The Hidden Factor That Makes or Breaks Your Overseas Assignments

Jan de Vries · 2026-07-15

When you send an employee abroad, you're betting on their success. You've invested time, money, and resources into making the assignment happen. But there's one factor many companies overlook: employee happiness. It's not just about being nice. It's about results. ### Why Happiness Matters for Business Outcomes Health and wellbeing support is key to all-round mental and physical health. It supports the happiness of the employee and, therefore, is likely to have a positive impact on the success of their work too. This plays into the hands of the 26% of employers who, according to our latest research, are concerned that employees overseas may be unhappy and will want to return home. And the 19% of employers who are concerned that the assignment may not work out. Providing robust health and wellbeing support will promote overall wellbeing, thus helping with happiness. And healthy, happy employees tend to be more productive, increasing the success of the employee and the business. ### The Real Cost of Ignoring Wellbeing Employee happiness when working overseas is, and should be, a genuine concern for employers. Mental and physical health, along with the success of the placement and assignment, are all connected to employee happiness. Employers must, therefore, take a holistic approach to providing support that addresses all these areas. Health, safety and wellbeing should be the top priorities for supporting all employees, whether they are based in the US or overseas. However, it is arguably even more important to prioritise these areas for employees based abroad, where there may be less readily available support and employees can be isolated. Given the time and money it takes to set up an employee overseas, it's understandable that an employer is invested in the success of the assignment. But this should not overtake the priorities of health, safety and wellbeing. In fact, supporting health and wellbeing, and therefore happiness, is very likely to improve the success of a posting abroad. ### Risks and Regulations: What You Need to Know Risks associated with working abroad will differ by country and region. It's vital that employers are aware of these and offer appropriate support for the safety of their workforce, from guidance on travelling alone to protocols on what to do in an emergency. Similarly, the mandatory health and wellbeing support that employers are obligated to provide for overseas employees will also differ for each region and every country. This can prove complicated, but that doesn't mean the issues should be overlooked. Rather, expert advice may be needed to help ensure employers comply with the rules of each country in which employees are based. ### What Our Research Reveals Our research shows the importance of the assignment itself, with 47% saying fulfilling the business objectives is a top priority in supporting employees abroad, and 41% stating career progression is a top priority. But here's the disconnect: - Nearly a third of businesses (32%) do not prioritise the health and wellbeing of their employees abroad. - Just 60% of employers stated that the safety of overseas employees is a top priority. This is a worrying result for the employees themselves, but also for their employers. They may be failing to comply with regulations, and possibly failing in their duty of care. Combined with the fact that 26% of employers worry that their employees will be unhappy and want to return home, employers who take action are likely to see positive outcomes all round. ### The Concern Gap: Why Employers Should Act Now Our research investigated the concerns employers have regarding their employees working abroad. Over a third (35%) are concerned about the mental health and wellbeing of overseas employees, and an equal 35% are concerned about physical health and wellbeing. In addition, 34% have concerns about employees' personal safety. It may seem at odds that employers are concerned for mental and physical health and personal safety, given 32% of businesses don't prioritise the health and wellbeing of their overseas employees. The message here is: if employers are concerned about employees, support is available to assist them, and the business. ### Practical Steps for Employers With this in mind, employers may wish to review the support they offer to overseas staff and take a close look at what is required by each country's regulations. A good starting point includes: - Conducting a risk assessment for each location - Providing access to mental health resources, like counseling or hotlines - Ensuring physical safety protocols are in place and communicated - Regularly checking in with employees to gauge their wellbeing Investing in employee happiness isn't just the right thing to do. It's a smart business move that can boost retention, productivity, and the success of your international assignments.