Communication, feedback and mastering misunderstandings
Communication - the be-all and end-all of daily interaction.
In private as well as in professional life, communication is essential to understand each other and to move forward together.
MOVES consulting communicates with expats who are accompanied during the immigration process before and during the onboarding process via Zoom. After the expat arrives in the destination country, the onboarding process is continued in face-to-face meetings. For us, Zoom has proven itself as a communication tool and is very well received. During our opening hours, expatriates or the newly recruited employees of our clients can contact us at any time via this channel, among others.
We have regular feedback meetings with our business partners (the employers), where feedback is given to us and also passed on. Many companies collect feedback from their professionals themselves after an onboarding process and convey their impression to us in these meetings.
After the onboarding process has been completed, the successfully accompanied key employees receive a feedback link from MOVES consulting in which they can express their praise or criticism.
So far, so good, we think. But even where communication is optimal, misunderstandings can occur.
In the day-to-day work of Moves Consulting, this recently caused us some disappointment. We were given positive feedback, which the employer did not confirm in the following feedback meeting. On the contrary, the employer had been given negative feedback about our service.
The reason that had emerged was some dissatisfaction with the hours of supervision on our part. The expat in question expected us to provide care beyond our opening hours, which is not included in our scope of services. We were disappointed that this feedback was not communicated to us directly by the expat (and thus could not be responded to directly by us immediately), but only through the employer.
However, through our optimised communication processes with our business partners, the misunderstanding was uncovered and fully clarified.
Another point regarding feedback and unmet expectations are those services that are not provided by MOVES consulting but are part of the entire value chain in the onboarding process: Visa, housing procurement, tenancy agreement, child benefit, family co-insurance, etc.
Complaints about these - often lengthy - processes are passed on to us again and again as negative feedback. We are grateful for this information because it helps us understand our clients better, but we cannot change the situation.
From the expats' point of view, there is often a certain pressure from the employer because, for example, the line managers (if they are involved) do not turn to MOVES consulting when they want to know about the current status of the migration, but to the new employee. This pressure is often passed on to us, which is understandable given the situation the expat is in.
Whenever we are dealing with communication difficulties in mobility management, we approach the people involved and try to find out the root of the problem. An immediate and thorough evaluation is very important to us and helps us to resolve conflict situations satisfactorily for all parties involved. After all, there is an "after" - the time after the conflict when people find their way back to productive cooperation.
We always try to find a way to optimally master the time after a conflict and to stay as close as possible to our expats: whether with a cup of coffee, a chat in a relaxed atmosphere or a small apology gift.
With this in mind: Let's communicate!
Have you had similar experiences or are you looking for support in optimising your processes in the onboarding of your international employees? You can reach us quickly and easily here: https://www.moves-consulting.com/en/contactfor a non-binding and free conversation.