PARTNER SUPPORT – WHY SHOULD I INVEST?

So, what do corporations expect from Partner Support? This goes far beyond pure incentive, and from a business perspective the following areas need to be taken into consideration:

Let’s start with impact on assignment. In a recent survey conducted by NetExpat and EY, three main strategic objectives were mentioned. 71% of employers offering partner support expect an increase in assignment satisfaction, which reflects the fact that 71% of corporations see an unhappy and unintegrated partner in the host location as the most common reason for a failed assignment. Another 62% of employers wish to encourage employee acceptance of an assignment by offering support to their partners. This combines the fact that 70% of the male and 78% of the female employees see partners, who are unwilling to move because of their career, as the most common reason for not accepting an assignment. And remarkably, 43% of employers expect an increase in job performance.

Partner and employee experience are more than just business buzzwords nowadays and when we discuss partner support, it is also important to consider the respective partner experience. While the employee might face a positive career step combined with the assignment, the relocating partners may have to give up their career path, and as a result are greatly affected by the decision to go on assignment. In this challenging situation, partners tend to be very sensitive to both the way they are supported by a corporation and the way this is communicated to them. This requires that relocating partners feel well informed by all the stakeholders involved – be it line management, human resources, or an external service provider – in the right way and with the right content. And they want  support which also allows for a level of flexibility – something of high importance especially for Gen Y and Gen Z – and on the flip side mitigates hassle and decision making which can lead to unnecessary stress.

Companies have a duty of care not only for the assignee but also for the relocating partners – regarding health, safety, and well-being. All of these components could have an immediate effect on the organization and need to be considered from a legal,  business and moral perspective. Today we see a trend from “we pay” to “we care” and it is obvious that any type of lump sum arrangement does not free an organization from their duties. Careful consideration and evaluation with internal duty of care stake holders and finally the employees themselves is strongly recommended and the following four duty of care principles could be applied, when it comes to an appropriate support to the relocating partners:

• Duty of Information: There is a moral obligation to provide information regarding e.g. the work permit situation in the host location, support options provided by the corporation incl. career options, career alternatives, further education, integration, and networking in the host location. 
• Duty of Prevention: There is a moral obligation to maintain psychological health and to avoid frustrated, isolated, or depressed partners, and failed assignments.
• Duty of Intervention: There is a moral and a business obligation to intervene if provider support is not meeting the needs of the relocating partner. 
• Duty of Control:  There is a moral and a business obligation to select the appropriate and reasonably priced external service provider and to control quality of service and satisfaction of partners.

Whereas in the past, when partner support was often seen more as an incentive, "double career" has been replaced by the critical financial aspect of "double income". The study from conducted by NetExpat and EY has revealed that the overall level of education of relocating partners has substantially increased over the years, with 82% of them securing a bachelor’s, master’s or PhD degree, closer to 91% for mobile employees. By ensuring that relocating partners can continue to provide a second income for their family, companies can also reduce costs elsewhere – for example in the case of secondment bonus, expatriate salary or various forms of financial hardship compensation. 

Hence, a well-thought-out and executed partner support policy can effectively help corporations to achieve their goals regarding successful assignments, keeping a high level of employee and partner experience, and fulfilling their duty of care, while keeping the financial net investments to a minimum.