Adjusting to working away and as an expatriate: learnings on what organisations can do to promote the mental health and well-being of workers and their families
Melanie L. FreemanPerformance Science HPO Pty Ltd, PO Box 111, West Perth, WA 6872, Australia. Email: melanie@performance-science.com.au
The APPEA Journal 60(2) 440-445 https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ19133
Accepted: 26 February 2020 Published: 15 May 2020
Abstract
Adjusting to frequent separations and reunions can put pressure on the relationships and families of those who work away. Although the work context is different, there are similar effects and challenges for workers, families and organisations across the military, expatriate and fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) research domains. Mental health, work performance, job satisfaction, relationships and parenting are all negatively affected by the extended periods of deployment or posting and the regular and ongoing shorter periods of FIFO work. At the individual level, personality dimensions (emotional stability, sociability, openness to new experiences), locus of control, intelligence, self-sufficiency and cultural intelligence have been shown to significantly affect these impacts and provide organisations with starting points for both the screening of candidates for roles and coaching them to better adjust and cope cross-culturally. The recruitment and onboarding processes should be underpinned by the principles of managing expectations and building capability, and this means that realistic and relevant information should focus on the realities of the work, the work environment and host country. The onboarding process that seeks to socialise the worker into the organisation and the culture should assume the worker will take at least 6 months to settle into the role. Predeparture training should engage with the worker and their families to ensure the development of coping skills and practical strategies for managing communication, parenting and relationships. Effectively managing the psychosocial risks faced by workers across these domains will improve the mental health and well-being of workers and their families.
Keywords: expatriate adjustment, expatriate retention, expatriate selection, FIFO adjustment, FIFO family adjustment, fly-in, fly-out (FIFO), military expatriates, military family adjustment.
Melanie Freeman is a registered psychologist and organisational development consultant with over 25 years of experience consulting across oil and gas, mining, defence, energy, public sector, utilities, finance. Melanie’s practice focuses on leader and team performance, as well as psychosocial risk prevention, mental health and resilience in the workplace. Her consulting practice has experience with the selection and onboarding of personnel for offshore roles (expatriates, international development, Antarctic expeditioners), and the resilience and adjustment of FIFO and military families and workers. Melanie is a military psychologist (Army Reserve) and has worked for over 12 years with Special Forces. Melanie is a professional member of the Society for Industrial and Organisational Psychology Australia. Melanie has first-hand experience of the issues discussed in this paper as she was the partner of a regularly deployed military person, before then leaving her husband at home for almost 4 years to work in international development, accompanied by her young daughter. Melanie has deployed as a military psychologist and regularly travels away from her husband and children, for the last 2 years working a FIFO roster. |
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