Over the last two decades in Human Resources, I have noticed that many international talent have been left frustrated by the process of moving to another country for work. I observed that the issues weren’t just financial; they also affected both the individuals and the company, and I underestimated the challenges involved in moving to a new country. Therefore, today I would like to draw on my experience and discuss some crucial practices for that critical period, the first 90-odd days, of an expat landing in a new country and beginning their onboarding process in the host company. 1 – Prepared Before You Land Increasingly, in this age of protectionism, many countries now require you, the expat, and your accompanying […]

Yesterday, on the way to a meeting the train announced another death on the tracks. At this time of the year it happens more than at other times and even though I am used to hearing these announcements they always make me sad. Another human who suffered depression or anxiety and did not see another solution other than to end their life. Another life wasted. During this time of the year, it’s not jolly for everyone. I was reminded that some of us aren’t lucky and privileged. Even in such a wealthy society, we have poverty, and many people get by working in restaurants, health care, and child care for less than the minimum sustenance. And we don’t often know […]

The German language or “Deutsch” is the world’s 15th most spoken language according to Ethnologue’s latest data. The German language is spoken in 28 countries, and 76 million people worldwide speak it as their mother tongue. Globally, there are 132.1 million German language speakers. As of 2016, Germany is home to 82.67 million, 95% of whom speak German as their first language. Status of the German language German is the official language in Germany, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Liechtenstein. In Switzerland, it is one of the country’s four official languages. German, which belongs to the West Germanic branch of the Indo-European language family, shares some of the characteristics with its co-branch members, English, Dutch, and Frisian languages. It is […]

When I had Covid-19 the first time in 2020 I was one of the first cases in Switzerland and advice was hard to come by. I created a guideline for myself and others: Top Nine Tips to Deal With Viral Infections. it’s four years later, and many times I felt I had COVID again, but I did not test positive anymore. Maybe the first time was such a huge dose that I am now WonderWoman (a secret escape fantasy I had after I recovered as WW was always my childhood superhero role model, and the movie “WW 1984” was supposed to be out at the same time, so I listened to the music during recovery). What I have noticed though […]

Getting out of the November Blues is an annual exercise for me. I’m sure you’ve noticed the arrival of winter by now – the avalanche of brilliant red-golden leaves falling from trees, the shortening of precious daylight hours, and the sudden briskness in the breeze. While the beauty of a European fall is unparalleled, the shorter days and cold weather herald a period of demotivation and negative feelings for some people. For me, the “Zurich fog” in November can get to me.  The thought of November Blues could be overwhelming. So, I have thought about ways to make November bearable for all of us. Dealing with loneliness is doubly challenging when you are an expat who has just arrived here. […]