Even at the best of times, globally mobile employees experience high levels of stress. Not only are there a million moving parts to deal with leading up to and during the relocation process, there’s the need to quickly adjust to a new culture, way of living and way of working.
Throw a global pandemic into the mix and cue skyrocketing stress levels for those on assignment. From having to navigate stay-at-home/ shelter-in-place or lockdown orders, to trying to coordinate travel, to having to suddenly and quickly incorporate social distancing within relocation undertakings, it’s no wonder 1 in 5 assignees have experienced mental health difficulties.
Here, we explore the prevalence of mental health issues among global mobility workers, as well as a few of the reasons behind them. We also cover some suggestions for cultivating a relocation package that places mental health at the forefront.
Global mobility mental health statistics
The AXA World of Work Mind Health Report 2020 specifically looked at how global mobility impacts mental health, surveying almost 1200 international workers and multi-national HR decision makers. These are some of the key results:
- 50% of international assignees felt the biggest impact to their mental health occurred at the start of their placement
- 42% said living and working in a new country put a strain on their family life
- 31% in junior management/non-management roles received no mental health support from their organisation (compared to 0% in owner/board member roles and 12% in senior/mid-level management roles)
- 64% of assignees felt their employer could do more to support their mental health
- 50% said their employer only offers support in response to a crisis (i.e. a death in the family, an accident or illness)
When asked what mental health support they’d expect if beginning a placement tomorrow:
- 49% said face to face counselling/therapy sessions
- 43% said online counselling/therapy sessions
- 40% said subscription to wellbeing apps
- 37% said online forums to connect with other expatriates
- 35% said mentoring/buddy systems
- 33% said an expatriate support group
Assignee worries and the risks associated with failing to look after their mental health
The main reasons for assignees’ mental health problems centre on their families. For those assignees that leave them behind, the resulting isolation and lack of close-knit support can lead to feelings of loneliness and depression.
Conversely, those that relocate with their families also suffer stresses that can result in mental health issues. These include present and ongoing worries about their partner finding work and/or their children settling into a totally new environment, as well as future worries about repatriation. It can even extend to persistent retroactive concerns, such as ‘did I make the right decision to relocate, both for myself and my family?’.
When an employee gets to the point where such stresses kick over into anxiety and depression, it’s obvious they won’t be at their productive best. In the worst case, this can lead to expatriate failure. When you consider international assignments cost on average $69,429 on top of an employee’s salary, failing to adequately care for their mental health is not a risk your company can afford to take.
A framework for mental health support
It’s highly likely you already have a mental health and wellbeing strategy in place for your assignees and mobility relocation staff (who also faced an immense amount of pressure and stress during and post-pandemic). While this is to be highly commended, the evolving nature of mental health issues means there’s always room for improvement.
An effective mental health framework should encompass:
- Prevention – proactive measures designed to protect employees’ mental health
- Support – a range of options, from helping assignees make social connections, to providing ongoing counselling should they experience issues.
- Promotion – a commitment to ensuring all employees are aware of the available supports
Here at Grace, we have invested much time and energy into honing our global mobility service offerings, taking into account how vital it is to protect and nurture your assignees’ mental health. What follows is a short outline of some of our key services.
Cultural training
The AXA Mind Health report found the number one reason for international assignments terminating early is assignees facing difficulties adapting to the new culture. This is why cultural training is so important.
At Grace, we provide holistic cultural training. This includes extensive language classes (if needed), physical and mental healthcare information, as well as focused guidance around adapting to the new country’s way of life (advice about cultural differences, integrating into the community, and how to minimise culture shock).
This training program covers the assignee and their entire family, and if needed, we can add in ‘top-up’ cultural training once they’ve relocated to further help them settle in.
A strong support network
When it comes to preserving assignees’ mental health, the right support can’t be underestimated. Much of what we offer is pre-emptive, designed to ensure those on assignment and their families settle into their new location as easily as possible and hopefully avoid ongoing issues, especially those related to mental health.
Assignees and families have a dedicated Grace Corporate Services specialist who looks after the entire relocation and settling in process. Once abroad, they can access 24/7 ongoing support. In addition, we make it a point to continually check in throughout their assignment to nip any issues in the bud, before they have a chance to bloom.
Should one of our assignees or their family members experience difficulties, we can also provide mental health support, whether that is in-country or virtually with a professional in their home nation.
A customised mobility experience
From our many years working in the global mobility industry, we’ve come to understand that when it comes to support, one size does not fit all. This is especially the case with assignee mental health concerns that develop from culture shock and the loss of a family support network.
That’s why our mobility specialists offer a tailored destination services program to meet the specific needs of the relocating employee and their family members, ensuring they adapt to their new environment as quickly and seamlessly as possible.
You can view our full mobility services offerings, or get in touch with one of our specialists to discuss how we can support you and your assignees in preserving and nurturing their mental health – before, during and after relocation.
