Caitlin Pyett, Director of Account Management, Asia and Consulting Lead at Crown World Mobility
The opportunity to relocate overseas for work, and experience new cultures, is often presented as an exciting and life changing experience, both in reality and on television.
We’ve seen it play out in some of our favourite TV shows – protagonists moving across the globe to take on new roles, explore new cultures, and face the challenges of living and working abroad.
However, when it comes to real life relocations, there are various logistical, legal and cultural intricacies that mobility managers must consider behind the scenes to make the relocation a success. Hopping from one global opportunity to the next, despite how Emily in Paris makes it appear, isn’t always as seamless as it may seem.
So, what really goes on behind the scenes of an employee relocation?
Employee mobility in film
Employee relocation is a frequent theme in television, from the iconic move of Emily Cooper in Emily in Paris to Ted Lasso swapping Kansas for a football team in the UK. In shows like these, relocation is portrayed as an exciting opportunity to advance one’s career while exploring new cultures and environments. Whether it’s moving to work in marketing or to manage a football team, these stories reflect the growing trend of career mobility, and the global outlook adopted by modern professionals.
Take Emily, for instance – a young, ambitious American sent to Paris for work. Her move isn’t just a job relocation; it represents a broader mindset of hopping between international roles to build a career in different global markets. Emily is young and eager to see the world in a way that hasn’t truly been an option before now. She doesn’t view her career as a steady climb up a ladder, but rather an opportunity to ping from one global role to the next.
Many other TV shows also explore the excitement and accompanying challenges of living and working abroad. Popular series like Tokyo Vice, following an American journalist relocating to Tokyo, and Patriot, which sees a protagonist operating between the US, Luxembourg, and Paris, are just a couple of examples. These relocations reflect an appetite for global career mobility – at least, through our TV screens. Many employees are now viewing relocation as a key to professional growth, whether for short-term projects or permanent moves.
However, in practical terms, do the real-life companies of today encompass this same mindset? And how possible is it, really, to achieve true career mobility through global relocation?
The on and off-screen challenges of relocating
While TV shows tend to gloss over the nitty-gritty of international relocations, they sometimes give us a glimpse of the bureaucratic challenges involved. After all, a smooth journey isn’t going to captivate an audience. In Emily in Paris, there is a memorable scene where Sylvie, Emily’s French boss, complains about the paperwork required to sort out Emily’s visa. This minor subplot hints at one of the more significant complications of employee relocation: dealing with immigration requirements, work permits, and residency rules.
Moving an employee across borders is no easy feat. In Emily’s case, an American working for a subsidiary of a US company in France, she would likely be on a work permit such as the Intra-Corporate Transferee (ICT) visa or a Talent Passport, depending on her salary and role. While these visas enable highly skilled employees to work in France, they come with strict requirements such as salary thresholds or limits on the length of stay. These legalities are often overlooked in TV dramas but are critical in real-world relocation scenarios.
Cultural adaptation also plays a significant role in the intricacies of relocation. The earlier seasons of Emily in Paris focus heavily on Emily’s struggle to fit in with France’s more insular culture, from the obvious language barriers to the subtler nuances of French business etiquette. Emily’s experience, whilst somewhat exaggerated for the purposes of entertainment, highlights the cultural friction that often arises during international assignments. Unless sufficient cultural training has been received ahead of relocating, difficulty assimilating can take a mental toll on assignees. This can increase the risk of social isolation, ultimately impacting both their performance and wellbeing. Mobility teams must therefore prioritise comprehensive cultural training to foster a smooth transition, enabling assignees to connect with their new environment and thrive both personally and professionally.
Other shows like Welcome to Sweden explore how relocating for personal reasons such as marriage, bring about their own set of social and cultural hurdles. Centred around an American accountant who moves with his wife to her native country of Sweden, this series draws attention to how certain cultures can be far less accepting of spousal relationships than others. While this sitcom portrays these challenges in a humorous light, whether a new culture will be accepting of their spouse or partner is a serious consideration for many real-life – dual-culture couples.
What happens behind the scenes: the role of mobility managers
While some TV characters may make global relocations seem effortless (with only a few comedic moments of visa troubles or cultural faux pas), the reality is far more intricate. Mobility managers play a pivotal role in orchestrating successful relocations, ensuring that every aspect of the move – both professional and personal – is meticulously planned and executed. They must be prepared to support employees through much more than just cultural adjustment. From ensuring visa compliance to managing tax issues, housing, schooling for children, and healthcare, the logistical complexities of an international move are substantial. For those moving independently, relocation companies can also provide invaluable support in navigating the myriad steps an international move entails.
For instance, in the case of Emily’s potential assignment to Rome, her US passport would allow her to travel visa-free to Italy for up to
90 days under Schengen rules. However, if her stay extended beyond this period or involved a work assignment, her employer would need to work through the intricacies of Italian work permits, secondment arrangements, or even posted worker regulations. Behind the scenes, mobility managers work closely with immigration specialists, tax advisers, and other stakeholders to ensure compliance with local laws and policies. They also oversee the logistical details, such as arranging housing and ensuring healthcare access to help employees adjust to their new environment. Mobility managers are also responsible for managing any family dependencies, ensuring that spouses and children are taken care of in terms of visa requirements, education, and integration into the host country’s society.
In short, while TV shows often depict the excitement of relocation, the reality is that much of the hard work happens behind the scenes. Mobility managers and HR teams must ensure that each and every legal, logistical, and cultural aspect is covered. The smooth relocation of employees is a testament to careful planning and coordination, enabling talent to thrive in a global marketplace.
Lessons from TV…
TV often portrays the personal journey of the assignee – the personal motivations to relocate, the straining of existing relationships and the new connections built along the way. And these highs and lows of relocating are also true for many real-life assignees. But, beneath the surface lies a complex web of regulations, logistics, and cultural adaptation challenges that mobility managers must expertly mitigate in order to make relocations a reality. Perhaps the introduction of a ‘mobility manager’ character would add a touch of realism to our screens. For those inspired by Emily in Paris or Ted Lasso to venture abroad, this could provide a certain reassurance that support does exist on the ground, on TV and in real life.
As employees continue to seek out new opportunities across borders, the importance of structured, well-planned relocation programmes has never been greater. For businesses, investing in comprehensive mobility programmes is key to supporting employees through their international assignments, ensuring that they are not only compliant with legal requirements but also empowered to succeed in their new roles. Just as Emily’s journey in Emily in Paris symbolises the shift towards career mobility, real-life relocations show us that, with the right support, global opportunities can be transformative for both employees and businesses alike.
