As the working world becomes increasingly global, more and more companies are sending their employees abroad to set up new branches, attend conferences, and meet personally with technical and management teams.  For people on the verge of experiencing this adventure for the first time, the prospects can be daunting. We interviewed women from a variety of fields who have worked abroad for varying amounts of time.   Many saw their international experience as life-defining, and the experience was unanimously viewed as very positive, although careful planning, an open mind, and doing needed background preparation all help to make the experience a success.  

For people working abroad within a foreign branch of their own corporation, the corporate culture can immediately create a shared bond that facilitates professional interaction.  Nonetheless, it is helpful for the visitor to be sensitive to nuances that signal differences in the ways that persons interact and communicate. Grace, a human resources executive for a multi-national technology corporation, has traveled to Europe, Asia, and Latin America for over 20 years.  She has noticed that in almost every country where she has worked, human relationships are of paramount importance. While in the United States, we may be more direct in just getting the job done, getting to the point, and expressing our point of view, in other countries it is more important to create the right environment first.  She tries to establish bonds with key persons in advance, preferably in person during their trips to the U.S., or if not possible, via email and telephone conversations.  This gives her a basis when walking into a meeting to connect with the local team and facilitate the business at hand.

For a person who is working in a more independent, entrepreneurial role, without the corporate umbrella, it is even more important to take into account cultural differences. Does “maybe” mean “no” or possibly “yes"? How forthright should one be in expressing an opinion? Is team accomplishment valued over individual success?  Are you likely to get the information you need by asking a direct question, or is a more circuitous conversation likely to yield better results? Is the understanding of time, with respect to deadlines, more flexible than in the U.S.?  Diane, a communications specialist with a large non-profit, has traveled to Europe, Africa, Asia, and South America developing and coordinating conferences and lectures. She worked with local teams, often hiring people to follow through on the project once she had left. She found that in many places, things do not necessarily happen on a rigid time-table, and that relationships were often prioritized over efficiency. She was able to achieve her goals by respecting that process and adjusting her way of dealing with people, creating enthusiasm and stressing the urgency and importance of their role in making things happen, at the same time providing ample follow-up herself. 

Preparing to work abroad is similar in many respects to preparing to travel for other reasons, and much of the advice that we gleaned from the experienced travelers interviewed can well be applied to professional dealings in any new or unfamiliar environment, whether it is across town or halfway around the world.   

1. If you are working in a country where English is not the first language, adjust your communication pace accordingly. If you are a normally a fast talker, try to slow down a little and speak a bit more deliberately than usual.  Grace found that small details such as having bilingual business cards (English on one side, Chinese on the other) went a long way towards establishing rapport with her Chinese counterparts. If you don’t speak the language already, try to learn a few phrases. Jody, who recently completed filming in Togo, Pakistan, and India for her own production company, recommends learning at least 15 phrases in the language. “This breaks down into two phrases a day for two weeks before you go—knowing how to extend a greeting and say ‘thank you,’ ‘excuse me,’ and ‘please’  works wonders.” 

2.  Assume that the professional atmosphere will be slightly more formal than in the U.S. Brush up on your basic business etiquette, and learn the cultural mores of the countries you are visiting.  Although people will usually be ready to forgive you if you commit a faux pas, most can be easily avoided with a bit of preparation. Ask colleagues who have previously traveled or lived abroad to brief you based on their experiences.  Search the internet for “cultural awareness” or “tips for working abroad.”  If the culture is very unfamiliar to you, try to meet with someone from that country. If that is not possible, see a movie or read a book by someone from the culture you will be visiting.    

3.  Be prepared to listen, be patient, and be willing to learn.  This will help you pick up unspoken cues and to adjust your communication style, sense of humor, and demeanor to blend in with the other culture.  

4. If your assignment is a longer one, and you need to relocate temporarily, be prepared to deal with vagaries of daily life, which may be more pronounced outside the corporate umbrella than under it. Vinnie, an economist who worked in Italy for 2 ½ years for a large financial institution, found that while the professional culture in her U.S.-based company was much the same, daily life was quite another matter. This was brought home emphatically when she ordered a stove for her apartment, and a different one was delivered “because we thought you would like this one better.”   

5. Don’t be hesitant to ask for help, make friends, and learn what you can from the experience. Elizabeth, a freelance writer who worked several weeks on assignment in London, found lodging in a women’s residence and remembers gratefully the “dry run” her new friends took her on through the underground, so that she would not get lost on her way to work.  Vinnie found a professional women’s group, largely made up of fellow-expatriates, which met every two weeks and afforded a chance to talk and laugh about the small exasperations of daily life while gathering insights from shared work-related experiences. Elzbieta, a systems engineer for a telecommunications company, remembers fondly the warmth and hospitality of the people she met and still keeps in touch with in Singapore.    
 
Above all, enjoy and learn from experiencing new ways of life. Several of those interviewed felt that in other cultures, both in Europe and in Asia, there is more protection of work-life balance. At the same time, none of the interviewees felt that expectations regarding work load and meeting objectives were noticeably different within the corporate environment, regardless of the country in which one is working.     

Alice Trimmer is the Executive Director of Murray Hill Institute.