Slow boil in a melting pot - The Economic Times

So you have your ticket in hand. Passport stamped, your glorious dream of heading off shore is now just a flight away.

Take a deep breath, and prepare yourself, it’s time for rebirth. Thousands of Indians head for foreign shores every month. From unskilled labour to heavy weight managers, the allure of foreign postings is associated with huge saving potential and the possibility of a better life.

Every silver lining has dark clouds and international assignments are no exception. The culture shock, home sickness and loneliness, coupled with the exposure to people with a different approach to work and life can create mental distress if one is not prepared.

What are the first things that one needs to be prepared with and prepared for when heading abroad?

Terms of employment and cost of living: Many Foreign Contract Employees (FCE) land up in countries with little clue on what their terms of employment are. Does the salary discussed cover all costs?

What is the tax structure? Would housing and other benefits be taxed? Is the exchange rate stable (leading to projected savings)? Would the company cover medical expenses (limits?)? What is the track record of the employers? And when can you travel to India?

Unanswered questions can create heart-burn when local polices become applicable and there is a difference in interpretation of the terms of employment. Indians tend not to get into the details of compensation while looking for a job change.

Most people go abroad to increase their saving potential, but asking too many questions about terms of employment is still taboo in the Indian context.

You need to get into the details on a cost-line basis to be clear about the ground realities. A break-up of compensation, tax structure, tax saving methods, cost of repatriation of funds, emergency travel and conditions of work are the basics you needs to be aware of to avoid hygiene-level dissatisfaction.

The contract of employment is sacrosanct. Once signed, it becomes a legal document recognised by all government bodies, the Indian High Commissions and the laws of the land.

To work without hassles and tension, the terms of employment need to be explicitly understood by the FCE before he ventures into the land of opportunity.

Homesickness: Be prepared for this truth of life. International assignments can be attractive in financial terms but have a heavy emotional drain potential. Cutting the umbilical cord with India is painful.

It is worse if one leaves immediate family behind. The unprepared could take months or years to get over the loss of this huge support system.

Living in a new home environment, with a new set of co-workers causes various kinds of anxieties and there are few opportunities to share these.

Long patches of adjustment time, being alone while setting up home and the settling experience, without any support from family creates moments of depression. One tends to call home often and the depression loop just gets worse.

This happens across maturity levels, but can be assuaged proportional to the number of Indians in the organisation and whether the person is going to live with family or not. Homesickness is a reality and time is the healer.

It’s best to appreciate quickly that family back home will be adjusting to their normal routine and you need to set up your own cycle as soon as possible.

Foreigners are from Mars: The reality check starts at the language barrier. The comfort level settles as one beings to realise that the alien is you and not everyone else.

You need to learn local work systems, the basics of banking, transport, housing and the local ways of life.

Currency transactions, dealing with neighbours, social etiquette, personal interaction norms and basic body language interpretations are the A-B-C of a basic survival kit.

Tread carefully because it’s likely that people are aware of you as the ‘outsider’. Realise that everyone else in the host country has a set life and routine and will make time to share their experiences and advice only if you take the first step.

Building a relationship by asking for help is the best approach to form immediate bonds and then extend them.

Approach to Work: Work cultures, speed of operation and hierarchy are a function of the organisation and nature of business.

However, it is also a function of the local mode of operation. In India, a company may see a six-day working week, with you cell phone ringing through Sunday, as an expected and implicit term of employment.

Making a work-related call to a colleague over the weekend is blasphemy in many developed nation. Terms and conditions change with location.

Local employees have an approach to work depending upon the work culture prevalent in the country, one needs to put in time and effort to understand the way things operate. Nevertheless, an international work environment is a learning experience.

Moving into a new environment and adjusting to new people builds perspective on what the world has to offer.

(The author is head HR & IR Arvind Overseas (Mauritius):The views expressed are personal)