Loneliness can at times be an expat's closest companion. But HR can help by directing their newly expatriated staff to a group which has taken the initiative to help welcome new arrivals.

Expats prefer getting help from locals when they relocate

That same question was posed in a recent online survey — and out of 541 respondents, 35 percent defined success by calling a new location "home".

A further 31 percent stressed the happiness of themselves and family, and 27 percent said having good friends.

But a successful relocation does not occur overnight.

An overwhelming 86 percent of respondents said they remained a newcomer for up to three years after arriving in their new location. They faced an initial difficult period of six to 12 months.

In many instances, making friends was vital — helping people feel less like a newcomer as soon as possible.

But how is this achieved or, more importantly, how do expats and people relocating within their same country achieve this transition?

The survey, "Moving in the 21st Century", by the Melbourne, Australia-based Newcomers Network, reinforced the idea that it is people who can make or break a relocation by revealing that 34 percent of respondents preferred talking with people when needing information about their new location.

And when asked who provided the best assistance, the largest number of respondents (39 percent) said locals were the best bet.

This is a message that the Newcomers Network pushed earlier this month when it unveiled its survey results and launched a "Newcomers Kit", which tries to ease the transition of new expats and relocating Australians.

Applicable to expats around the world

Aimed initially at new arrivals in Melbourne, the kit offers sound advice to expats and public authorities. It can also be applied globally — after all, relocation issues are similar the world over.

However, while one problem is that when a newcomer has settled in, they are no longer interested in the issues of newcomers. The knowledge and experience gained is lost.

To counteract this, the creators of the kit suggest that local newcomers co-ordinators (LCNs) be appointed to local organisations and authorities to maintain that knowledge. The LCN's task is to support newcomers and to facilitate community support.

The founder of Newcomers Network, Sue Vitnell, says the LCNs could be established within large enterprises and community groups to "take charge" of building connections.

"It is critical that there be an 'independent advocate' for all newcomers, not just those communities that can pay to have someone represent their particular demographic group," she says.

The central message is in helping people foster meaningful relationships.

One of the speakers at the event, the chairman of the business networking firm The Executive Connection, Jim Landau, urged everyone present to "think about the depth and quality of the relationships we create".

His message was addressed to the 69 people gathered for the event, including information providers, officials of government support agencies, professional advisers and relocation experts.

"If we want to support successful integration then we need to address how we build truly deep and quality connections between newcomers and our communities and to do this in a much shorter time frame than we are currently doing," he said.

While 80 of people questioned in the survey considered their relocation to be very successful, 20 percent described their move as only partly successful or unsuccessful.

Associate Professor in International Management at Melbourne University, Dr Anne-Wil Harzing, pointed out that the differences in the way locals interact with newcomers can contribute to a feeling of being welcome.

"In Australia, it is very easy to get to know people superficially as everyone is very friendly, but it is difficult to make really close friends. In other countries, people might appear more closed at the first contact, but move more quickly to being close personal friends," she said.

In a globalised world where statistics indicate that one in 35 people are an international migrant — enough to make up the world's fifth-largest country — the job of settling new arrivals is important.

The Newcomers Kit urges authorities to use newcomers' co-ordinators to establish good information sources, conduct regular research on local information and develop a supply of mentors such as a "friends of newcomers group".

Specific local events listings for newcomers could also be set up and work should be made towards the creation of extended families to help welcome new arrivals.

And for relocating expats, the kit advises them to introduce themselves to local people and make new networks, consider saying yes to any initial employment options and to get community involved.

It also urges people to seek help if needed, ask questions, to keep in touch with a previous location, remain sensitive to the needs of their partner and/or children and to learn the language of their new location.

The Newcomers Kit and the results of the survey can be found online at www.newcomersnetwork.com.

October 2004

[Copyright Expatica 2004]