The Global Phoenix - Issue 4 The Global Phoenix - Issue 4 | Page 49

We see in our relocation work nowadays that spouses have a wide reach of expert knowledge to hand, with information on local newspapers, job sites, recruitment companies, tax specialists and compatible professional organisations. Indeed, it is still up to the spouses themselves who must take into account their own professional reach and search for any international organisations known to them who will support their career and judge if it is transferable. From the multinational corporation’s point of view, decisions on relocating a manager abroad are still often based solely on technical skills and the individuals’ abilities to carry out a job. Despite all that has been written on the subject, very few companies have taken the time to evaluate the suitability of a manager for working in an expatriate location, let alone whether they have the full support of their spouse! With awareness of Conscious Capitalism growing, in which all stakeholders in a business need to be considered, this trend is starting to change, and we anticipate greater weight being given to the needs of the accompanying family in forthcoming years. Author: Michele Bar-Pereg; Founder, Relocate Yourself. Michelle started a global company for supporting self-driven relocation online, sup- ported by local consultants with urban insights and possibilities for settling into the new locations happily and with enthusiasm. Michele has worked for 30 years in managing corporate relocation and previously 8 years as an International School teacher. Her ex- periences have brought her to offering an online, ongoing, relocation service to be used anytime, anywhere, that deals not only with transition but with ongoing issues in the new location. www.theglobalphoenix.org Page 49