Managing dual career expat couples: The new challenge of HR

By Armelle Perben

Companies who attract and retain high potentials, have integrated the management of the dual career of expat couples in their HR policies. They have understood that the trailing spouse doesn’t want to sacrifice their career to follow the other. Talented, multitasking, educated and financially independent, their expectations have to be taken into account.
Who are these new spouses? What are their personal and professional expectations? How to support their integration and job search?
What tools can employers put in place to tackle those issues?
This book is both practical and interactive. It gathers a collection of real-life accounts, interviews of international mobility experts, as well as practical advice and calls to action. It’s targeted to all those who are confronted with the issues of managing dual career expats, and who wish to find ways to tackle new challenges.


Expat spouse in over 7 countries, Armelle Perben created Absolutely French, in Paris, in 2012, a French school, integration center and well-being of accompanying spouses and the development of their full potential. In 2021, in order to foster the dual career of impatriate couples, she launched Absolutely Talented, the meeting for recruiters and international spouse talents.

3 experts in International Mobility has given their testimony:
- Meyriem Lefèvre-Kici – International Employee Experience Manager - Former International Mobility Specialist – Former Expat spouse - Air Liquide

- Latifa Taleb-Serre - Social Policy Development Manager – Former International Mobility Manager – L’Oréal

- Eugénia Kovalenko - General Manager HR Compensation & Benefits Europe - Former International Mobility Manager Group - Renault Group


And:
Jean Pautrot – Président du conseil Magellan de l’international - Auteur du livre « Expatrié - Rêve et Réalité »
Kerstin Martel - Doctorante à Copenhagen Business school et chercheuse sur le projet GLOMO
Adam Evans – Global Mobility Manager - L’Occitane

Romain Lefaix – IMM (International Mobility Manager) – Scor
Angela Isamat – Partner ans Head of Operations – Kokoon


Preface by:
Delphine Gadé – Global Talent Director - GAS, RENEWABLES & POWER– Total Energies

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Aug 3, 2022
• ISBN: 9781471635830

Book preview

Armelle Perben

ISBN Number : 978-1-4716-3583-0

Legal Deposit : ©Armelle Perben Layout and cover : Aurore Paris Translation : Patrick Hawran

Editorial coordination : Véronique Plouvier

The intellectual property code prohibits copies or reproduction intended for collective use. Any representation or reproduction in whole or in part made by any process whatsoever, without the consent of the author or his assignees, is unlawful and constitutes an infringement, under the terms of articles L335-2 and following of the French Intellectual Property Code.

Sommaire

Préface      9

Introduction      13

Chapitre 1 :

The new faces of the trailing spouse      19

QUIZ : Do you know the trailing spouse ?      21

The expatriate spouse is a woman      22

The new spouses      23

The new challenge of HR managers : the dual-career      28

A race against the clock      30

Key expert : Eugenia Kovalenko

Compensation & Benefits manager at Renault Group      33

Chapitre 2 :

The spouse, a key person in the success of the expatriation      37

Geography QUIZ: in which country do you locate those cities ?       39

Multiple roles      40

In the mind of the expat spouse : the cultural shock      47

« The trailing spouse » syndrome      50

Key expert : Meyriem Lefevre-Kici

International Mobility Manager at Air Liquide and former expat spouse. 59

Chapitre 3 :

Transforming the expatriation into a success for the company      61

QUIZ : The expatriation and the company      63

What is a successful expatriation ?      65

Knowing the causes of failure to avoid them      67

Key expert: Latifa Taleb Serre – former IMM – L’ORÉAL      80

Chapitre 4 :

Advices and tools to manage dual careers      83

Geography QUIZ : What language is spoken ?      85

Preparing for the expatriation      87

During the stay      94

Understanding cultural differences      101

The expatriation project      101

Getting help finding a job      102

The logistics      105

The return home      116

Key expert: Armelle Perben, founder of Absolutely French      120

Your tool worksheets      125

About the author      139

Acknowledgments      141

Complementary resources      143

We talk about expatriation when a person leaves their home country to live and work in a country that is not their country of origin.

Historical evolution of the usage of the word

« expatriation »

Source : Google Books Ngram Viewer, linguistic app allowing to observe

the evolution through time of the number of occurrences of one or several words in published content.

To my husband, my companion of adventures, To my children, our best adventures

Preface

Mister gets an assignment abroad. Mrs follows.

When I began my long expatriation adventure 20 years ago, this was the most common model. It was rare to hear about dual-careers. Companies managed mobile employees, not expatriate couples.

Today, taking into account dual-careers has become a real challenge for companies. They must adapt and offer innovative solutions to attract and develop talent.

My past experience as an expatriate leads me to pay particular attention to this request. In this respect, my career path is rather uncommon and forward-looking. During our years of expatriation, my husband and I have always managed to pursue our two careers at the same time, in two different companies. I wouldn't go so far as to say that it was easy or without sacrifice!

The key to this success? A continuous dialogue within our couple, of course, and a keen awareness that we couldn’t have it all. Living abroad and managing two careers imposes choices, at some point in time. Separation, resignation, we conceded to some adjustments along the way. But, these decisions were conscious, assumed and without any frustration. An important point. Expatriates must realize that not only must their choices be informed but also that they will not be definite. They will probably be revised as their careers and family context evolve.

In addition to being a personal reflection to be carried out within the couple, managing dual-careers now requires a dialogue with companies. The development of women's work, the professional involvement of both members of the couple, and the awareness of the importance of the diversity of profiles in recruitment are probably at the root of this change of perspective.

Since my experience as an expat, I have switched to the other side of this issue. As a former International Mobility Manager (IMM), then Talent Development Director, I see how challenging these transformations are for organizations. They question their very conception of expatriation.

Yes, taking into account the spouse's career makes mobility more difficult. Yes, it can sometimes reduce our talent pool. So how can we move the lines within organizations? In two words: anticipation and flexibility

My various positions at Total Energies and the latest upheavals in the work sphere linked to Covid have convinced me that adaptation is the solution. It is time to invent new models, to be agile and creative.

Recently, I received a high-potential employee to offer him an expat assignment. His first comment did not surprise me: "My wife has an important job, she does not want to give up her work and I do not want to either. The problem is simple. Either I don't look for a solution and argue that the problem is personal, at the risk of losing an opportunity for the employee and the company. Or I can take the matter into my own hands and work with him to find a suitable solution. Perhaps his spouse can be offered an assignment within her company? If so, it's up to me to target the countries where they could both settle.

But what works for one talent may not work for another. Today, the expatriation model varies according to the employees, their family and personal situation, their expectations and the meaning they give to this opportunity. Not everyone has the same priorities, nor the same objectives. Flexibility is therefore more important than ever!

Setting up an expatriation project with an employee has many facets. The accompaniment assignment does not stop at matching the employee's expectations with those of the company. For a successful experience, the integration must go well. In this respect, flexibility is also the key.

During my years as head of international mobility, my objective was clear: to improve the welcoming of expatriates in France, and then to deploy some of these actions for expatriates in our subsidiaries abroad. The aim was not to revolutionize everything, but to move forward in a pragmatic way. Having experienced them, I know the difficulties encountered by these employees. However, meeting them and asking them questions allowed me to better understand their state of mind. The preparation phase and the first few days when the expatriate and his family must feel welcome is crucial.

From Venezuela to Australia, through Angola or Malaysia, I experienced very

different environments in terms of culture and context. But, at the end of these interviews, I realized that integration in France can be complicated. Building a network, learning the language, understanding the codes. All these difficulties are very present in our country. In order to prevent possible blockages, the organization must orient its strategy and propose concrete and adapted solutions. Each expatriate couple has a different perception.

Upon arrival in France, the company organizes Living and working in France courses to reduce problems caused by a lack of knowledge of the country's culture and way of doing things. In addition,