As an HR professional or Mobility Manager, it is essential to put measures in place to facilitate their integration within your company andtheir move to Switzerland.
In this article, we look at the various solutions available to support your expatriate employees when they arrive in Switzerland:
- Help with finding accommodation.
- Language courses.
- Cultural classes.
- Preventing isolation.
- Admin, legal and health support.
Help with finding accommodation
One of the major concerns expatriates have when they arrive in Switzerland is finding suitable accommodation. As an HR professional, you can support them by providing information and resources to make this process easier:
- Establish partnerships with estate agents specialising in expatriation, who can guide your employees before and after their arrival in Switzerland.
- Offer relocation services that include house-hunting, managing administrative formalities and providing support during property viewings.
Language courses to break the language barrier
Proficiency in one of Switzerland's official languages is essential for successful integration, as well as for obtaining a residence permit. Consider offering tailored language courses to your expatriate employees to speed up this process and help them succeed:
- Work with local language centres to offer courses tailored to the language skills of each employee and their family.
- Encourage the use of the language within the company by organising language workshops or encouraging internal communication in the local language.
Cultural courses to understand Switzerland's specific social norms
Switzerland has a rich and unique culture, with codes and social norms that are inevitably different from your employees' country of origin (even the closest). It is therefore essential to help them adapt to their new environment:
- Organise cultural orientation sessions for expats, covering topics such as Swiss politeness, work habits, local public holidays and much more.
- Provide online resources or cultural guides to help them understand Swiss society.
- Offer Swiss culture courses, with a local language centre, so that your employees can talk to an instructor and ask all their questions to help them adapt quickly
As well as training your expatriate employees, you can also raise awareness of cultural diversity among your local teams. To do this, you can organise training courses on accepting differences, combating discrimination and respecting foreign cultures. This will promote an inclusive working environment for all employees.
Encouraging the creation of networks to prevent isolation
Expatriates, like their families, can often feel isolated when they first arrive. To avoid this feeling, here are a few things you can do:
- Organise social and professional events for your staff, such as welcome lunches, themed evenings and working groups.
- Set up a mentoring system, where expatriates are matched with local colleagues who can help them integrate.
- Encourage participation in local associations or sporting activities to encourage social interaction outside work.
Administrative, legal and health support
Expatriation is often accompanied by complex administrative and legal procedures. Offer support to help your employees navigate these processes, such as obtaining work and residence permits, opening local bank accounts, and understanding Swiss taxation. You can also facilitate your employees' access to essential services such as childcare, education and local transport.
At the same time, make sure that your expatriate employees have adequate health insurance cover in Switzerland. Inform them about local medical services and supplementary insurance options.
Continue your efforts
It is common practice for companies to offer support when a new employee joins. However, this support should extend beyond the first few months. You can therefore establish a regular monitoring process to gather feedback from your expatriate employees and assess the success of their integration.
In summary
The success of expatriation to Switzerland depends on a number of factors. As a human resources manager, you have a key role to play in facilitating this transition.
By integrating these solutions into your international recruitment processes, you can improve the well-being of your expatriate employees, thereby enhancing your company's reputation.
Finding local partners who understand your business issues will enable you to :
- Make it easier for you to manage international recruitment.
- Save you time in implementing each solution.
- Integrate your staff more quickly.
Formations&Co can help you provide language and cultural training for your staff, with programmes specially designed for foreigners moving to Switzerland.