Singapore - A rigorous selection process will help increase the success rate of an expatriation programme, said a panel of HR practitioners at the recent Global Workforce Summit: Focus on Asia-Pacific conference on 5 March.

According to Regan Taikitsadaporn, regional VP for Human Resources for Asia Pacific at Marriott International, a person who has the skills and leadership potential is not a guarantee of a successful expatriate assignment. Ruchika Bhaskar Sethi, senior manager of people team, Ernst & Young, global shared services, India also pointed out  that the four reasons why expatriate assignments fail is mainly due to the spousal's inability to adjust, the assignee's inability to adjust, lack of personal maturity, or family problems back home.

Hence, Taikitsadaporn says it is important that HR tries anticipate the expatriation issues beforehand to determine if the employee can cope with working in a different environment.

Speaking from his working experience, some issues HR practitioners should address revolve around the candidate's personal life. Questions raised usually revolve around a candidate's children and any special needs they may have, their spouses and their careers, as well as any health issues that expatriates may face.

"We have to be honest with them upfront. Sometimes we want a person to go so badly that we make these false promises and say, 'Sure, we'll help you [the spouse] find a job.' And of course they get there and they can't work," said Taikitsadaporn.

Selecting the right person with personal characteristics is also important. In Marriott, the organisation provides expatriate candidates and their spouses with online assessment quizzes that help candidates understand if they are a right fit for expatriation. "These assessments talk about:Are they are sociable? Are they adventurous? Are they the type of people who would go out of their way to try or learn new things? Are they curious? Do they watch travel channels?"

The second survey asks the candidate about their working values and styles to see if they would fit in well with the potential host country, added Taikitsadaporn.

Forging a personal connection between the expatriate, his spouse and the new line manager is also important, added Greg Morley, director of staffing and HR services, The Walt Disney Company, Hong Kong. Morley adds that for anybody in a new organisation or place, they would always try to look for a person to connect with, and that person always ends up as the boss or the assistant.

"And what we try to do is set aside enough time before the person leaves to make that connection. It could be over the phone, it could be during the pre-arrival trip," added Morley. "But the personal connection becomes quite important over time because that is the way they learn and share."