Helping Mobile Employees and Families Navigate Culture Shock

To maximize successful integrations, encourage your employees to take advantage of their initial curiosity and enthusiasm and learn as much as they can about their new surroundings in this crucial stage. They can further help themselves by:  

• Observing and asking questions. Local behaviors and etiquette vary from culture to culture. Asking questions if they’re unsure about something not only demonstrates openness to residents – it also opens the door to intercultural relationships and helps mobile families adapt more quickly.  

• Being respectful. In line with the above, showing respect for local customs and traditions, even if they seem unfamiliar or different, goes a long way when it comes to integrating into a new culture. By approaching new experiences with an open mind, a positive attitude, and a willingness to adapt to new ways of doing things, mobile families have an easier time navigating aspects of culture shock that are inevitable.

Keeping an open mind and focusing on the interesting aspects of their new environment sets the tone for the relocation as a whole. Avoiding comparisons with their home country or country of origin is also key to a more successful integration. By recognizing that each culture has its own unique norms – and approaching them with a sense of adventure and curiosity – your mobile population will enjoy their relocation experience much more and navigate culture shock more effectively. 

Now that your employee and their accompanying family are “on the ground” in their new host country, providing cultural and language training can enhance their ability to communicate, solidify local relationships, collaborate more effectively at work, and deepen their understanding of the culture – all things that will be crucial to your organization’s future dealings with that specific global market. 

When employees first move abroad, it can be reassuring to only socialize with other expats of the same nationality or background. It can also be tempting to isolate, throwing themselves into work (or into the care of their children, in the case of accompanying partners/spouses). While associating with expats from a similar background can feel comforting – in the long run, this will only deepen the impacts of culture shock. Pushing themselves to meet and socialize with locals of a variety of ages and backgrounds helps expat families develop wider social networks, integrate into their new environments more quickly, and meet interesting people that will become lifelong contacts and friends.  

Journaling, blogging, or creating a Pinterest board about their adventures will not only be fun for mobile employees and their families, it can help them process their feelings, give them something to share with their loved ones back home when they connect with them, and be a record of the positive aspects of their relocation journey. When entering the next “frustration” stage of the culture shock “U curve,” this can be a helpful tool to look back on. An album, board, or journal can be a good place to look back to, to remember the good things the employee and family experienced during the initial stage of their relocation. 

Taking the time to explore their new environment will make it feel more familiar and, therefore, more like “home.” Visiting local attractions, trying new foods, and participating in cultural events can help mobile families feel more connected and integrated. 

This doesn’t mean bungee jumping or cliff diving, although if they’re local traditions and you’re a thrill seeker, more power to you. Instead, assignees and their families can take a small action every day to overcome their fears and develop courage. This can include asking directions in the local language or ordering a traditional dish from an independent restaurant. Every action will build their confidence and intercultural repertoire – making a big difference when they look back on all the things they've mastered over time.  

When we move somewhere new, there can be a sense of urgency to be living like a local within a matter of weeks. Sadly, this isn’t how international relocations work. Mobile employees should resist the urge to rush the process of settling in. Culture shock is a common part of moving abroad so it’s important to remind them and their families to acknowledge it, live as fully as they can, be willing to make mistakes, and learn from them without getting frustrated about how long it takes to integrate. 

Get support: Feeling connected with other people is the best way to not feel alone, so mobile families should connect with other expats and locals who can offer empathy, as well as guidance regarding cultural nuances. Finally, encourage employees and their families to reach out to a therapist for help if they're feeling depressed. Many specialize in helping people adjust to new environments and cultures.  

Whether through phone calls, messages, or video chats – sharing their experiences and feelings with people who know them best can be grounding to expats. However, it's important to remember that culture shock often feels like it will never go away, causing mobile employees and their families to reach out for the familiar a little “too” often. This can get in the way of making new friendships with other expats and locals. In addition, feelings of comfort can easily turn into homesickness if expats are calling their loved ones every day and feeling left out of social plans and new private jokes. Striking a healthy balance between meeting new people and staying in touch with their support network from home will be key.

Similar to the need for balance mentioned above, mobile employees and their families should also balance trying new foods, music and customs with maintaining aspects of their culture from back home. Listening to the music they grew up with, finding local stores with a global inventory of treats, or getting their favorite items from home shipped to their new address can keep expats connected to their innermost identities. This can be a huge comfort when culture shock sets in. 

This goes far beyond taking a bubble bath or meditating, though both are great ways to practice self-care. On a deeper level, remind mobile employees and their families to make time every day for the things that they enjoyed before their move. Whether it’s making time to read daily or going for a run, cooking a favorite meal or joining a painting class, gym, or theater group, doing the things that motivate them and bolster their sense of identity goes a long way toward fighting against culture shock. Additionally, establishing routines can provide a feeling of grounding as expats explore their new surroundings.   

Avoid comparing themselves to others. While social media is a great way for expats to share their journeys with friends and family, it can be damaging when those same expats see other assignees enjoying their lives, seemingly with no challenges or struggles at all. Be sure to remind them that social media pages are usually carefully curated, only showing the best parts of users’ lives and avoiding anything negative that would present them as potentially vulnerable. Also remind them that every expat’s journey is different. Comparing the culture shock of someone who’s moved to Dubai to the experience of someone who has relocated to Oslo is pointless, because their backgrounds are different, their cultures of origin are different, and the two cities they’ve relocated to are vastly different (and that’s a good thing)! 

Arguably the most valuable tip for reducing culture shock, establishing routines makes time go faster and helps mobile employees and their families get used to new systems in their host country. Before they know it, your mobile employees will memorize their commutes, breeze through new practices at the bank, learn how to pay their bills, and master day-to-day activities in their new location, simply by making them a part of their daily/weekly routine. 

 Keeping your living space organized may seem like a minor action step, but by making sure things are in their place and maintaining a schedule, expats can reduce their day-to-day anxiety, avoid hunting for everything from their keys to their child’s homework, and feel more in control during their transition. 

Rather than be hard on themselves, encourage mobile employees and their families to understand that “ups and downs” are to be expected in their relocation journey. Setting realistic expectations can help expats stay grounded and avoid disappointment. Remind them that they’ve moved to another country! This is a big step and it's more than okay to take things a little slower, whether it be in their personal or professional lives. Give employees permission to not strive to be the top performing member of their new team straight away. They'll need to learn cultural norms and nuances before they can expect to soar. By learning those cultural nuances, they will.  

Wherever your mobile employees have moved to in the world, they’ll need to remember that there will likely be big differences – and subtle ones – between where they are now and their country of origin. From greetings and hand gestures to bank accounts and recycling, everyday things will vary. It may be frustrating at first that things are done differently, but they will get used to them, and they may even find that things that once seemed tricky or annoying at first, are actually done more efficiently than the country they’ve come from. Remind them to acknowledge the differences, celebrate their efforts and progress, and to be kind to themselves when things don’t go as planned.

As we mentioned above, it’s important to make friends. It’s also important for mobile employees and their families to balance expanding their networks with enjoying their own company. There’s no denying that expat life can be lonely; learning to be comfortable “on” their own from time to time helps expats settle in quickly because 1) it gives them time to process the things they’re learning and 2) it helps them to be less afraid to do things on their own! 

Now that they’ve gained experience and moved past the frustration phase, they’ll be ready to approach new relationships with enthusiasm and a strong knowledge base about cultural nuances and etiquette. Encourage your mobile families to expand their networks, while strengthening any connections they've already made with friends, colleagues, and community groups.

 The ability to communicate is the key to building new relationships and integrating into any new host culture. At this stage, expats will likely be feeling more optimistic again, having come out of the frustration phase – so improving their language skills can have exponential impacts on their confidence and feelings of empowerment.  

Nothing makes a person feel more alive and optimistic than learning new things and seeing new places. Now that your mobile employees and their families have accumulated some experience and developed confidence, encourage them to pursue new hobbies or activities that are available in their community. In addition, taking day trips or weekend excursions with family is a great way to bond and to see more of the surrounding area. Along the way, encourage your mobile population to interact with the people they meet and remind them that they don’t have to speak the language perfectly to do that. An honest curiosity and desire to communicate often brings out the same in others when you’re trying to meet new people. 

 In many cultures, it’s common to achieve a goal and move on quickly to the next without acknowledging the achievement at all. In any culture, getting through culture shock is an accomplishment worth celebrating, so encourage your mobile employees and their families to reflect on their growth. They can write about it, treat themselves to a special trip, or throw a party and thank the people who supported them through the transition. Their support networks will appreciate it – and expats will often be surprised by realizing just how far they've come. 

 Integrating into a new culture doesn’t mean expats give up their past identity. Encourage them to maintain relationships with both new friends and the ones back home. Support them honoring both of their cultures (or more than two if your mobile employee is a career expat). Multiple cultures have contributed to the multi-cultural person your expat is becoming.  

Wherever we live in the world, life is more interesting and fulfilling when we challenge ourselves, so encourage your mobile employees and their families to keep exploring and learning about their new culture – and other ones, too, especially if they work as part of a diverse workforce. In addition to expanding their world view, it will give them a deeper understanding of diverse perspectives, both business and social, and opportunities to interact with the world and each other with greater empathy, respect, and collaboration.