What does global mobility have to do with talent management?

Possibly not a lot – if you read the data from EY’s Global Mobility Effectiveness Survey 2013[i]; Your talent in motion.  In the survey, 56% of companies revealed that their global mobility team had no role in talent management.

And yet – the importance of an overseas assignment on career enhancement is one that is often quoted as part of career development lore and as part of the beliefs around international assignments. 

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Cultural Intelligence for Mental Health Professionals

I spoke recently at the 4^th WA TRANSCULTURAL MENTAL HEALTH & 2^nd Australasian REFUGEE HEALTH CONFERENCE 2013 in Perth.  My workshop, Increasing your Cultural Intelligence,  followed the opening keynote by Professor Fred Bemak titled; Critical dimensions in Transforming and Understanding Responsive Transcultural Mental Health. So Fred, too, was focusing on cultural intelligence and how to be effective in situations of cultural diversity.

Professor Bemak spoke about delivering mental health services in other countries or with other cultures where we may be dealing with people with different cultural value dimensions.  He challenged practitioners to consider their practices from the perspective of their clients who may not share Western values.  He asked - are our therapies, strategies and practice management standards universal?     

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The Smells of Your Relocation

It’s been smoky here lately.  Bushfires surrounding Sydney have caused smoke to sit in the air leaving a haze in the sky and an acrid taste in the mouth.

I hate the smell of a bushfire.  At first awareness of the scent my heart beats faster, my mouth dries and I feel compelled to look around and locate the source of the smell. Past experiences have left me with an automatic threat response to the smell.

Smells, like sounds, are a sensory factor.  They lie in the background but can become strong associations in our psyche with people, places or events. 

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October 2013: What's new for CIC Members?

I've just realised that it's been months since I've published the CIC Members Update in the blog letting you all know what new resources have been published on the site for members to access.  Don't worry there have been new goodies every month and members have received emails about them- I just haven't copied the details here. But here's what was new in October..

Saved Webinar

We’ve uploaded the saved version of September's webinar

• Building Resilience for Expats

  This saved webinar will help you (or those you are supporting) with tips and strategies to develop the ability to bounce back from challenges wherever you may be facing them. Learn how the latest research in neuroscuence and positive psychology can help you kick-start life in your new location. Click here to view this saved webinar

Country Information

• For those who have moved to Australia we've added a page on Bushfire Information. We know this may be a difficult time for those who have moved into the Sydney area as the fires seem very menacing and the smoke is pervasive.  If you would like to talk please email me so we can arrange a time and number to call.

If you are not yet a member and would like to become one please click here

Expat partners matter

Expat partners matter for a number of reasons. 

Global mobility reports like the Brookfield surveys have consistently shown us that expat partners matter right at the beginning of your talent search.  For family reasons, some partners refuse to become expat partners and your employee refuses the offer of an overseas assignment.

“Family concerns continue to be the number one reason cited for assignment refusal and ... the third most common reason cited was spouse/ partner career.” Brookfield Global Relocation Trends 2013 Survey report

Expat partners (those who do take up the challenge of an assignment) matter because they are traditionally one of the top reasons for early return from assignments. 

“The most common reason cited for the early return from assignment has traditionally been family concerns, although the percentage of those indicating family concerns (23%) slipped behind the percentage indicating acceptance of another position within the company (25%) to become the second most common reason for the premature end to assignment in this year’s survey report.”

Don’t misread me here – I am very aware that assignment failure rates are much lower than often quoted by service providers trying to scare you into purchasing services.

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