If you’re planning to send an employee to one of your subsidiaries abroad, you need to prepare for his or her departure and take all the necessary steps. Employee expatriation is not limited to work visa formalities. Supporting employees and their families, helping expatriates with language training… all this needs to be prepared in advance.
Taking stock of the expatriation process with your employee
The decision to expatriate one or more of your employees is a strategic one. For example, a company acquisition or merger, the conquest of new markets, the opening of a new subsidiary abroad, business development, export… Depending on the host country, the selection of the expatriation candidate, his status or the new employment contract will be different.
There are a number of points to be discussed with your employee in order to prepare him or her for expatriation. The most important points to consider are
– Which host country and which city?
– How long does an overseas assignment last?
– What will its missions be?
– How much will he be paid? His bonuses? Additional allowances for housing, relocation, cost-of-living differential…etc.
All the terms of the assignment must be set out in writing, in a contract.
What are the formalities to be completed before moving abroad?
A work visa
The aim is to prepare the immigration procedure. To enable your employee to work abroad, you’ll need a visa to obtain a work permit. In some countries, the possible visa depends on the remuneration granted; this is a point to be taken into account beforehand. A company will need to call in an immigration lawyer unless its foreign subsidiary or partner is experienced in preparing immigration files. The country advice section provides initial information on immigration formalities and work visas.
Social security coverage
It varies according to whether or not there is a social security agreement between the country of origin and the host country. Among the elements of social protection, the choice of complementary insurance to an existing social plan or expatriate insurance is essential.
In contrast to secondment, expatriation is defined as not being attached to the social security system of one’s country of origin. Expatriate workers are obliged to contribute to the scheme in their country of residence. As they work for the receiving organization, which is also the one that pays them, they are no longer considered to be employees of their home company.
How to choose the best health insurance for your expatriate employee?
Mondassur can help you choose the best social protection for your expatriates abroad. Depending on the situation, you can opt for tailor-made expatriate insurance or choose existing expatriate insurance plans such asGoldExpat expatriate insurance. GoldExpat expatriate insurance offers a range of packages to suit all budgets. Your employee will be covered for 100% of hospitalization costs and 80 to 90% of actual medical expenses, depending on the expatriation insurance package chosen.
Don’t forget to take out repatriation assistance coverage, in case of serious accident or medical emergency.
Taking care of expatriation-related administrative formalities
A number of steps need to be taken before leaving for a foreign country:
– Home search
– Preparing for the move
– Set up a bank account in the host country
– Social security formalities
– Obtaining or recognizing a driver’s license
Or let the expatriate manage these aspects himself. Or you can give him an allowance to pay the initial costs involved. Or you can suggest a relocation company that will manage the process for him. Some companies have sufficient experience and internal resources to support their employees in these areas, but this represents a minority of companies.
Thinking of the expatriate’s family
For a successful expatriation of an employee with a family, preparation is all the more important.
A number of elements need to be addressed to ensure a successful installation, and therefore a successful mission. Essential elements include:
- Schooling for children
- Childcare
- Helping your spouse find a job
- Cross-cultural training
Keeping in touch with expatriates
The Human Resources department has a very important role to play in the smooth running of an employee’s expatriation.
Maintaining a relationship of exchange and trust throughout the expatriation period is an essential objective that must be ensured by the HR department. Maintaining regular contact and coaching expatriate employees can greatly contribute to the success of their stay abroad.
HR tools for international mobility
The international mobility service is supported by a range of operational tools. They include :
– The mission statement, which sets out the expectations of the business unit seeking an international mobility position.
– The country sheet, which details all immigration procedures and practical expatriation arrangements. It presents the country’s economic, fiscal, social and societal challenges.
A qualitative survey of mobile employees is highly recommended and is an effective way of improving your own performance. It allows us to identify both positive problems and those caused by operational and organizational dysfunctions.
Health and the return of expatriates
The health of human capital is a major HR challenge. Even more so for internationally mobile employees. Expatriates are the best representatives of the company abroad. As a result, poor health management can quickly have an impact on a company’s image. It is therefore essential to place the health of expatriates at the heart of HR policy.
Managing the return of expatriates should not be overlooked either. Coaching can be effective. For example, coaching to help you regain your confidence by making the most of the professional skills you acquired during your stay abroad. Coaching to help the expatriate couple or family readjust socially…
To expatriate is to immigrate to a new environment. This can be trickier when the expatriate employee expatriates with his or her family, for whom expatriation is synonymous with starting from scratch. Preparing your employee’s expatriation is essential to the success of an assignment abroad, especially when it comes to negotiating expatriation conditions.
