delaware's deep dive into international mobility

“I have a very interesting and challenging job”, explains Kristine Zaiceva, delaware’s International Mobility expert. “I take care of the  legal compliance requirements when people decide to come to Belgium or move to another delaware entity to make sure that they can focus on getting settled in.” That compliance work is quite extensive: from legal assessments, work permit or health insurance applications to support with housing or guidance on driver’s license recognition. 

Naturally, Kristine’s job goes further than that as she also lends an ear to ensure that people feel comfortable in their new environment. In doing so, she also notices the advantages of being an expat. One of those advantages according to Kristine is personal development. As people move to another country, they have an opportunity to  gain new perspectives and insights about different cultures, which also helps them to think more outside the box.

Both for new hires as well as #peopleofdelaware

delaware’s International Mobility program focuses both on new hires as well as on delaware employees who are interested in temporarily assignment in different entity. 

Mohamed Halil, for instance, was living and working in Tunisia when he was contacted by delaware recruiters for a vacancy in Belgium. After some consideration, he decided to take the plunge and embark on a new chapter in both his career and his life. “It feels like a natural next step for me. It also helps that my new colleagues are very friendly and willing to help”, Mohamed says. Sathishkumar, who moved from India to take a job at delaware Germany also praises his new colleagues and adds: “I like the better work-life balance I have in my new job. Adapting to life in Germany can be challenging, but as my German improves, I’m sure I will learn quickly.”

Richard West, on the other hand, had just started working for delaware USA when the opportunity arose for him to temporarily come to Belgium to join the SAP Warehousing team. “Everything was handled very smoothly”, says Richard. “I was quite surprised but also enthusiastic when the question came whether I’d be willing to come to Belgium.” Richard has also praised Kristine for her good work on helping him get settled in.

Michelle Cornu, who switched from delaware France to delaware Luxembourg also praises her colleagues as well as the internal support she received. Aside from that, she also appreciates another quirk that comes with moving to Luxembourg: “In Luxembourg, there are multiple cultures so it’s very diversified and very interesting to learn about them. I see many different ways of thinking and working which makes every day different from the previous one. It is really fun to hear 5-6 languages spoken at the company restaurant and in financial offices.” 

An ever growing community

The number of expats currently working for delaware BeLux entities is around 100 with a total of 33 nationalities. “Finding the right people is becoming ever trickier”, says Kristine. That’s why it makes sense to look for a talent also abroad, focusing on matching skills instead of geographical location.. People from abroad who accept an offer to come to work in a new country are also highly motivated and keen to change their lives.” Aside from that, delaware also welcomes the different perspectives that they bring in their new jobs.

Martin Mathew, another expat who’s been living in Belgium for nearly 5 years, confirms that. He thinks it’s great to see the effort delaware invests in making expats feel at home and helping them to thrive in their new environment. “The expat community at delaware is a very lively one and they can count on great support from Kristine”, says Martin. Luan Ribeiro, who moved from Brazil to Belgium, agrees with Martin: “The International Mobility team does a very good job in assisting people to get settled and my colleagues have been very kind as well. If only the sun would shine a little more 😉.”

Sometimes, circumstances beyond our control force us to look for a job in another country. Oleksandr Kharechko, for instance, is now working for the marketing team at delaware Netherlands since the war in Ukraine started. “Cooperation with the Dutch marketing team at delaware gives me an opportunity not only to get new experience and gain new skills, but to support my country’s economy in such hard times”, says Oleksandr. “Right now, every Ukrainian is looking for a place where he or she could be the most useful, so I am glad that IT companies around the world show willingness to hire Ukrainian specialists remotely.”

Apart from expats relocating to a country with a delaware entity or #peopleofdelware going on assignment to another entity, there’s also the exceptional story of Reinier. He works for delaware Netherlands as an SAP consultant but moved to Poland a couple of months ago. “My wife is Polish and two years ago, we decided to take the plunge and move here”, says Reinier. “When I first brought up the idea of moving abroad, delaware was very accommodating and my team was trying to find ways to make it work”, he explains. Naturally, some conditions were drafted up to make the situation manageable for both sides, but Reinier is very happy with the way his situation was handled. 

delaware is there to support you 

Of course, moving to another country always has a significant impact and Kristine is always ready to listen and help wherever she can. “Obviously everyone is different but feeling homesick is always a part of moving to a different country or culture. That’s why we also try to find a buddy for a new expat within the company sharing similar language, country of origin, or just eager to give some tips & tricks about the country. Often they can relate quite well to how their new colleague is feeling.” 

Although the International Mobility program is still relatively young, its many advantages are already clear. Introducing different perspectives is an interesting way to let both people as well as an organization grow. “I’m very fond of the program”, says Kristine “and I hope that in the years to come, our expat community can keep on growing!” We couldn’t have said it better ourselves!