1. What are some of the difficulties expatriate employees such as Anne Wallace experience when working in a foreign country?
There are many difficulties that employees would face when working in a different country from their own, but we would like to focus on two main points that we feel effect employees like Anne the most. The cultural and language adjustments, first of all, would be a big thing. Even though Anne did know some French, it wasn’t exactly the same, just as English in different places isn’t quite the same. Without more extensive knowledge of the language to where a person is being re-located, simply adjusting to everyday life (such as grocery shopping) can be difficult, let alone a specific work environment. With the language comes the culture in some ways, and being accustomed to a certain way of living your life just to have it completely change is a huge adjustment. Home sickness as well can play a huge factor when it comes to how comfortable you are in a new place as well. Because you would (most likely) have far less of a support system in this new country, there would be no one to understand what you’re going and to help you out. That isn’t to say that you’d be completely cut off of course, but talking on the phone isn’t the same as in person. This would be especially difficult around the holidays when all of your coworkers are going out with their families to celebrate and yours are all a long plane ride away.

2. What assistance might Universal Telesystems have been able to provide in order to ease the adjustments that Anne had to make?
On the part of the Universal Telesystems company as a whole, they could have and should have done more for Anne while she was in Montereau, at least in the beginning. They may have gotten a little costly but, had the company done this, Anne may have been able to do her job better, be less stressed, and feel that she didn’t need to resign. One of the main things that they could have given her is more courses in French, and paying her to take them. Putting this investment into her career in France would not only show Anne that they had confidence in her. It would also allow her to not only learn more day-to-day French, but also to learn the language used at the company and help her to adapt to her new job. What they could have also done when she first arrived is give her a mentor of sorts, possibly someone who has gone through a similar process before or who speaks rather fluent English to teach her about the structure of the company, some of the cultural aspects, and even help translate when Anne seems confused until she becomes more competent with the way French is used in her workplace. A final thing they could have done is given Anne a few extra days off as she’s learning to adjust, in order to keep her stress levels down and in turn, allowing her to be more focused at work. 3. As her supervisor, what advice would you give Anne to help her adjust to her new position and the new culture?
As a supervisor of any new employee, especially those new to the country, encouragement would be a key thing to give. Simple things such as “The company believes you can do this” and “Don’t be so quick to give up, you’re smart enough for this” can help tremendously bring up ones self esteem. Also, especially in Anne’s case, the suggestion to not give up on making friends would be helpful. As much as trying to make friends may seem daunting to someone who is already stressed, being able to go out and have fun every once in a while will help take some of that stress away and make them feel more confident. Not only that, but through this she would also learn more of the language and become more accustomed to the culture of her workplace through these new friends that she’s made. An even better option would be to connect her with people who have been through similar situations as her or are in fact in the same situation. Having someone who knows what you’re going through will not only help you feel better, but you can also get more socialization through this and learn from his or her mistakes and triumphs. The final thing that, as a supervisor, you could try to do is give her somewhat lighter work when she first arrives. This would allow her to focus on these smaller tasks at first, as well as giving her more time to figure out how this particular branch of the company works, making her a more efficient employee in the long run. 4. Considering the way of life you are accustomed to in Canada, what difficulties do you think a person from another country would have in adjusting to life in Canada?
To begin with, both food and weather are significant changes for a person who has recently moved to Canada. At the beginning of the adjusting process, he/she might not be accustomed to the food or the varied weather in Canada. Both of these factors will make him/her feel physically uncomfortable and potentially ill.
In continuation, illness that erupts while in a new country is not always convenient for a person to deal with. There are usually new forms and methods of healthcare to take into consideration. This can lead to physical and emotional stress for a person new to Canada.
Next, cultural shocks and language barriers are difficult challenges a person will have to face. He/she needs to learn and adapt to a culture change as well as a new language in order to communicate well with people.
Furthermore, traveling within the broad land of Canada may give newcomers many difficulties. For instance, being unfamiliar with the transit system may lead to confusion. People first arriving to Canada are not familiar with the geography of the city and direction may be a problem when seeking a destination.
Lastly, many people arriving from other countries often experience being home sick. While adjusting to being in a new country, they may feel uncomfortable in the culture and atmosphere. This causes many people to feel depressed and miss their home.