FAQ
Answers to the most important questions about assignment, integration and EPIP.
What is culture — and why does culture shock arise?
“Culture is a kind of orientation system that is typical for a respective nation, society or group and that they share together.”
It influences the perception, thinking, feelings, emotions, values and accordingly the actions of the group. It gives the members support and orientation in evaluating and coping with their environment. This orientation system is not the same everywhere, but different in every society or community.
When we come into contact with a foreign culture, a foreign country, we notice that our own orientation system no longer works. Our familiar patterns of thinking and behavior as well as our previous coping strategies no longer function.
Our thought patterns, our assessment and action strategies applied over years, usually even over decades, often subconsciously, no longer fit. Our subconscious tries to assess the perceptions of the new environment flowing in through our five senses on the basis of the information and experiences collected over decades, our personal “normal.”
But the new “normal” in the new environment is different. And, also a very important point, we can no longer rely on our intuition.
Culture shock, or better said, going through the phases of culture shock, is a reaction to a new environment perceived as unpredictable and unsafe. We have left our familiar framework or space of life and try to get used to the new one.
The 5 phases of culture shock
Based on Kalervo Oberg's widely used model, an assignment proceeds in five different phases.
1
The first phase is often referred to as the honeymoon phase. It is characterized by euphoria, enthusiasm and optimism. Many things appear new, beautiful and fascinating. The focus is on similarities; differences are hardly perceived. This creates a feeling of security, understanding, orientation and belonging. The assignment begins positively.
2
The second phase begins when the previously built-up feeling of security, understanding and orientation is shaken. Social and cultural differences are perceived more clearly and increasingly felt to be disturbing. The expat withdraws more and more from his new environment. Contact difficulties, lack of understanding and lack of orientation occur. Confusion increases, satisfaction decreases. The stress level rises, while work motivation and productivity decrease.
3
In the third phase, culture shock reaches its peak. The expat recognizes that his previous “normal” is no longer sufficient as orientation in the new environment. A psychological adjustment and reorientation begins.
This phase can be accompanied by physical stress reactions such as tiredness, fatigue, increased blood pressure, heart palpitations or shortness of breath. In addition, feelings of helplessness, homesickness, fear, frustration, insecurity, doubt, excessive demands and powerlessness often occur. Outbursts of anger, hostility, sarcasm, rejection of the new culture, withdrawal from the environment or distancing from the assignment and from the company can also occur.
In phases two and three, the problems often arise that can later lead to the failure of an assignment: termination, lack of work performance, distancing from the company or resignation after return. In these phases, the success or failure of the assignment is often decided.
4
In the fourth phase, things go uphill again — provided that no negative development has become entrenched and no critical event has occurred. Understanding, adjustment, mood and satisfaction increase again.
5
In the fifth phase, the “feeling-at-home” arises. The expat is integrated and has arrived in his new environment. Satisfaction and work productivity reach their highest level in this phase.
The intensity and duration of the individual phases vary from person to person.
Why do assignments fail?
Since the early 1980s, studies, scientific articles, dissertations, master’s theses and specialist books have repeatedly come to the same result: The main reason for the failure of an assignment is a lack of integration — of the expat, his partner or the accompanying family in the host country.
What does a failed assignment mean today?
Much more than an early termination. An assignment can also fail if the employee completes the agreed time in the host country — but remains significantly below his potential, achieves the goals only partially or resigns within one year after the end of the assignment.
An assignment has failed when the expectations and goals of both parties are not fulfilled: those of the company and those of the expat.
What are the costs of a failed expatriation?
The costs always depend on the destination country, the expat, his family and the scope of the assignment. As a calculation example, we take a family with father, mother and two school-age children whose assignment is ended within the first year.
Directly attributable costs are, for example, salary and allowances, flights, hotel stays, accommodation, relocation, school fees as well as ancillary costs for visas, education, trainings and consulting.
In our calculation example, this results in direct costs of €260,800.
The indirect costs can be significantly higher: loss of market shares, missed business opportunities, loss of trust among customers, local employees or authorities — up to restrictions on business activity in the host country.
In addition, there is the possible loss of a valuable employee. If an assignment fails, the risk increases that the employee leaves the company — and with him know-how, insider knowledge and contacts.
Salary & bonuses | 140 000 € |
Flights for "look and see" trip | 2.600 € |
+ 4 days hotel | 800 € |
Outbound flights | 5.200 € |
Return flights | 5.200 € |
Relocation costs | 12.000 € |
School fees | 20.000 € |
Rent | 60.000 € |
Ancillary costs | 15.000 € |
Total costs | 260.800 € |
EPIP – far too much effort? Really?
At first glance, EPIP appears complex. In fact, the program reduces effort because central integration, orientation and security issues do not arise unplanned during the assignment, but are prepared early and accompanied in a structured way.
Companies thereby save time, reduce risks and relieve HR, Global Mobility, Corporate Security and management. At the same time, expats and their families receive support exactly where classic assignment measures often end: in life on site.
Why has the integration gap not been closed so far?
Assignments have so far mostly been divided into partial areas: visas, relocation, taxes, insurance, intercultural trainings, security and administrative support.
These areas are important — but they do not solve the central problem: the integration of expat, partner and family in the host country.
This is exactly where the integration gap arises. Many measures end before the actual difficulties begin: in everyday life on site, in orientation, in the social environment, in the burden on the family and in the need for security.
EPIP was developed to close exactly this gap. It accompanies expats and their families not only before the assignment, but during the entire time in the host country — with a focus on integration, orientation and security.
