What Global Assignees Need to Thrive
At a time when every business decision carries intense financial and strategic weight, an effective global mobility program is critical. Expats play vital roles in leadership, knowledge transfer, and building relationships.
Success depends on aptitude in many areas, and on the assimilation of accompanying family. It also requires a certain vitality – described in the Evernorth Vitality Index (EVI) as the capacity to pursue life with health, strength, and energy.
Cigna Healthcare’s International Health Study used the EVI to focus on the globally mobile for its 2026 edition. Respondents living and working overseas assessed their own level of physical, spiritual, emotional, environmental, social, occupational, financial, and intellectual health. Results showed a higher rating than the general population. These capabilities create an advantage for the employer.
At the same time, certain stressors are greater for these people – brought on by finances, social exclusion, and unfamiliar environs.
According to the survey, 73% of global assignees wished they had more support before their move.
It’s not a stretch to assume an expat spouse or partner possesses many of these same competencies, or that they also share in the stresses. Sometimes they are more exposed to stress than the assignee, having less direct access to the employed partner’s support system and perhaps bearing more household responsibilities.
How can companies provide effective preparation and support in all those important aspects of personal and business vitality? Host-country knowledge in these key areas helps both the assignee and the partner address the move with confidence:
– Passport and visas requirements for all household members, including any digital nomad options and spousal work documentation.
– Climate overview and clothing needs.
– Holidays and festivals that affect daily life and lend cultural understanding.
– Household goods assessment for short- and long-term needs, local accommodation features.
– Transportation – personal, public, and eco-friendly.
– Shopping choice and customs , as well as how locals pay for things.
– LGBTQ partners’ considerations legally, culturally, and socially.
– Healthcare quality and access, including mental health.
– Business landscape, protocols, and nuances.
– Social norms and customs.
– Local entertainment and dining choices.
– Language learning needs and opportunities.
– Sports and fitness prospects.
Among the decisions most likely to cause stress are those around housing and schools. Global assignees and their families need in-depth information on how to go about finding a home, where to live, and what to expect of the local market. They may also require help selecting the best school among options that can include local, international, and special needs programs.
Assignees address aspects of their relocations at different times – sometimes multiple times until the novel becomes familiar. Easy-access tools like currency calculator, real-time weather, and online meeting or call scheduler across time zones can further enhance their experience. Putting organized, comprehensive intelligence within easy reach of your assignees and family members injects their relocation journey with an extra dose of vitality.
Living Abroad’s International Relocation Center delivers all the above topics and tools for more than 240 locations, organized to reflect assignees’ relocation needs during the process of early orientation, move prep, arrival, settling in, and ultimately thriving.
Written by Ellen Harris, GMS, Product Manager, Content Group
