CULTURE SHOCK A MAJOR PROBLEM FOR COMPANIES RELOCATING PERSONNEL By Pedro Vaje Javier
Culture Shock Caribbean | March 2006
When relocating personnel to Puerto Rico, companies need to know that cross-cultural training for the whole family is a necessity, not a luxury.
According to Lynn Stravecky, President of Relocation Counseling & Consulting and the only Certified Cross-Cultural Trainer in the Caribbean, spending a relatively small amount providing cultural training programs for employees arriving on the Island, compared to other relocation benefits such as moving expenses, offers great benefits and helps the company’s bottom line. “Helping employees to “hit the ground running. when arriving to Puerto Rico ensures employee retention, maximizes cost effectiveness by managing employee expectations and enhances employee confidence.” Stravecky said, adding, “This is not something human resources department can effectively do.”
“You don’t have to like the way things work, but you do have to accept and respect them.”
Lynn Stravecky
Stravecky said failing to provide employees and their families with the needed cultural training can contribute to assignment failure. “Many employees fail in their assignments because of their inability to cope successfully with the new culture. It is important to realize that this failure is totally avoidable.”
According to the relocation expert, 60% of assignments fail due to insufficient preparation of the employee and the family. More than half of all expatriate employees suffer serious marital difficulties. Stravecky explained that lack of adequate cultural preparation for the employee and the family can lead to an unhappy employee who underperforms at work. “If an individual is having problems adapting, the spouse is unhappy and depressed and the family is having problems, it will reflect on the job performance.”
The counselor mentioned the case of a company executive who was about to be fired for underperformance until he received the proper cultural training. “After receiving the training, he shined!” she said. Employees might also give up and quit in order to go back home to a culture they feel comfortable with, Stravecky stated.
According to Stravecky, the biggest problem is adapting to a new culture can be the effects of Culture Shock. This condition is a recognized clinical condition as well as has been documented in 1958. When new employees and families come to Puerto Rico, they encounter a culture that is unlike the one they have known, according to Ms. Stravecky. She explained there are small cultural nuances that can make relocating traumatic, such as the differences in how the doctors and government does business and the unpunctuality engrained in Puerto Rican society.
“The most important thing that you have to let go when relocating is asking “why?”. Why doesn’t this or that work in the same way that you are used to? You don’t have to like the way things work, but you have to accept and respect them.” Stravecky said.
Culture shock can be a big problem when running a business. Stravecky said many times managers and other employees who come from the mainland are used to a certain way of doing business, a way that is often incompatible with the way people do business in Puerto Rico. She further notes that many Expats only have a short amount of time to complete and assignment and do not have time to waste a year of adaptation and mistakes. She explained that by the time the person adopts the local culture, the damage may already be done and the work relationships might already be strained. “That is why it is important to offer the proper support from the beginning so they don.t take six months or one year to adapt to local culture.”
Stravecky said.
Stravecky herself went through the process of relocation, moving to Puerto Rico eight years ago when her husband was assigned to the island.
“I didn.t have the benefit of cultural training; I had to learn everything the hard way.. She said the learning curve was hard on her and the entire family. “You have to learn things are done differently here from anywhere else,”
she said, noting that this is true when relocating to any new environment.
Her experience relocating to the island helps her help other newcomers through her counseling compan”. Relocation Counseling & Consulting provides two-day workshops for newcomers which include everything, from how to handle business relationships to sampling local cuisine. The workshops are designed to give newcomers a summary of the practical aspects of daily living and working on the island as well as an overview of Puerto Rican culture, such as history, government, society and social etiquette. The program helps newcomers gain a deeper understanding of Puerto Rican values, behaviors and attitudes, the counselor said. Stravecky also offers on-on-one therapy sessions to help individuals better cope with relocating to the island or any other life challenge they may have.
PUERTO RICO’S MOST POWERFUL BUSINESS WOMEN Lynn Stravecky helps newcomers adjust to life in PR
Most Powerful Business Women | July 2006
It was her own personal experience moving to Puerto Rico that convinced Lynn Stravecky “there was a missing link in the relocation process.”
As a Psychotherapist, Stravecky already had the tools she needed to offer professional counseling. But, she took her specialization a step further and went to the U.S. Mainland to study and become a Certified Cultural Trainer.
Today, the Florida International University graduate believes establishing her own relocation counseling and consulting business has been her greatest professional accomplishment thus far.
“Starting my own business and opening a private practice has offered me diversity, a great challenge and the ability to help others,” said Stravecky. “Each case has different issues and I have the opportunity to work with people from all over the world. Helping them to work on their life challenges and appreciate their experience in Puerto Rico is something I am grateful to do on a daily basis.”
Stravecky, who has helped hundreds of individuals and families on assignment adjust to life on the Island, offers schools, corporations and private institutions; workshops and motivational talks related to relationships, relocation, adaptation, culture shock and self-improvement. Her services are provided English only and her clients are usually North Americans relocating to Puerto Rico. Lynn believes that cultural training is the most crucial part of a relocation assignment. One of her primary goals is to be an advocate for families and companies so that all involved reach the goal of happiness and success during the relocation process.
Besides her counseling and training services, Stravecky is preparing to publish her first book about her experience of relocating to Puerto Rico. She is also in the process of developing couples retreats and workshops in English.
COMPANIES IN MOTION Cultural Training: crucial to relocation
Companies in Motion | January 2007
Great! Your wife finally got the promotion she deserved. The fact is, she was promoted to Puerto Rico (which, by the way, your family has never visited) and the mainland U.S. is what you call home.
Leaving home in search of new horizons is not always as exciting as it may sound. There are many details to take care of: what to do with the car, how to search for a house or apartment, which are good schools and neighborhoods or how utilities and other related issues work, among others. In addition, when relocating to a different country, or even from a small town to a big city, cultural changes may come as a shock.
Lynn Stravecky knows first-hand. “I relocated with my family for a company and was not offered a cultural training, which caused great stress, emotionally and with the family.” She also felt frustrated: “I seemed to be doing things the wrong way and thought there was something wrong with me,” she said “ The situation also affected her impression of Puerto Rico” Since she didn.t speak Spanish at the time, it was difficult to find her way around and feel connected.
Although, the process can be confusing and may produce stress and anxiety, the change can be a positive experience when using the right elements. Resources such as the Relocation Counseling & Consulting (RCC), presided over by Stravecky, helps newcomers understand the new cultural and give them tools to better adapt to the new environment.
According to Stravecky, 60% of international assignments fail due to lack of cultural training and support. “Difficulty in adjusting to a new environment greatly impacts the employee.s work performance and home life,” she said.
RCC currently deals with the challenge of changing human resources mindsets concerning relocation orientation. “Cultural training programs are a crucial benefit and should not be viewed as a luxury but as a necessity,” stressed Stravecky.
The company, founded in 2001, helps relocating families with cultural training and mental health services in English and can accommodate Spanish if requested. Puerto Rican families relocating to the mainland U.S. and other international destinations can also seek advice at RCC. “Our programs are tailored to meet the needs of each individual and family member,” said Stravecky.
Her mission, “to help each client find his or her inner strength to overcome life changes and obstacles, and improve their quality of life,” is leaving a mark, that is better expressed through her clients’ own words.
Matt and Jenny Lawrence, age 9 and 11 respectively, relocated from Canada and wrote her a thank you letter saying: “Miss Lynn, we loved going into Old San Juan for lunch and speaking Spanish! We really enjoyed Puerto Rican food and learning about their culture. Thank you for helping us when we were sad and making us laugh.”