Maximise the chances of a successful overseas work placement.
The term ‘Pre-Assignment Screening’ relates to the activities undertaken by a business to maximise the chances of a successful overseas work placement. In basic terms, it’s a thorough risk assessment which is taken ahead of an assignment. The process is crucial because it’s only when a potential pitfall is identified that it can be effectively managed or negated.
Pre-Assignment Screening may include:
Screening requirements will vary from business-to-business and the specific nature of the assignment.
Both physical and psychological factors need to be considered when preparing an employee for an expat assignment overseas. It’s a huge transition for a person to start living and working in a new country with different customs, and to be away from home comforts and the support of friends and family. Without the right preparation, the potential for the assignment to fail is high.
However, the following Pre-Assignment Screening services are designed to minimise the risk and maximise the chances of a successful outcome:
Expatriates frequently suffer health-related problems while on assignment overseas. This sometimes leads to the failure of the assignment, an expensive medical evacuation or staff absence – which are entirely predictable and preventable.
Sometimes an employee can have an unknown or undiagnosed condition. However, most issues arise when an expat with a pre-existing condition goes on an overseas assignment with little or no knowledge of how these conditions can be handled in their destination country.
Before an employee leaves for the work placement, they need to understand how to integrate with the local healthcare system. Seemingly trivial information can be important, such as whether the pharmaceutical drugs they require are under the same brand name or whether they are even legal in their destination country. Knowing where to get hold of certain drugs or access specific medical interventions can be crucial.
International medical screenings are an important consideration for any employee, but particularly if the expat is being sent on assignment with their family. This greatly increases the risk presented by pre-existing conditions – after all, they are each likely to have a varied health profile.
International health screening is generally conducted via an online system which includes a review of:
When you incorporate an international health screening into your pre-assignment process, you are better prepared to predict, prevent, and reduce risk for your expatriate employee and their family. It also provides you with an audit trail, demonstrating proactive duty of care and helps you drive savings both before and during the assignment.
Each employee brings a unique set of skills and character traits to an organisation. But how do you know which team member will thrive in an overseas assignment? Without a thorough evaluation it’s impossible to know.
Consequently, many businesses choose to include a ‘management selection tool’ which screens shortlisted candidates providing written recommendations and in-depth suitability analysis.
Conducted by an experienced counsellor, a pre-departure evaluation can last up to 10 hours. It identifies personal risk factors as well as business risk. Preparation modules can include coaching and skill building designed to give employees the tools and coping strategies required to prosper in the assignment.
These sessions are designed to support expat assignees, and their families, to prepare fully prior to assignment. The session is counsellor-led and can last up to six hours, delivering intensive preparation and consultation.
Awareness-building and skills coaching are among its key components. The counsellor’s core duty is to help participants identify vulnerabilities and strategies for success, focused around the challenges of re-location and cross-cultural adaption.
The counsellor will seek answers to the following:
There are a lot of practical concerns that come with relocating for an expat assignment, particularly if moving with family.
The Destination Services programme provides customised support for expats and their families with logistical hands-on support to facilitate a successful move and integration into a new host city and country. This programme can provide up to six days support, depending on the needs of the employee and be offered in almost every major city in the world.
The programme looks to facilitate a hassle-free move and is provided by a dedicated Destination Services consultant. The consultant will have extensive international knowledge and understand the complexities of living and working in different cultures.
Destination Services may include:
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From a hard-nosed business perspective, there’s a lot of money at stake. The average cost of an expatriate assignment is around £220,000 per year and expatriate failure rates are as high as 40%. Properly preparing your new assignee, and their family, is crucial in making sure that they are happy and you get the best possible return on your investment.
There is also the ethical dimension. When any organisation sends an employee on an overseas assignment, they have a duty of care. It can be a daunting prospect to live and work in a new environment, especially for a substantial time. Many logistics need to be managed and hazards avoided. Will you leave them to it? Or ensure that nothing is left to chance?
It all depends on the breadth of screening services you want to implement. For example, how comprehensive do you want to make your medical checks? Will you be evaluating the suitability of a candidate to handle the psychological pressures and general stresses of an overseas assignment? Will it include ‘Destination Services’ (see above)? Will family support and pre-trip preparation be required?
The only way to find a representative price point is to contact our team. We will happily deliver quotes that are customised to the precise needs of your business, free-of-charge.
The International Medical Screening is confidential and only communicated to the employer as a ‘suitability finding’. Therefore, it will have no impact on any International Health Insurance plan already in place. If an unknown pre-existing condition is found and International Health Insurance hasn’t yet been put in place, this should be disclosed to the insurer, unless the scheme is ‘Medical History Disregarded’ in which case no medical history will be required.
While this page is focused on Pre-Assignment Screening, an employer should also consider what happens after the assignment ends. If an employee and/or their family is going on a long-term relocation, a plan should be put in place to ensure they get the support required upon returning home.
Returning home after a long expat assignment can require as much adjustment as the initial move overseas. Providing an instructor-led workshop to an individual or family will help facilitate personal and professional reintegration – and a happy ending for all involved.
Post-assignment support allows expats and their families to debrief the assignment at a high level and explore the challenges they will face returning to what was once their home. They will be supported in:
