In the realm of international relocations, identifying cultural differences in the new location is essential for a successful assignment. However, domestic relocations are also opportunities for cultural awareness. It is important to recognize that every locale, regardless of borders, can have different values and ways of life. Without proper education about a new culture, your assignee and/or their trailing families can experience feelings of isolation, depression, and outright culture shock.

Promoting and integrating cultural awareness training within your relocation policies can address these very real concerns.

When incorporating cultural awareness training into your global mobility programs, it is useful to utilize the acronym “TEC” (timing, engagement, considerations). TEC is a tool that identifies the important questions when looking to implement cultural awareness training in your global mobility programs.

T– What timing is best for training to be implemented for the most significant impact?
E– Is there a point of engagement; something to grasp the assignee’s attention?
C– What should be the major considerations involved in cultural awareness?

Thinking about TEC can help you build a better global mobility program when prioritizing cultural awareness. But how should we approach these questions? More importantly, how do we answer them in a way that produces the best results? Let’s dive a little deeper.

Approaching the T

The timing of your cultural awareness training within your global mobility program should fall within a timeframe that will be most beneficial for the assignee. Whether it’s right before they leave for their assignment, or at the beginning of the process, training should help gauge interest and help the assignee comfortably digest the information. Generally, we recommend that training occurs before the assignee reaches their new location.

According to the Forum of Expatriate Engagement, “Cultural training fosters the development of cross-cultural skills and leads to higher performance of employees working on overseas assignments”. Since cultural training will require time for development and understanding, beginning the process of cultural training before the employee’s move is critical. This is because an assignee should reach their location with all the necessary information to feel more comfortable and adjusted in their new place of residence.

Approaching the E

There should be at least one point of engagement within your cultural awareness training. What we mean is that rather than having the assignee go through a lesson, there should be a point in time in which they can physically interact with the new culture they are learning about. There are a couple ways you can tackle this:

1. Scheduling a 1:1 meeting with your employee and a previous/current assignee who is familiar with the new location.
2. Provide your employee with points of research and collaborative learning, whether it be language assistance courses or the major “what-to-do’s” in the new location.

Whether it is the above ideas, or others you find more valuable, the message remains the same: engagement is necessary for educating and preparing your employee for the new culture they will experience.

Approaching the C

Every culture has unique practices. Therefore, each cultural awareness training should be tailored to the specific location. Some considerations include language barriers (if relevant), diet, housing, and general ways of life. Cultural awareness training for an assignee moving to Spain may be different than one moving to Turkey; mobility managers should diligently be engaging in research and possible cultural barriers for their assignees to overcome and be aware of. Without careful consideration, the assignee may experience culture shock.

CapRelo can help build and implement cultural awareness training for your global mobility programs. For more information, you can contact one of our relocation professionals today.