Challenges of International HR Managers when dealing with dual career couples

1. Dual Career Couples
Team TWIX
ROME J .
WONG F .
COVRIG A.
CARATAS A.
WEISSENSTEINER A.

2. AGENDA
Introduction & Definition
Challenges
• Social ties
• Linked lives
• Trailing spouse
Solutions
Conclusion
Discussion
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

3. Dual Career Couples
 First used in 1969
 Both partners pursue an independent career
 High involvement
 Partners are highly educated
 Upward career orientation
 Increased popularity with changing gender roles

4. Positive vs. Negative Aspects
 Better career
opportunities
 Professional autonomy
 Financial
independence
 Organized private life
 Loneliness
 Increased tension in
marriage and family

5. “ (The) spouse plays a key role during expatriation
in terms of willingness to go, assignment
completion, expatriate adjustment and expatriate
performance.”
Dr. Jim McNulty, 2012

6. Challenges For HR
1. Expatriates’ social ties:
“recruiting the best” often means
“recruiting the best couple”
2. The “linked lives” issue:
 Stress management
 Time management
 Parenting & family support

7. Challenges For HR
3. The spouse
 High importance of his/her career
 Convincing the spouse to move abroad
 Keeping the same career level
 Providing adequate compensation
 Repatriation Problem

8. What can HR do?

9. Recruit the right candidate
 Family life cycle stage
 Career life cycle stage
Dual career assistance
 Find placement for
spouse
 Career-enhancing
activities for spouse

10. Family-oriented work policies
 Parental leave
 Child care
 Counseling
 Flexible work arrangements

11. Conclusion
 Biggest challenge : family readiness and adaptability
 Interview
 „Every partner wants to have a career“
 Growing trend of dual-career couples

12. 1. How does having children affect the performance and
success of exaptriate assignments in dual-career couples?
2. What is the difference between dual-career couples
working for the same company and dual-career couples
working in the same city but for different companies? How
will it affect both personal and professional life?

13. Female Expatriation: Questions
Question 1:
According to the findings and statistics of the group, women
are as successful working internationally abroad as men.
How is that possible considering all these additional
challenges? Does HR offer additional support to women?
Question 2:
What can International HR Managers do to avoid being
accused of catering to female expatriates too much, while
giving them that full support?
As realistically, it is still more likely for women to face
discrimination in the workplace.