This episode brings three observations that are really three future directions for this podcast and my work: 1. Frameworks Are Relevant Across Contexts 2. The Travelling Parent and Home-Based Parent Experience Time Apart Differently 3. The Role of Organisational Support.

For those who listen regularly, please note that for the next 6 months, I will be posting 1x/month until December 2026 instead of 2x/month.

Three Observations/Future Directions

1. Details change, Adapt to Context but Frameworks Remain

• Details change:
• expectations for example of the role of the father so this may change expected involvement when he travels
• International Business Travellers may have slightly more control over schedule than rotation workers
• A parent may be home 1x year vs a parent who comes back every weekend
• Episode 62: The 5 Pillar Framework: Individual, Couple, Parenting, Transition, Risk Factor (emergencies & dangerous locations) I go through how you can use the Five Pillar framework if you are deciding on a split family assignment/non family duty station or if you are already frequently travelling for work.
• Blog The One Family Framework - A 3-Step Strategy Guide for Parents Living Apart - Rhoda Bangerter

2. Different Angles to Time Apart

Time apart is never experienced in exactly the same way by everyone in the family. The travelling parent, the home-based parent, and each child occupy different positions within the family system, shaping what they notice, carry, and need. A travelling mum may experience more social stigma about leaving her children, a travelling father may feel increasing disconnection.

Focus for future episodes:

• home based mum (incl personal wellness, development, experience of transition, emergencies or dangerous locations)
• home based dad (incl personal wellness, development, experience of transition emergencies or dangerous locations)
• travelling dad (incl personal wellness, development, experience of transition, emergencies or dangerous locations)
• travelling mum (incl personal wellness, development, experience of transition, emergencies or dangerous locations)
• Children (young children, teens)
• Couple relationships

3. Organisational Support

• The role of HR: is there relunctance of verbalising challenges - Maybe an organisation doesn’t want the families to want too much. Questions of where duty of care starts and where private sphere begins.
• Strategic HR Prof Benjamin Bader Professor of International HRM and co-founder of MasteringGM® asks the question: Do organisations want strategic HR?

“Challenge can feel uncomfortable yet challenge is often where strategic value emerges”

“Mobility sits at the crossroads of talent, cost, risk, compliance, employee experience and business growth”

• These unaccompanied postings, Short Term Assignments, International Business Trips are where risk lies, where unnecessary costs lie, where employee experience and talent lies.
• Studies have shown that conflict between work and family is negatively correlated to job satisfaction (Dorio et al., 2008) and can have detrimental effects on health (Greenhaus et al., 2006), specifically on stress and burnout. (Allen et al., 2000). Guttormsen (Guttormsen, 2018) points out the importance for sending organisations to know more about these assighments and their constraints in order to avoid mismanagement or difficulties in “sourcing talent”.
• Do organisations track recruitment for these non family postings?
• Is the organisation willing to look into these postings and staff demands and to test if intervention makes a positive difference? Are you tracking wellbeing? Do you really want to know about illness and FBT? Loneliness and non-family posting? More Work-Family Conflict? Or More Enrichment?
• Do you want to track retention?
• There are ways to support your employees that are not costly eg intranet (document for foreign services)
• Perceived Organisational Support Increases Employee Commitment

Perceived Organizational Support (POS) is the extent to which employees believe their employer values their contributions and genuinely cares about their well-being. Perceived Organisational Support (POS) Theory shows the positive correlation between how the employee sees their employer as supportive of their well-being and their level of commitment to said organisation (Eisenberger et al., 1990; Eisenberger et al., 1986). Organisational support is also vital as demonstrated by Mutter on the stay behind family. (Mutter & Thorn, 2021)

Level of staff commitment was first measured via the Organisational Commitment Questionnaire (OCQ) (Mowday et al., 1979). Commitment is measured according to these three factors: “willingness to exert effort”, “desire to maintain membership in the organization”, and “acceptance of organizational values” which cover both staff behaviour and attitudes towards the organisation. Perceived Organisational Support is measured by the Survey of Perceived Organisational Support (SPOS) and measures how much the employee perceives the organisation would support them.

Real and Perceived Organisational Support (POS) towards the staff member and their family can be mutually beneficial. As the staff member perceives and experiences voluntary support from their employer, their commitment to that organisation is likely to increase. Absenteeism and turnover costs will likely decrease. (Eisenberger et al., 1986; Rhoades & Eisenberger, 2002)

Organisations may have financial compensation, hardship allowances or additional home trips in place. Beyond that, not many organisations have a coherent and explicit support policy. Staff are left to their own devices even as the job spills over into their family time and space and vice-versa.

Perceived Organisation Support makes a difference to employee recruitment, commitment, and retention. (Eisenberger et al., 1990; Ghosh & Ray, 2023; Nandasena & Rebecca, 2023). Even more so if perceived to be non-coerced but at the discretion of the company (Eisenberger et al., 2020)

Are your staff afraid of admitting to family challenges for fear of losing or putting their position in jeopardy? Importance to develop trust in support mechanisms.

Prof Kate Hutchings “Sophisticated technologies allow people to be able to connect even when they're in remote locations. But I don't think this should mean that organizations give up all responsibility for supporting people in a split family expatriate situation”

Do you know how many non family postings you have in your organisation? Who tracks travel? And has your organisation mapped absences and travel days? Do your staff do back to back travel?

Contact Rhoda: [email protected]

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Buy the book: Holding the Fort Abroad

Your partner's job opportunity in another country seemed like an exciting idea, but lengthy work assignments mean you're holding down the family fort - alone.

OR Your partner is working and living in another country, and you feel like you are shouldering all the home responsibilities alone.

You may be wondering:

• How can we be a family when we're miles apart?
• Can I cope, alone, when troubles arise?

I believe there are answers to the above questions, and the answers start with you. In this context, it's more important than ever to invest in yourself, to care for yourself, to set your own goals and to watch yourself grow. Equally important is to nurture your relationship with your partner and learn to parent together.