We report on a new programme to help the partners of assignees in the public services secure work while on assignment and build their international careers at the same time.

More and more often, HR managers receive calls from officials in government and international agencies who seek employment for trailing spouses. They have learned, as the private sector has long known, that retaining employees in public service careers often means helping fulfil the professional needs of their partners.

For years, qualified family members of diplomats and expat officers have had first pick of part-time positions at many embassies and consulates.  Now, taking a step forward, the US State Department has organised a broad new programme, the Strategic Network Assistance Program or SNAP.

Hiring an employee should mean retaining the family.

According to Susan Campbell, Special Employment Projects Coordinator Family Liaison Office, US State Department, Washington, "Dual career households are a reality we must address if we expect our overseas expatriate staff to be successful and productive.  In the Department of State we often say we hire an employee, but we retain a family."  

The hot buzz phrase is "well-coordinated public sector- private sector tandem career couples."  By assisting the partners of public service employees to find private sector employment 'in tandem' in a given location, a government can help retain the high quality professionals required to manage its outposts around the world.

Since early 2006, SNAP liaison officers have been working at US embassies to deliver services in Almaty, Amman, Baku, Berlin, Brussels, Budapest, Cairo, Frankfurt, Geneva, La Paz, London, Mexico City, Montreal/Ottawa, New Delhi, Panama City, Podgorica, Prague, Pretoria (regional office), Rome, San Jose, San Salvador (regional office), Seoul, Singapore, The Hague and Warsaw. 

These officers have been trained in human resources techniques at the Family Liaison Office of the US State Department in Washington to assist trailing spouses in finding positions that enhance individual careers, rather than serve as merely resume place-holders.

Beyond job placement, SNAP has resulted in a boost in post morale.  The potential employment pool of trailing American spouses is in the thousands, not to mention the thousands more in other government services or NGOs.

What does these mean for human resources managers in cities where SNAP-type programmes are operational? Certainly, these contacts can be effective pre-screeners for potentially valuable employees, as well as opportunities to locate experienced professionals to fill slots requiring cross-cultural understanding or specific language skills. 

Once ongoing relationships are built between HR departments and public service liaison officers, it's even possible to plan job placements in advance of expat arrivals.

The downside is the finite aspect of most foreign service assignments – a trailing spouse may only be available to fill a position for two or three years. If there is a sizeable investment involved in specialised training, for example, a company may be hesitant to hire.

On the other hand, corporations operating under local employment regulations may welcome access to the skills of highly trained professionals without the necessity of long-term or even lifetime, contracts. Also attractive to business is the fact that, at least for US Foreign Service families, there are compensation packages in place, which provide medical care and other benefits that may not be covered under short-term outside employment contracts.

Further, if potential employees are highly trained in constantly evolving categories, such as technology or telecommunications, or bring expertise in management or marketing, then their contributions can replace higher cost consultants.

Another consideration is the fact that domestically-based executives may be unwilling to go abroad, particularly to remote or unstable environments, while trailing professionals are already in place and ready to work. There is little or no expense to the corporation for international moves and housing.

In an effort to better fill the needs of both trailing spouses and the entities that might hire them, the US State Department held a dialogue with representatives from thirty-five multinationals and NGOs to share best practices, as well as constraints.  Participants on both sides agreed that it is the combination of high technology, mobile work forces and availability of highly trained workers that make this kind of programme viable.

According to the SNAP programme, Northrop Grumman has found State Department spouses suited to its international business and has successfully hired several of them in Mozambique in positions requiring experience in logistics, international sales and marketing. Microsoft has hired expat high tech executives through SNAP in Mexico.

Sometimes trailing spouses have had to change careers in order to successfully continue working abroad. Susan Campbell describes the experience of Sharon Harden, a US Foreign Service spouse trained as a lawyer. 

"When the family arrived in Bangladesh, where her husband had been posted, Sharon was offered secretarial and administrative jobs far below her level of training. Faced with a future in which she would not be easily able to use her legal education, she became an Internet service consultant and not only found herself employable almost anywhere, but also doubled her income," says Campbell.

Now, with the assistance of SNAP, Sharon can quickly be connected to potential clients when her husband receives a new foreign assignment.

Similar help outside the US

The United States is not the only government to focus upon the importance of public-private in tandem employment possibilities.  The Diplomatic Services Family Association or the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom also provides employment and training advice for spouses and partners, free employment seminars and funding for career training. Other enlightened public entities are following suit.

According to an article by Fiona Cameron published on Expatica France, "In the diplomatic world governments have already recognised that the problem needed addressing for their own employees and their spouses in the diplomatic community, and have addressed the issue through common bilateral agreements allowing diplomats' spouses to work."

In 'Review of Headquarters Agreements concluded by the Organisations of the United Nations System: Human Resources Issues Affecting Staff' (2005), the UN has also recognised that employment opportunities for spouses of United Nations staff members  are an increasingly important work/life or work/family concern affecting employee retention.

Agreements for UN spouse employment permits are in place for all Geneva-based organisations, in Quebec, London, The Hague, Vienna, France, and many more are in process.
 
Perhaps the primary difference between simply negotiating treaties and SNAP is that SNAP takes a proactive approach to seeking employment on behalf of diplomatic spouses, rather than expecting them to find work on their own, often months after arriving at a new post.

Sharri Whiting writes about business and cross cultural issues from Rome.

Subject: Expatriate spouses, helping the trailing spouse find work