HR needs help developing dual-career policy while expats and their partners need to know how to find a job abroad. The book Working across the World tackles both topics. Kirin Kalia talks to authors Mechteld Nije and Peter Kranenburg.

Often times, acknowledging a problem is the first step towards solving it. When it comes to solving the well-documented problem of employees who won’t go abroad because of dual-career issues, the Dutch co-authors of Wereldwijd Werken (Working across the World) aim to provide a handbook of solutions from both the HR and the expatriate perspective.

In the first half of the book, Mechteld Nije, an independent consultant and interim manager in international human resources management (IHRM), explains the task of creating a dual-career policy, including benchmarking, examples of policies and policy considerations. Before going solo last year, Nije spent many years working for Deloitte & Touche’s HR consultancy and previously for Royal Dutch/Shell Group.

Peter Kranenburg, an economist and owner-director of the international career counselling bureau C&G Career Services, takes on part two: a guide for expatriates and their partners who want to find a job abroad. Kranenburg gives practical suggestions, real-life examples and action plans.

Although aimed at a Dutch audience — Dutch international HR managers and Dutch expatriates — many of the insights apply to Europe and North America-based IHR managers and expatriates.

Kranenburg says both HR managers & professionals have had “very positive reactions” since the book was released in March. HR managers appreciate its “completeness” while the expat partners have called the chapters “very recognizable”.

The authors talked with Expatica HR about their book and the issues it raises.

Why has it taken so long for companies to understand the dual career issue?

Peter Kranenburg: It takes time to convince senior management (HR) of the urgency and the change of “attitude” of younger generations. And it takes time to change HR/expat policy (now you are dealing with someone who is not your own employee). Also, some cultures do or will not recognize the dual career issue -- for instance in Asia.

Mechteld Nije: I would think that this stems from a number of developments. First, the spouse/partner has no contractual relationship with the company and is therefore not “in direct view”. Therefore the issues in that field are less visible.

Second, it used to be, until 15-20 years ago, one career per family and a life-long career with one company. That ensured mobility and loyalty (“if they ask me to go we’ll go”). But this has changed into more dual careers. The Netherlands was specifically slow/low in female participation of the workforce for a long time but has been catching up.

Title: Working across the World Authors: Mechteld Nije and Peter Kranenburg Published by: XPat Media (www.xpat.nl) Cost: EUR 19.90 Language: Dutch

Third, companies worry about the high costs of international assignments, so they are not soliciting extra cost. But if there is a business case (no mobility or bad image) then they are prepared to develop policies in this field.

Those who have taken that step discover how much difference it makes in goodwill and the well-being of the family, and therefore in the assignment’s success. That is communicated to other companies.

Why combine these two topics (dual career policy and a practical guide for the spouse job search) in one book? Will an HR person really read the section for expatriates and will expatriates really read the section aimed at HR managers?

MN: We felt that it is important that the parties involved would understand the other party’s point of view.

It is useful for HR professionals to understand what difficulties partners may encounter in finding work (or alternatives) and how they can go about it. Financial support alone is often not enough, which means that the HR person needs to understand the situation and arrange assistance. In addition, the HR manager can use the information from the section for spouses and expatriates to select a country of assignment where the spouse stands a chance to find work - thus enhancing mobility.

Vice versa, the spouse and employee need to understand what the considerations may be from the company’s point of view to provide a certain type of support (or not). As there is no contractual relationship between the spouse and the company, mutual understanding, good information and a willingness to reach a solution are crucial for a successful assignment.

What is the most common mistake expatriates and their partners make in the trailing spouse's job search?

PK: One, starting too late. Two, not knowing upfront what your opportunities are. Three, not flexible enough to look for opportunities in other industries than the preferred one - you have to focus on developing skills.

What are a spouse's chances of success, on average, of finding the right job in the right industry when going abroad? How can a spouse improve their chances of finding that job?

PK: Chances depend mainly on location. Good are big international cities worldwide and the Western or English-speaking countries. Spouses have enough chances there to have a successful career in their own industry and functional area. Outside these locations chances are limited - less then 40 percent.

How is the Dutch HR attitude different from that of HR managers in other countries in regards to dual careers?

MN: The Netherlands has traditionally been a traders’ nation, internationally oriented. Some big multinationals originated here, like Philips, Shell, Unilever, Heineken and ABN Amro. So the cross-border orientation and the need to cater for different nationalities has always been an important feature and is familiar ground.

But the Dutch are practical and generally need a good business case before they take action. In other countries, the “domestic” moves would help to create more dual career issues because of longer distances, which would be a stimulus to tackle the issue. In the Netherlands, [this is] less so.

But if anything, the Netherlands has been in the forefront of Europe in this respect because of Shell: it was in 1994 one of the first companies to create a dual-career policy and won an award in the US. Other companies in the Netherlands have been somewhat slower in taking measures. The USA is ahead in offering assistance in dual-career solutions.

What is the biggest misconception HR managers (in general) have about dual career policies?

MN: Many companies, IF they offer dual-career assistance, choose to offer purely financial assistance to the spouse. That is a welcome step: it enables the spouse to meet costs related to job development and search.

But it has proven not easy to find one’s way in a foreign country’s job market and in an unknown employment culture. So the clear feedback of spouses and of companies with an assistance program is: spouses need help to approach the local employment market and prepare well, or to identify a good study which will serve their professional development.

As for the latter, most HR managers would realise that finding a job in a specific host country may not be possible; as an alternative, it is therefore also important to support studies or courses.

In a perfect world, what kind of relationship would a company have with the expat's spouse?

PK: Zakelijke relatie [business-like relationship], but with attention to human issues.

MN: Many companies have come to realise that the spouse plays an important role in the success of in an international assignment and that, in fact, there is a triangle relationship between them, the employee and the spouse.

The expat spouse is, however, not a contractual partner to the company. It can and should vary with the company’s culture how far they take the relationship with the spouse. But acknowledging the spouse as partner in the assignment process over and above the traditional involvement in briefing and cultural/language courses is a good thing.

The Internet certainly assists with offering opportunities: access to the policies, to the logistics of the transfer process and to company information.

April 2002