Building Resilience When Working Abroad

Working abroad often comes with significant professional challenges—new roles, unfamiliar environments, and the constant need to adapt. But what if the secret to navigating these hurdles effectively lies not just in your personal strategies but in your family dynamics, specifically your relationship with your partner?

Recent research that I conducted together with my colleagues Mihaela Dimitrova , Mina Westman , Shoshi Chen , Olivier Wurtz , Mila Lazarova and Margaret Shaffer sheds light on a fascinating dynamic: the way your partner adjusts to family life during an international assignment can directly influence how engaged you yourself feel in your family and work roles, which in turn tends to be strongly corelated with resilience. We draw on the idea of “positive spillover,” where resources—like energy, focus, and emotional stability—can transfer from one area of your life to another, and “positive crossover,” where positive experiences can transfer from one person to another. Our research indeed demonstrates that, for expatriates, a well-adjusted family often fuels professional engagement.

The Role of Your Partner’s Adjustment

One key finding is the significant role a partner’s adjustment plays in shaping an expatriate’s experiences. When your partner adapts well to the new family and cultural environment, their positive energy often “crosses over” to you. This supportive environment can reduce stress and help you feel more comfortable and engaged in both family and work roles.

However, the research also highlights the importance of self-efficacy, or the belief in your ability to succeed. If you have high self-efficacy, you’re more likely to maintain balance and manage challenges, even if your partner is struggling with adjustment. For those with lower self-efficacy, the positive support of a well-adjusted partner becomes even more critical to thriving abroad.

Family Engagement as a Resilience Booster

Engaging actively in family life doesn’t just enrich your personal relationships; it also creates a reservoir of emotional and cognitive resources that you can draw on at work. Whether it’s a moment of joy with your family or the satisfaction of overcoming challenges together, these experiences can provide the mental energy and focus needed to excel in your professional role.

Interestingly, this spillover works best when you’re confident in your ability to handle the demands of both family and work. High self-efficacy enables you to convert the positive energy from your family life into work engagement, while low self-efficacy might lead to feelings of being overwhelmed by competing demands.

Practical Tips for Expatriates

Here are a few actionable takeaways for expatriates:

1. Prioritize Partner Support: Make an effort to support your partner’s adjustment. Encourage them to build a routine, explore the local culture, or pursue hobbies and career opportunities in the new location.
2. Engage in Family Life: Dedicate time to family activities, even amidst work demands. These moments not only strengthen your bond but also provide a mental reset.
3. Build Your Confidence: If you struggle with self-doubt, consider strategies to boost your self-efficacy. Setting small, achievable goals, celebrating successes, and seeking mentorship can help.
4. Leverage Organizational Resources: Many organizations offer support programs for expatriates and their families, such as cultural training, flexible work arrangements, or networking events. Take full advantage of these opportunities. You may also actively seek coaching that can help with developing tactics to leverage positive experiences in the family domain.

This article was originally published on my blog Expatriatus. And if you prefer to listen to the content as an audio podcast, check out this Notebook LM version of it!