Consulting & Advisory Services, with Weichert Workforce Mobility. “A few years ago, they were entering the workforce and not getting married as early as previous generations. However, now that they are older and have established their careers, they are in fact settling down.” Lisa Mendelsohn, regional director for North America with Crown World Mobility, agrees that the Millennial workforce is driving a renewed demand for spousal and partner assistance, adding, “With the latest Pew Research indicating that Millennials represent 35 per cent of the workforce, their wants, needs, and expectations are shaping mobility. And nowhere is this more apparent than in how accompanying partners influence the process.” PLANNING FOR TWO Today’s relocations are rarely about the employee alone. Accord- ing to the IMPACT Group’s 2018 report, The People Perspective on Relocation, 89 per cent of employees move with a spouse or partner. What’s more, their number one concern when broaching such a move is their partner’s career. There is additional research to back this up. The 2018 EY/ NetExpat report, for example, indicates that 70 per cent of employees would not accept an assignment if their partner’s career were to be negatively impacted. And, in an earlier 2014 study by the global leadership training firm Berlitz, 68 per cent of employees said they would not accept an assignment if their partner could not continue to work (if they wanted). Statistics aside, there are strong arguments to be made for second- party career support. From a basic affordability angle, recent Globe and Mail research shows that over two-thirds of Canadian couples are dual-income. This makes it difficult – if not impos- sible – for coupled employees to accept an assignment that might ultimately result in less total earnings. This especially rings true for employees considering an assignment in a more expensive market where a second income is key to affording a home and sustaining a desired quality of life. There is also the issue of morale. Uprooting one’s life and liveli- hood to support an employee’s move can take a significant toll on a partner or spouse. “The partner is the only member of the family who leaves everything behind and goes to zero structure in their life,” says Mendelsohn. “They have to start from scratch building a personal network and finding meaningful ways to fill their day independent of the employee.” The alternative isn’t necessarily ideal. Employees who relocate without their partner or spouse may often ask for paid trips back and forth from their new location. That can add stress to both the employee’s life and their employer’s budget. Adds Connell: “When a spouse stays behind and an employee moves on, you’re not only looking at a lot of travel, but you’re disrupting a family. Over time, that can lead to the employee losing focus on their job, which can then lead to the company losing the employee because they can’t settle into their new location.” A HOST OF SOLUTIONS Helping a partner or spouse settle into their new situation is one thing. Helping them pick up where they left off in their career, or assisting them with finding a new pursuit, is another, and it is argu- ably the most important move an employer can make to ease the transition for the couple. Approaches to partner/spouse career support are varied. For some employers, it is feasible to offer the travelling party a job within the firm. For others, it makes more sense to provide packages with resume writing, re-certification assistance, training, or job market research, and other career-finding services. Perhaps one When Jorge Vidal Gutierrez’s wife relocated from Mexico to Canada for her work, it didn’t take long for culture shock to set in. As the accompanying spouse, Gutierrez discovered that finding a job in Canada was not the same as looking for work in his home country. While he was more than qualified for the positions he pursued, he struggled to get past most companies’ HR department. That’s before Gutierrez began working with his Canadian-based career coach, George Dutch. Collaborating with a skilled career professional enlightened Gutierrez on the ins and outs of job search protocol in Canada. For instance, Dutch advised the newcomer to develop merit-based performance examples to include in his resume, which are very important in Canada. “George gave me a clear understanding of what Canadian employers look for in a candidate,” notes Gutierrez, “and put positive pressure on me to explore different options during my job search.” CASE STUDY: THE POWER OF COACHING - Ed Marshall, Practice Leader, Global Mobility, with IMPACT Group Helping a partner or spouse settle into their new situation is one thing, helping them pick up where they left off in their career is another Fall 2018 PERSPECTIVES 35