The hidden success factors of relocation: How can culture and connection make an impact on ROI?

SilverDoor’s Client Partnership Manager Malynda Seeger shares insights from Lauryn Slattery, Director of Global Mobility at NetApp and Patti McCarthy, Founder of Cultural Chemistry on how cultural connection is impacting the success of relocation programmes.

SilverDoor

11 September 2026

As global mobility continues to evolve and programmes become ever more diverse in terms of structure and locations, the measurement of their success is also seeing a shift.Historically their success was determined by the more practical, logistical elements. A tick-box exercise to check was the visa arranged in time, did all the furniture arrive, was the laptop and office security pass working ok, did it meet the budget and was the assignment completed?These are, of course, still relevant but they increasingly only report part of the picture. Whether or not the needs of the business were met need to be critically evaluated alongside how and where the needs of the assignee were met. A metric demanding greater attention is the human experience and how well an assignee and their partner and family settle into a new community and is able to understand and engage with a new culture.More recently this is starting to shift and a greater awareness and understanding of the role cultural connection plays is coming to the fore. More and more companies are now investing in enabling assignees and their families to feel more connected.Why? Fundamentally cultural connection makes sound commercial and people sense. Assignees who feel more connected and are able to thrive outside of work, experience a greater feeling of belonging to enable them to thrive in work. Evidence also suggests they are more likely to see out the duration of the assignment and stay with the company in the longer term – delivering a much greater ROI on a relocation than if they decide to abandon it and return home early because they were struggling to adjust.

How to build cultural connections

Cultural integration doesn’t just happen overnight. It takes research, understanding and planning and will vary by location and the assignee. Don’t assume that one group all travelling to the same location will have the same requirements. A one size-fits-all approach more often than not will fall short, leaving assignees feeling unsupported and potentially return flights booked earlier than planned.There are practical steps you can take to ensure assignees have the opportunity to build strong, positive connections.Buddy programme – Outside of their immediate work team circle and ideally someone who isn’t their line manager so they can feel comfortable asking questions. Offer a buddy who is a regular point of contact to check in with the assignee, show them the local area and be available to answer questions. If you can assign a buddy who has recently relocated and share their experience and how they made the transition to working in a new culture, even better.Keep the assignee profile in mind – For younger assignees a relocation may often be the first time they are working away from home so their needs will be very different to an older assignee travelling with a family, for example. Ensure your relocation manager or HR team spends time with them before departure to understand their requirements, expectations and their level of understanding to identify where they will need specific support and how that will be applied once they have moved.Practical advice vs. Cultural training – Learning how the washing machine works, local transport routes, opening times of the shops and local healthcare facilities are of course all important. But so too is advice on times for worship, how to greet people and understanding of cultural nuances so that assignees are able to communicate and engage effectively with colleagues and customers as well as their local community. Cultural training is reassuringly much more considered now and encourages people to look at commonalities so they can to build rapport, as well as look at their differences so they can understand and learn how to fill that gap to build awareness, connection and the confidence to settle in.Consider the partner and family – Look beyond just the assignee. If partners or family are joining them then ensuring they have the opportunity and resources to build cultural connections, whether through playgroups or schools for example, is just as important.Offer on-demand support - Keep someone available throughout the course of the assignment as cultural opportunities and questions around local etiquette can come up at any time to help them navigate the bumps and continue to make transition successful.Cultural integration is a two-way street - So just as the employee has to invest in understanding and adapting to new cultures and potentially a new lifestyle there is also an onus on the side of the host office / manager to be aware of their cultural background and understand if, how and where they might need to adapt their behaviour and approach to ensure they getting the best out of the new relationship with their new colleague. Offer support for the return - One of the most overlooked stages of the mobility lifecycle. A lot of investment goes into getting the assignee set up in a new location but the return home can be the poor relation. The assumption is it is easy because they are returning home. However, they are returning with new skills, perspectives and expectations about their career so having a return plan in place for when they come home within the business is vital. Plan out what is next for them for career progression otherwise they may well be tempted to leave, taking your investment in their career and the new skills they have developed with them. To learn more about the importance of cultural connection when it comes to supporting successful relocations, check out the latest episode of the SilverDoor Podcast: Room for Thoughtsilverdoor.com

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