt more easily. Providing a brief for the host country can boost confidence and reduce uncertainty.

New assignees should also be encouraged to research the host country independently. Individual concerns and interests will vary, and an early look at cultural norms can help prevent surprises when the employee arrives.

If your budget allows, providing access to a relocation specialist can help answer questions as they arise and streamline the transition.

Host Country Life Briefing Checklist

A comprehensive host country brief is one of the most effective tools to help employees and their families settle in smoothly.

Use this checklist to cover the key areas that will allow assignees to adapt quickly, navigate daily life confidently, and feel prepared and supported from day one:

Legal & Administrative

• Immigration Procedures and Work Visas: Outline the types of visas, application steps, deadlines, and compliance requirements.
• Local Laws and Regulations: Highlight key laws related to employment, housing, driving, and general conduct to prevent legal issues.
• Local Banking, Taxes, and Personal Finance: Explain how to open bank accounts, manage taxes, and navigate financial systems.

Daily Life & Logistics

• Housing and relocation logistics: Include temporary and long-term housing options, moving/shipping arrangements, and settling-in support.
• Transportation options: Cover public transport, driving regulations, car rentals, and commuting considerations.
• Shopping and essential services: Provide information on grocery stores, pharmacies, and everyday necessities.
• Climate and local lifestyle considerations: Share typical weather, seasonal adjustments, and cultural lifestyle insights.
• Technology and connectivity: Detail internet availability, mobile carriers, and essential digital tools for daily life and work.

Safety & Health

• Hygiene and health concerns, including medical risks: Include information on vaccinations, healthcare facilities, and insurance coverage.
• Safety, Crime, and Natural Disaster Risks: Provide guidance on local safety norms, emergency procedures, and security contacts.
• Emergency Contacts and Resources: List local hospitals, police departments, embassies, and emergency hotlines.

Family & Community

• Children’s Schooling Opportunities: Outline school options, application processes, and local education standards.
• Spousal Employment Resources: Share guidance on work permits, local job search resources, and networking opportunities.
• Language Resources: Suggest language courses or basic phrases to help assignees navigate daily life.
• Local Culture and Social Norms: Explain workplace etiquette, social customs, and community expectations.

Compensation, Benefits, and Relocation Packages

Compensation and benefits are likely to be top of mind for your potential expatriate employees. A well-structured package will cover the cost of relocation, while also ensuring fairness and stability for long-term assignments.

Without adequate financial and logistical support, employees may struggle to adapt or feel undervalued, which can increase the risk of assignment failure.

Best Practices for Structuring Relocation Packages

To maximize the effectiveness of your relocation planning, transparency and flexibility are equally important.

Be very clear about what the company will cover and what the employee is responsible for to avoid surprises and mismatched expectations. Regularly undergo benchmarking to ensure packages are competitive and fair in the industry.

Individual employees are likely to have differing needs and priorities. Flexible options, such as lump sum allowances or customizable benefits, can empower employees to tailor choices to their specific requirements.

Allowing employee choice where feasible can increase employee satisfaction and lead to smoother transitions.

Typical Relocation Package Details

A comprehensive relocation package goes beyond basic travel reimbursement.

Here is what a typical package may include:

• Housing allowances or company-provided accommodation: Securing housing is often one of the most stressful parts of relocating. Many companies offer short-term housing upon arrival, allowing employees and their families to explore the local area before settling into long-term accommodations.
• Cost of living adjustments (COLA) to employee pay: In some cases, living expenses may be significantly higher than they were in the employee’s home country. COLA helps maintain the employee’s standard of living by offsetting differences in rent, food, and daily expenses.
• Relocation allowances for moving costs and travel: Relocation involves high up-front costs, including shipping household goods and booking flights. Providing a lump sum payment or reimbursement can help remove financial barriers during the employee’s transition to the assignment location.
• Schooling support for children: Employees with families are likely to list education as a top concern for relocation. Effective support on this topic can range from information guides on local schools to tuition supplements for area private schools.
• Spousal employment support: Dual-career families can face challenges when one spouse accepts an international assignment. Career counseling, job search assistance, or networking opportunities can make assignments more sustainable and attractive for your relocating employee’s spouse.
• Comprehensive health insurance: Healthcare systems vary widely around the world. Including international health insurance in the relocation package ensures that employees and families can access quality care while on assignment.

Pre-Departure Training for International Assignments

Employees heading abroad can face cultural and personal adjustments that can be overwhelming if left unaddressed.

Pre-departure training is a vital step in equipping employees with the right tools and knowledge before they depart. Taking this step effectively will reduce culture shock and may improve long-term performance.

The Importance of Training for Cross-Culture Success

Pre-departure training enables employees to understand how cultural norms influence workplace behavior, decision-making, and communication styles in their assigned country.

Developing cultural intelligence through training enables employees to adapt to diverse cultures and foster stronger relationships with local colleagues and clients. Effective training modules should include cultural sensitivity, cultural norms, and cross-cultural communication.

Pre-Departure Training Checklist

This checklist complements the host country brief by focusing on cultural and practical preparation before departure.

Whether you develop training in-house or evaluate third-party providers, your training should include the following:

• An overview of the host country’s cultural values and workplace expectations.
• Business etiquette and communication norms.
• Language basics for everyday interactions.
• Practical guidance on standard living arrangements, healthcare, and transportation.
• Security and safety precautions.
• Family adaptation support, including school and community resources.

Language Lessons and Cultural Intelligence

Language lessons are a practical extension of pre-departure training and a valuable tool for successful integration.

By providing employees and their families with access to language lessons before and during their assignment, you can significantly improve their ability to adapt in the host country.

Even basic conversational skills help employees navigate office life and everyday tasks such as shopping or using public transportation.

When combined with cross-cultural training, language study also enhances cultural intelligence. Employees who understand both the language and the cultural context are better equipped to interpret non-verbal cues correctly and avoid misunderstandings.

How Language Learning Helps in Daily Life

Practical language skills help relocating employees and their families navigate both work and daily life.

Providing support before and during the assignment ensures they are ready to handle real-world situations from day one.

• Workplace Integration: For an employee relocating to Japan, learning the basics of polite greetings and hierarchical communication may help them build respectful workplace relationships more easily.
• Family Adaptation: Children of a family relocating to France may adjust faster and feel more confident socially and academically when they receive French lessons alongside their schooling.
• Daily Errands: Employees who understand basic phrases for shopping, public transportation, or banking can complete everyday tasks more independently and with less stress.
• Community Engagement: Learning local expressions and conversational norms enables employees and families to participate in social activities, community events, or neighborhood interactions, helping them feel more connected and included.
• Healthcare and Safety: Knowing how to communicate symptoms, read labels, or ask for help in a local language helps families navigate healthcare systems and respond effectively in emergencies.

Hands-On Experience and Look-See Visits

Beyond training, practical experience is one of the best ways to prepare employees for an international assignment.

By shadowing colleagues or overlapping with other expatriate employees, your employee can gain first-hand insight into the host country’s workplace and culture. These experiences reduce uncertainty and help employees build confidence before their official move.

Optional “look-see” visits can also be a valuable tool. This type of visit is a short trip taken before relocation, allowing employees and their families to explore housing and school options and become familiar with local aspects of daily life.

Experiencing the environment for themselves can ease anxiety and help family members feel more comfortable about the move.

Look-See Visit Activities

If you choose to offer look-see visits to relocating employees, provide an itinerary or encourage them to take part in helpful activities, such as:

• Touring potential neighborhoods and housing options.
• Visiting local schools and meeting administrators.
• Exploring transportation routes to work and essential services.
• Meeting future colleagues or supervisors.
• Learning about local community resources and cultural amenities.

If in-person visits are not possible, consider setting up virtual tours or video calls to provide similar benefits at a lower cost. This will give employees a preview of the local environment and help them plan ahead.

International Onboarding and Integration

A smooth arrival experience is just as important as pre-departure preparation to reduce stress during international employee relocation.

This arrival is best secured with an effective international onboarding program that helps employees and their families transition into their new environment.

International Onboarding Essentials

Onboarding should cover job responsibilities and office requirements, but also help employees adapt to life in the host country.

Include these essentials in your onboarding plan.

• Immigration and visa compliance procedures
• Local banking and tax resources
• Transportation guides, including public transit and car ownership
• Safety protocols and local health resources
• Climate and lifestyle considerations for daily life

Family Arrival Support

Don’t forget to address the arrival needs of the relocating employee’s family.

Introductions to local community groups, school placement support, and spousal employment resources can help family members settle in, allowing your employee to stay engaged at work.

Relocation Compliance Measures

Employee relocation can quickly become complicated due to immigration requirements, tax obligations, and labor laws impacting both the company and the employee. Failure to comply with legal requirements can result in fines, legal disputes, or even termination of the assignment.

Many organizations rely on specialist partners to reduce compliance risks. For example, you may want to work with an immigration law firm or consultancy to manage visa applications and ensure employee maintain the right to work status throughout their assignment.

You may also consider consulting global payroll providers to manage tax equalization policies, ensuring that employees are not disadvantaged by the differing tax systems in their host countries.

Additionally, organizations may work with PEOs (Professional Employer Organizations) or EORs (Employers of Record) to manage local employment compliance, payroll, and legal obligations for relocated employees, providing a streamlined solution for international assignments.

Supporting Mental Health and Well-being

Even employees who find the prospect of relocating internationally exciting can fall prey to common expat problems, such as culture shock, homesickness, or feelings of isolation.

These impacts are common during the early stages of an expat assignment and may be experienced by the employee or their family members. Without proper support, these challenges can impact performance and long-term retention.

To stay ahead of these relocation challenges, it is important to incorporate mental health and well-being efforts into your employee relocation program.

For example, you could provide access to counseling services or offer wellness apps and hotlines. Peer support groups can also be effective in helping employees build relationships with peers in similar circumstances.

Be sure to consider family members when structuring wellness initiatives. This will help ensure that spouses and children also feel supported.

Communication and Ongoing Support

Ongoing communication with relocated employees is crucial to maintain their engagement and ensure that issues can be addressed promptly before they escalate.

Managing employee relocation effectively requires regular check-ins and clear communication channels.

Follow these best practices to stay on top of communications throughout an expat assignment:

• Schedule regular check-ins. Monthly or quarterly meetings should be scheduled to review performance, address personal concerns, and provide updates on policy.
• Establish digital communication. Online platforms like Slack or Zoom help you maintain consistent contact across time zones.
• Create feedback loops. Encourage employees to regularly share their experiences and challenges, allowing policies and support to be reviewed and adjusted as needed.
• Standardize frameworks. Develop global policies for communication and support that are easily accessible to employees worldwide. While these policies should be standardized to the greatest extent possible, they should also remain flexible to accommodate regional differences.

Repatriation and Knowledge Transfer

With so much effort placed on building an effective relocation program for expatriate employees, it is possible to overlook the challenges that come with eventual repatriation.

Returning employees can experience reverse culture shock, uncertainty about their career progression, or even the temptation to leave the company altogether. As a result, it is essential to maintain efforts and plan for reintegration well in advance of the assignment’s completion.

Repatriation Checklist

Tick these steps off your to-do list for all returning employees.

• Confirm career paths and role expectations before the employee’s return.
• Offer debrief sessions to capture lessons learned and cultural insights.
• Provide support for family reintegration, including school transitions.
• Recognize the employee’s international contributions to establish these accomplishments as a valuable addition to the company.

Knowledge Transfer

Employees returning from international employee relocation assignments often bring valuable insights about markets, cultures, and business practices.

It is important not to lose this knowledge by failing to acknowledge and capture their learning. Sharing through presentations or written reports strengthens the organization’s global expertise.

Assigning returnees as mentors for future expatriate employees creates a cycle of learning and helps new assignees prepare more effectively.

Risks of Inadequate Preparation

When organizations overlook proper planning for employee relocation, the consequences can be costly. Employees who lack adequate support may experience culture shock or low morale, both of which may negatively impact performance.

In some cases, the employee may end their expat assignment early at great expense. According to research by KPMG, the cost of a failed international assignment can range from $850,000 to $1.25 million per employee.

Common causes of failed assignments include a lack of pre-departure training, unclear role expectations, and insufficient family support. These failures can damage more than budgets. They can also damage a company’s reputation in the industry and erode employee trust.

By contrast, organizations that invest in thorough planning and preparation can benefit from successful assignment completions, higher employee retention, and smoother global expansion.

Turning Assignments into Strategic Success

Successful employee relocation depends on careful preparation and support at every stage. Clear relocation policies, fair compensation and benefits packages, comprehensive cross-cultural training, and robust family resources all contribute to smoother transitions and higher satisfaction.

By investing thoughtfully, organizations can mitigate the risk of failed assignments, enhance employee retention, and enhance their global capabilities.

In short, thoughtful planning transforms an expat assignment from a costly risk into a valuable investment. By supporting employees before, during, and after their international assignments, you can build a measurable positive business impact.