The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Feeling at home, far away from home

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Wednesday, Apr 29, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Feeling at home, far away from home

Amritha Alladi

Thanks to relocation agencies, immigrants have made the transition quite smoothly

Immigrants of non-Indian descent have a hard time securing work permits
Even for those who relocate through their companies, work culture gives the biggest shock

CHENNAI: They came, they saw, and now, they’re getting comfy. It’s not just the Non-Resident Indians who are returning home, but expatriates from several countries who are in search of new opportunities. Thanks to relocation agencies, immigrants have made the transition quite smoothly.

“It’s been a very positive experience,” said Helen Martella, who moved here from Australia. “The people here are just so friendly and they’ve been quite welcoming and helpful.” She’s referring to the help she received from Global Adjustments, a leader in relocation services that eases acculturation and identifies the needs of immigrants to find appropriate rental properties and schools.

Apartments with amenities

Ranjani Manian, CEO of Global Adjustments, said it’s common now to find apartments equipped with luxurious amenities. The most popular features include a swimming pool, car park facility, pressure-pumped showers and light wood finishes, although Ms. Manian said safety continues to be the primary concern for them.

According M.K. Sundaram, Managing Director of Chozha Foundation, there’s no need for a gated community or alarm system; a round-the-clock security guard and intercom system would suffice.

In Chennai, such 2-3 bedroom properties cost anywhere between Rs.60 lakh and Rs.80 lakh, but, as Proprietor of Ace Realty Connection M.R. Nazeer noted, price is never a determining factor, because “within Chennai city, these people are ready to pay.”

Job openings

Meanwhile another relocation agency, Strategic Links, has helped the spouses of relocated employees feel more at home, by providing them a list of job openings, avenues for volunteer work, and skills training opportunities.

Director Jennifer Moore said many register for management courses, just to maintain their career path, while some others pick up skills training unique to India, such as art, handicrafts, beauty therapy, or Ayurveda. However, the expats note that some additional services would allow them to get cosier here.

Immigrants of non-Indian descent have a hard time securing work permits. Regulations necessitate that they return to their home country every 180 days to renew their visas, which Matt Martella, Managing Director of ANSAC, a soda ash distributor, describes as a “pain in the neck.” He said the process of obtaining an employment visa takes up to six months, and a service to facilitate and speed up the paperwork could help. But even for those who relocate through their companies, work culture gives some employees the biggest shock. The spicy food, language barrier, and climate are not so hard to deal with; it’s the work culture that gives some relocated employees the biggest shock.

While the office milieu itself has been described by some as “extremely laid back,” many relocated employees agree that there is a “certain level of bureaucracy,” that’s immediately discernable when these employees join work.

Chidambaram Ramaswamy worked in the U.S. for six years before he became a semi-conductor consulting manager in Bangalore. He said that the office in India is more emotionally charged than the “professional” setting he had experienced in the U.S., and despite hierarchy, he said co-workers “show their muscle,” even if they are in a lower-level position.

“They sometimes feel we are a threat, and don’t take us seriously until we deal with them firmly,” he said. “Also, when they want a promotion, they know to ask, but they don’t know how to ask,” he said, referring to unqualified candidates who compare themselves with their promoted counterparts at other companies. Thus relocation agencies could address culture shock experienced at the workplace as well.

Additionally, Mr. Ramaswamy added that furnishing a new apartment becomes one of the “biggest hassles,” because the shipment of the immigrant’s belongings takes over eight weeks.

Ms. Martella, who ordered temporary kitchen utensils, appliances, linens and basic furniture for her apartment, said the items provided upon her arrival were extremely bare-bones and of very poor quality, she said. Thus, this opens up a potential business opportunity for a company which could provide quality furniture to expats upon their arrival, even if it’s only on a rental basis, Ms. Martella said.

According to her, all entrepreneurs could cater to the new market of immigrants keeping in mind one basic premise: “What comforting things can we provide?”

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