Taking the stress out of homecomings
Ample research, pre-move visits and right mindset can help returnees settle back in
By Gabriel Chen
WHEN Mr Mak S.H. came back to Singapore in 2002 after more than 20 years of working abroad in the financial sector, he was looking forward to his retirement.
Then a good offer came. The 67-year-old banker was invited to manage hotels for a Taiwanese resort group.
He decided to postpone his ‘exit’ from the working world and to take up the Singapore-based post.
Mr Mak explained that it was less stressful than his previous position as an overseas country manager at a bank. He was also attracted to the fact that it was based here, as he could spend more time with his wife and children.
But in the event, his homecoming was not exactly a bed of roses. ‘In the Northern Hemisphere, I could enjoy different seasons and climate, whereas here it is hot, hotter and hottest. Moreover, coming home, I needed to re-establish ties with my long-lost friends,’ he said.
Mr Mak’s twin daughters also found it hard to settle back into the local school system, given that they had lived with him in Canada for five years. ‘When it came to the study of Chinese, they struggled pretty hard,’ he said.
Mr Mak is not alone. Many Singaporeans who journey home face considerable adjustment periods after spending years seeking their fortunes overseas.
They must acclimatise to local conditions. Also, due to their ‘foreign experiences’, they sometimes find themselves making some tough decisions down the road.
Take veteran banker Tan Su Shan, for example. After spending nearly a decade abroad, Ms Tan came back to Singapore in 1997 as she and her husband wanted to raise a family.
She had studied at Oxford University and spent the formative years of her career overseas, so she mulled over whether to send her children to an international school back here. ‘The local standards are high and the curriculum rigorous. Having said that, I like the international school’s more holistic and sporting curriculum,’ she said.
Ms Tan, founder of the Financial Women’s Association in Singapore, eventually settled on a local school for Talisa and Kai as she wanted them to be fluent in Mandarin and to have many local friends.
Mr Gary Lai, manager for search firm Robert Walters, is seeing more Singaporeans who want to come home.
Owing to the global economic crisis, some Singaporeans are losing jobs abroad and they are finding it difficult to secure another one abroad, Mr Lai said.
Mr Paul Endacott, a director at search firm Ambition, said what makes moving to Singapore that much easier and practical today is that the country is no longer a ‘backwater dot where your career gets put on hold’.
Still, relocation by its very nature can be stressful and nothing beats being prepared for the experience. Here are four tips to make the return less onerous:
It is a family decision
ANY relocation will be a life-changing event and the decision will impact everyone in the family. Therefore, it is important that the decision is made together and everyone in the family is involved.
Ms Tan suggested that parents visit school websites before they come back and, if possible, return for a visit or two before they move the family.
‘If the kids are old enough, take them along for the school visits,’ she said.
Be positive
WHILE your homecoming can be stressful, you must remain resolute and bear in mind the benefits of moving back.
‘It’s the transition that’s the tough part, but with preparation, that will become relatively straightforward,’ Mr Endacott said.
Mr Donny De Silva, a recruitment consultant at Hudson, suggests returnees get other Singaporeans coming home to form social networking groups that would be of interest to them, for instance, centred on golf, tennis or soccer.
‘Work is just a function of life but it is the relationships that you make that will make you feel at home,’ he said.
Do your homework
DOING your homework is imperative and a smooth relocation will take careful planning.
Ms Annie Yap, founder of search firm AYP Associates, said three months before coming back, returnees must read more about the current affairs and any changes in business regulations as that will help them assimilate into the workforce.
Ms Jacinta Low, head of human resource planning and employee communications at OCBC Bank, agreed, saying that relocated employees should continue to stay connected with what is happening in Singapore.
Ms Agnes Loi, UBS’ regional programme manager for key talents who spent four years at its Zurich office, said it was useful to be psychologically prepared for the cultural changes.
‘I mentally painted the worst possible scenarios I might encounter such as dealing with the crowd rushing into the MRT trains without letting me alight.
‘It was managing my own expectations so that I would not get too uptight about what I might encounter.’
Appreciate Singapore for what it is
RETURNEES must have an open mind and not always compare Singapore with where they have been, said Mr Tan Soo Jin, a director at recruitment firm Amrop Hever Group.
‘There is nothing more annoying to locals than to have someone who keeps telling them how good the other place is and how things are done better,’ Mr Tan said.
‘By all means bring back and share better ways of doing things and share the culture of the other country but be sensitive that the local Singaporean culture and environment have their strong points as well.’
gabrielc@sph.com.sg
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