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Preparing employees to live in China
Employees who are assigned overseas often report problems with money, culture shock, homesickness and feeling forgotten by their home office. As an emplo yer, there are a few simple things you can do to make their transition easier.
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Work visas are usually scrutinized more closely and take longer compared with other visa types. To make the process easier, start with the strongest
possible candidate — ensure that they are the right fit for the job because their qualifications will be scrutinized.
For example, if your employee earned a degree in French while in college but has since become an auditor, the government may focus more on the
credential than the recent experience. Consider all possible roadblocks before assigning an employee.
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Once you’ve established your employee is right for the job, make a documentation checklist for the employee.
› Employees will need a temporary worker visa, as will their spouse and any minor children accompanying the family.
› Employees will be required to show that they can financially support their families in China Employers can help by providing documentation to prove this.
› Employees will need a passport and to complete an interview at the China embassy or consulate, which employers can guide them through.
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As a supervisor, you’ll be focused on how your office will function after your employee leaves. But an employee who’s leaving the country
will need time to plan. Be mindful of their well-being and give them the necessary time to speak with their destination service provider. Instead of asking them to spend more time wrapping things up in the office,
reprioritize their work temporarily so they can focus on successful
transition.
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Employees with school-age children have a lot of decisions to make. The destination service provider can counsel them on the schools available to their children, which will usually determine the area where they’ll live, so they should tackle this question before they make housing decisions.
While China has a very large public school system, many employees prefer private schooling if the public schools don’t meet their children’s needs. Employers should consider providing financial aid for private school because many employees will see it as a necessity for their children, not a luxury.
No matter what school the children will be attending, encourage your employee to start collecting records as soon as possible: transcripts, report cards, test scores, etc. Having everything organized and in one place will make the process easier.
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Offer your assignee a 3-5 day pre-assignment trip to their destination before the job begins. If possible, provide that trip to the family as well, especially when there are school-age children involved. This gives the assignee a chance to experience the culture, the people, and the feel of being in their new home city.
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If the person coming into China speaks Chinese, employers often assume they won’t have to deal with acclimation challenges because they don’
t have a language barrier. But even Chinese speakers face a cultural shift.In some cases, even speaking the language does not mean they will understand others or be understood.
Prepare your employee for this and point them toward a person or other resources they can consult with questions.
It’s not enough to have the services available, the employee also needs to know about them and understand how to access them. One of the most surprising results of the 2013 Expatriate Trends Study showed a significant gap in the perspectives of companies and employees. More than 80 percent of companies responded that they provide cultural training for employees going on assignment. Yet only 40 percent of expat employees at those companies said that their company offered language or cultural training.
One possible reason for the gap: companies offer cultural training, but only for select assignment locations. That policy should be reconsidered, even when there seems to be little surface difference between the home country and the assignment destination. Any move to another country will be unsettling without preparation.
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Climate and transportation will vary by location, but you can help your employee by doing research and connecting them with knowledgeable people. If someone in your company has lived in the assigned city in the past, introduce them so the assignee can ask questions. If not, the destination service provider should be able to offer basic information.
Weather should be fairly straight-forward to research online. You can also provide packing tips from employees who have worked overseas before. When considering transportation, de-termine whether your employee will need to drive or if public transportation will be sufficient. Consider the needs of their family as well. If they will be driving, they’ll need to obtain a driver’s license, and requirements will vary by state. If they won’t, provide information on the safest and most efficient p ublic transportation in the city.
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If your employee is taking a pet, they will need to be micro chipped and have a Pet Passport, both of which can be obtained at the vet.Many states insist on a vaccination after arrival, so employees should make arrangements with a local vet for care. Vet-supervised flea and tick treatment may also be required.
When it comes to booking travel for a pet, the employees should purchase a pet ticket at the same time they purchase their own. They should also consider whether or not they will be traveling during warm months. Most pets travel in the cargo hold, which can get too hot during the summer.
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Getting medical care in a foreign country can be confusing and intimidating. One of the best ways to limit surprises in this area is with a pre-assignment health risk assessment or physical exam. This will not only ensure that they are fit for travel, but also offer the opportunity to plan for any conditions that may need care once overseas—— such as filling prescriptions for medications or finding a specialist in that region.
Work with your health insurance professional to create a healthcare guide that addresses all of the following:
› Where to go for emergency care
› How to find a primary care doctor
› Whether the employee or the healthcare professional will pay out-of-pocket expenses at the time of service
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