The house makes a difference in expatriate assignment success

Housing is often seen as a necessary aspect to be arranged for expatriates.  Something to be taken care of quickly so they can then focus on the business needs.   And perhaps you may be thinking the house itself is less important but the location or the size of the house is more important.

Well you would be wrong!

Recent research conducted by Dr Anne Copeland of The Interchange Institute reviewed the links between expatriate housing decisions and aspects such as overall assignment satisfaction, loyalty to employer, decision to continue in the assignment or take another assignment as well as the mental health and well-being of the expatriates.

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When a house is a doorway to a culture

How important is the house you live in to your satisfaction with an overseas assignment?

Intuitively we would say of course it’s important!  Just how important was shown in research conducted by Dr Anne P Copeland of the Interchange Institute last year which found feeling settled in their homes was consistently related, not just to the expatriates’ positive perceptions of the assignment but also to their mental health, their happiness levels, their loyalty to their employers and their intention to accept future overseas assignments. 

This research raised a number of interesting issues around homes, highlighting the importance of making the right choice of home, settling in quickly, and the style of house which influence assignment satisfaction.  Many of these factors impact on organisational aspects such as housing policies, or strategies expats and those assisting them can adopt to encourage a more positive overseas assignment experience. 

But one factor leapt out at me. 

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