Remote Relocations

In this ever increasingly international society , more and more companies are needing to become global to survive, or at least have a global presence. No longer is it just the large corporations, but now small to medium sized organizations are needing to become "multi-national". As this global phenomenum pulls in smaller companies to the international market, in the relocation industry we are seeing that this is driving the destination of transferees from the highly populated "financial" and "manufacturing" centers of the world to more remote locations. Transferees that used to be located in the Tokyos of the world, are now often being asked to spend their assignment amongst rice paddies.

We are seeing an increasing wide range of Japanese companies (especially in manufacturing in the Chubu Region) who are developing partnerships with overseas vendors / distributors. Often, as these Japanese businesses begin to succeed and grow in both the foreign and domestic market due to these relationships, it is necessary for the overseas entity to have someone on the ground here in Japan. Read on if you are one of these foreign companies!

This creates the perfect receipe for disaster, as different expectations from the Japanese side and the overseas side immediately create and build conflict. A classic example is the housing contract of the overseas employee. The overseas employee and often his superiors assume that the Japan side company will assist to coordinate the contract and even sign it. Anyone who knows Japan well already knows that not many companies in Japan, let along the individuals in the company, are going to be willing to act as a signing party or guarantor. This is just the start, however, as the Japanese "receiving" company will probably not have worked with an "on-the-ground" overseas coordinator before and will therefore be unsure of how to help, even if they want to. Likewise, the overseas coordinator is not likely to have lived in Japan before, and will therefore rely on the Japanese partner for guidance. Bad mistake, as the guidance is unlikely to be correct or clear, and before everyone even starts working together they are totally frustrated with each other.

In these cases, you really want our organization H&R Consultants to be in the middle of things. We have experienced Japanese staff to work with Japan side company to help them handle the typical issues and understand where the foreign party is coming from. We then have foreign consultants to work with the foreign dispatchee; helping to manage their expectations and educate them on all the differences here in Japan and all of the processes that have to be followed.

So, back to "Remote Relocations". What we are seeing is that a number of foregin employees are increasingly being dispatched to very rural areas of Japan. This obviously increases the burden, as there is just not the infra-structure or language ability in the remote relocation like there is in a large city. Just in the last week, we have worked with people in locations such as Ise, Okayama, Okazaki and Utsunomiya, all cities with small populations.

Housing in remote Japanese areas are usually much more inferior than the larger cities. In fact you just can't easily find options that are even "Semi-Western Style". However, the overseas entity will assume the "Western Option" exists. Then the Japanese entity will usually assume that what does exist will be sufficient. Naturally, this creates huge gap that needs to be closed!

Once you have closed this gap, there are many more gaps waiting. The overseas entity will assume that an English contract is available and that they can sign it. Wrong! It will definately be a Japanese contract only! Think about it! Would you expect a Japanese contract to be available in rural Texas?! Owners in rural areas are unlikely to be used to having foreign tenants, and are likely to be very conservative. This is when you need the help of your Japanese business partner, but if they aren't expecting to help, you have big problems!

So, what is the message here. Well, if you thought a relocation to the main center of a Asian Country was difficult, then you have twice the difficulty if you are sending someone to a remote relocation. Twice as much planning is required, and you must do the work up-front in terms of making sure you have the support and understanding of your Japanese partner. Unless you have someone in your company that is a veteran of Japan, you are not going to be able to do this without help of real estate and relocation professionals. Don't ruin your relationship with your Japanese partner or branch office before you start working together. Get help from relocation professionals first and make sure you
- Don't assume anything
- Collect as much information on the destination as possible
- Visit the destination in advance and confirm things
- Start early!

Nobody can work properly if they are not effectively housed and cared for. Think about it!