by Peggy Love

Never underestimate the unknown risks your expats face in a new culture -- even in countries that are considered "safe."


      In 1839, a British officer rode up to the gates of a city in Afghanistan. The officer was on a diplomatic mission to meet the Emir. Unfortunately, he was unaware that it was forbidden to ride his horse in the Emir's presence. He rode inside the city gates and was promptly thrown into the dungeon. Several years later he was beheaded. Clearly, the officer's mistake was a cultural one. Had he only been aware of the danger that lay before him, he would have gotten off his horse, walked in -- and saved his life.

     Like the officer, employees on foreign assignment are often unaware of the potential dangers that exist in their host country. When they are living in their own culture, they know where the dangers likely exist. When they move to a different country, they need to put safety and security issues into a cultural context. Whether you are an expat about to embark on an international assignment, or a corporate professional responsible for expat management, safety training needs to be a part of your pre-departure program.

      Not necessarily safer, just different
       Consider the story of the Jones family. The Joneses had just moved into a lovely, "safe" part of London. One day as Mrs. Jones was backing her car out of the driveway, the back portion of her car exploded. Although she was not physically hurt, she was emotionally shaken -- especially when she learned it was a bomb that had caused the explosion. At first she wondered why she had been a target. She later learned that the previous occupants of the Joneses' house had been members of the British military -- who are often the target of bombings.

      How could the Joneses have avoided this incident? With a little safety awareness beforehand. Americans do not routinely check under their cars for suspicious items; to date, this hasn't been necessary in the United States. However, British military families make it a habit to always check under their cars before driving away. And somewhere, in their garages or closets, you'll find mirrors attached to long sticks.

       Employees living in a foreign environment need to be aware of their vulnerability on a day-to-day basis. A safety  training program forces expats to confront potential safety issues on both a cultural and practical level, before leaving home.

      Although the first tenet is to incorporate safety and security awareness into everyday life, expats need to realize awareness training and information alone won't keep them from being a target or experiencing an attack on their personal safety. Anyone can find themselves in a security risk situation that's not of their own making -- even those with advanced safety training!

       At a luncheon in Washington, DC, some years ago a panel of speakers presented a talk about Security Awareness. The panel consisted of several individuals, including a former security trainerwho had been held hostage in Iran. The security trainer had addressed embassies worldwide on how to deal with hostage situations. He'd taught diplomats how to avoid being taken hostage and how to survive if they were kidnapped. When he was taken hostage himself, one of the most difficult things he had to deal with was the knowledge that he had trained others how to protect themselves. Today he considers himself a much better security trainer because of his experience. The point is not to become complacent about your personal safety -- even if you have been trained in safety and security risks.

      Let common sense prevail
      A good safety program begins with common sense; what is relevant to life in the home country can be adjusted to life in another country. Remember, cultural awareness and safety awareness go hand in hand. Expats need to know the local rules.

      They'll also want to keep informed about international and local current events by watching local TV and reading the international publications available in the host country.  Political situations change rapidly, and these changes can quickly impact safety issues. How expats are viewed and accepted as visitors in another country is tied to the political climate. They may be perfectly safe one day, and become a target the next, simply because someone in their host country didn't like what the US president said or did .

       Expats also need to be aware of media sensationalism, particularly if the United States is their foreign destination. People outside the US have the idea that everyone here carries a handgun. No wonder they only want to live in apartments above the 8th floor in New York City! Bad news travels fast through the local and expatriate communities. Expats need to learn to sift through and process the information they receive. A good predeparture program will help them keep things in perspective.

      A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing . . . An American woman, living in Europe at the time of the Gulf War, received a bit of anti-terrorism training before her international assignment. She knew general facts about how terrorists behave and about the terrorist culture. Armed with this little bit of knowledge, she managed to scare many people in the expatriate community because she, herself, was scared. She hadn't learned to keep things in perspective and thus to apply her training in a positive way.

      As with cultural training, safety awareness training must be continued on arrival in the destination country. No matter where in the world you are moving employees, chances are good that someone there can fill you in on local safety issues. This will help expats keep things in balance.  It's also wise to get opinions from more than one person about safe places to go and safe things to do.

       One woman arrived in Indonesia for an international assignment and was advised not to go shopping in the bazaar. Although she had lived in Iran a few years before and had shopped all over that country, she took her "advisor" at her word. After all, the advisor was more familiar with the Indonesian culture. Several weeks later, however, people began inviting the woman to go to the bazaar. She quickly realized that while her advisor had been well-meaning, she was also a bit fearful, and it would have been wise for the woman to have sought a second opinion on the matter.

      Better safe than sorry
      Safety awareness is critical no matter where in the world you are living. So how do expats apply what they know and what they learn in a pre-departure program to life in a new
country? As the Joneses learned the heard way, life in a foreign environment is not necessarily safer, just different. Expats need to always be aware of their surroundings --and to avoid drawing attention to the fact they are not natives of the culture.

Peggy Love is president of Full Circle International Relocations, Inc., McLean, Virginia, an intercultural consulting company providing relocation and settling-in services to corporations sending employees on foreign assignments. She may be reached at (703) 448-1902.

     This article is © Copyright 1997, and reprinted by permission of the Relocation Journal & Real Estate News. Check them out at http://www.relojournal.com