How do you manage the expectations of people from the United States settling in Europe - and vice versa? By Dominic Tidey.

Culture has many interpretations.  Culture can be theatre and the arts.  Cultures can be laboratory samples, business models or the way teams come together to do something.  And of course culture means those innate local traditions that mark us as different from our neighbours.  But in relocation, when we talk about culture, we mean the differences marked out by the national characteristics we hold as citizens of our country.

But culture in relocation also refers to the type of company and style of working that successfully delivers mobility assistance and it’s here that it is vital to know that relocation is more of a “no” business than a “yes” one.

Of course, relocation specialists have all done the blue sky thinking training, the team building training and the limitless possibility in leadership training, but they still have to learn when it is crucial to gently say no.  Successfully assisting someone to settle in a new culture is all about managing their expectations; realistically put?  It’s about letting them down as gently as possible.

When an assignee is moving to a place where the standard of living they can expect is likely to increase, then the job of the relocation company will be simpler and will start off on a positive and optimistic note.  Where the relocation will involve a drop in living standards the ability of the mobility professional to say no, in such a manner that the assignee still believes that their concerns are being addressed and solved, is absolutely critical and it’s here that we start to realise how many skills are necessary.  The ability to be a psychiatrist, social worker, estate agent, lawyer, marriage counsellor, linguistics expert, child psychologist, interior designer, intercultural coach, tour guide, personal shopper and dog whisperer are all requisite for the relocation professional. 

It’s interesting to see how the culture of “no” in the relocation industry is not necessarily reflected amongst other suppliers to the globally mobile population.  Household goods companies are a good example.  Shipping the family’s possessions, whether toys and furniture, a priceless Picasso, a Ferrari 250 GT California, their wine collection or a Henry Moore statue is all possible, given enough space, money and time.  But for the relocation professional, getting Mrs and Mrs New England their dream Mews home in Mayfair is not going to happen if the landlord takes another offer.  Finding the perfect seven-bedroom home within a 15-minute commute of central Paris is not going to happen if the metro doesn’t run in that neighbourhood.  Getting Johnny and Jenny New England into the American School is not going to happen if there are no places.  This is where relocation professionals really need to hone those skills in managing the expectations of their clients and be able to turn negatives into positives using intercultural understanding.

For example, Mr. and Mrs. New England are used to their comfortable life in Massachusettes.  They’ve travelled extensively and are excited about moving to Europe.  In Boston they own their seven-bedroom home in the affluent commuter suburb of Winchester, a 15-minute Massport journey to downtown, where Mr. New England’s office is located.  They also own a four-bedroom waterfront cottage on Winnisquam Lake in New Hampshire, an easy two-hour drive away, where they spend their summers and Thanksgiving.  To put this in context, this is a steadfastly middle class New England family.  Their primary home would be valued around the $1,000,000 mark and their holiday home around $500,000.  Translating this lifestyle to most European cities is not going to allow for duplication, however generous the comp & bens package.

$1,000,000 in London is simply not enough to be able to replicate the size and location of their present home. Add in the required second home in a vacation area within two hours from the city and we are talking huge sums of money.  Within two hours of London, we have the Suffolk or Norfolk coasts and the south coast.  A four-bedroom holiday home in Southwold, Suffolk will be well over the $500,000 value of their current lakeside second home.  A transfer to London, Paris, Frankfurt or Rome is going to provide the relocation company with many opportunities to manage expectations, or let them down gently.  Although with the height involved in this let down, the New England family will be coming to Earth with a bang.  But, where the relocation suppliers really succeed, is by working with the family to show the advantages of moving into the new culture and that the differences between the old life and the new one are actually positive life changes to be embraced. 

According to research by the Hofstede Institute (www.geert-hofstede.com) the UK and the USA are closely matched when it comes to cultural differences.

But in fact the highest rate for assignment failures is for moves between the USA and the UK, and the reason for 60% of assignment failures is attributable to an inability for the individual or family to assimilate into the host culture.  So, the culture shock of coming to Europe and transferring from a US lifestyle to a European one, involves not just a dramatic change in comfort and status, but also in cultural reference.

Going the other way across the pond however, would seem a much better deal.  Assignments from Europe to the USA tend to mean an increase in living standards which is a fundamental bonus to the globally mobile family.  Providing excellent language training is provided where necessary, children tend to settle well. They have already got a good cultural understanding of being a kid in the US from the TV before they have even arrived. 

So what conclusions can be drawn from these scenarios?  Relocation professionals understand the nature of the mobility game and are experts at positivity and managing expectations.  Using professional relocation support increases the likelihood of a successful transfer, and helps a family to settle quickly.  Cultural orientation is a subtle, but vital part of relocation service delivery across Europe and this is why relocation services exist as a totally different industry to real estate.  Knowing when to gently let a client down by managing expectations correctly and with a smile, is a key component of the relocation process.

Dominic Tidey

Dominic is the Operations Manager for EuRA (European Relocation Association).  He holds a degree in law and a masters in social policy.  Since joining EuRA eight years ago, Dominic has implemented a number of projects including the EuRA Quality Seal (the world’s first ISO equivalent for relocation providers) and the Oxford Brookes Relocation Coaching programme, a global online training initiative for relocation professionals looking at the application of intercultural leadership skills when working one-to-one with individuals and families in global transition.  Dominic also leads training sessions across Europe on intercultural theory and practise as well as having responsibility for delivering EuRA’s annual international training programme.