Guest Post by Balakirthika Jayakumar Switzerland is considered a paradise on Earth. Every human aspires to set foot on the land of Switzerland. Why is it that one aspires to visit this place? It is the bounty of nature in this country that attracts people, as well as the high standard and quality of living. The people of India are fortunate enough to glimpse Switzerland through movies. It is a cliché to have a song shot in this country to add richness to the movie. People, personally or virtually, have ideas about this country that exude “excellence” on all levels (including, but not limited to, chocolate and cuckoo clocks). These days, thanks to social media, we find resources on the […]

Virginia Stormtroopers story started recently here: Why Developing Future Skills is Crucial Global Mobility Professionals. You are probably wondering why she is now called Virginia Robot. After establishing herself as a rising star in global mobility, Virginia Robot’s work caught leaders’ attention across galaxies. Her success in turning interplanetary chaos into streamlined relocation strategies was unmatched. What she didn’t expect, though, was that her next big challenge—and connection—would come in the form of a particular assistant robot. During her work, Virginia met Tom Robot, a quirky, adaptable AI companion. She told him that she was looking to develop her career globally and that her partner would need to be willing to follow along with her. Tom Robot recommended us, as they had worked […]

Rhoda Bangerter specialises in split family assignments, frequent business travel, and their impact on family life. Rhoda helps parents manage the stress and disconnect from living this life so that they can enjoy the growth and intention this lifestyle can bring. International organisations (foreign service, military, humanitarian and private organisations) are increasingly aware of the specific requirements for staff and their families when on non-family duty stations. Through talks and workshops, Rhoda helps organisations, such as the World Food Program, support their employees when they are regularly sent on international assignments from a month to a couple of years without their partners and children. Having experienced frequent work travel and a split family assignment from the point of view of […]

We discussed how family challenges and marital issues significantly impact the outcome of international assignments. We also saw that many companies list the Expat Spouse’s unhappiness as the primary cause of “Expatriate Failure,” highlighting the importance of the Expat Spouse and Partner career support programs.  We will discuss more extensively the kind of support you can give Dual-Career Expat Couples and why that matters. I have always advocated for Global Mobility Managers to involve Expat Spouses proactively. Sometimes I sound like a broken record, though. I reiterate what I’ve been repeating for years. The days of the passive “trailing spouse,” when they were marginally involved in any decision to move abroad, are gone. Most expats (mobile employees) actively involve their […]

Once, I gave a talk discussing the Expat Experience in Zurich and how to enhance it. Zurich is a typical inbound hub, so many of the ideas in this article will also apply to places like Dubai, London, Hong Kong, or Singapore. As the most populated canton in Switzerland, Zurich is becoming home to an ever-growing population of expats. Today’s typical expats look like this expat couple: Heidi and Govind. Heidi is a Director who works in banking and is a credit guru. She met Govind, her husband, at the London School of Economics. From there, they moved to New York and later to Abu Dhabi. Govind now works for a pharmaceutical company that has stationed them in Abu Dhabi for the […]