In the past we have written about online tools to compare different countries, about the happiest places to relocate, about how to have a good work-life balance while on international assignment, about how to have a good life while on assignment and even a two-part series on why you need to accept that international assignment (part 1 and part 2.) So I guess you could say we’re passionate about the relocation of people overseas. We want people to have the best possible experience while there – we want the experience to be good for them, their family and their corporation.

Recently OCED published their work-life balance index of countries around the world based on a number of factors including housing, income, jobs, community, education, environment, governance, health, life satisfaction, safety and work-life balance. This last criteria work-life balance is determined by “the number of employees working long hours; the percentage of working mothers; and the time people devote to leisure and personal activities” in each country. Overall Australia was ranked with the best work-life balance according to the criteria above. Below you will find how each member country ranked according to their different factors. To read more about the report please click here.

What countries have the best work-life balance?

1. Australia
2. Canada
3. Sweden
4. New Zealand
5. Norway
6. Denmark
7. United States
8. Switzerland
9. Finland
10. Netherlands
11. Luxembourg
12. Iceland
13. United Kingdom
14. Austria
15. Ireland
16. Germany
17. Belgium
18. France
19. Japan
20. Israel
21. Slovenia
22. Spain
23. Czech Republic
24. Italy
25. Poland
26. Korea
27. Greece
28. Slovak Republic
29. Hungary
30. Portugal
31. Estonia
32. Chile
33. Mexico
34. Turkey

The truth is that no matter what country you live in you can have a good or bad work-life balance. Therefore it is up to you to develop good patterns from the start. For some it might mean turning the email off between certain hours or scheduling down time. For others it might mean finding a hobby which allows you to get some mental distance away from the issues at work. While for others signing up for an international assignment will provide the perfect opportunity to hit the “refresh” button on their own work-life balance. Do you think that a relocation might be your next step to finding a good work-life balance? Finding a way to balance your life is in your hands. Choosing a work-life pattern that works for you will yield results in both your professional and personal life.

A few weeks ago HSBC launched their Interactive Expat Explorer tool which compares many aspects of expat life in various countries in the world from differences in taxes to quality of life, it covers a broad range of topics in a colorful interactive format.

This tool will help you understand the details of where your relocation is taking you and how that new destination compares to your current location. You can look at how countries around the world compare on a range of topics such as economics, quality life, the safety of children and you can even compare two countries on a more granular level side-by-side.

In addition to the HSBC tool, Lloyds TSB International also has an Expat Tool as well which specifically focuses on comparing International Schools, Property and Cost of Living around the world.

Using these tools before your relocation can will make the experience much smoother because you can plan for your destination before you get there.

Use these Expat Interactive Tools:

HSBC Expat Explorer Interactive
Lloyds TSB International Expat Tool

Hot Trends in Global Immigration:
Compliance (It’s the New Black!)
Wednesday, February 8, 2011

10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. CST Governments worldwide are investigating immigration compliance more thoroughly, with many countries requiring employers to act as compliance officers. This informative webinar will focus on how to manage your risk, with specific attention to changing enforcement practices worldwide, the various penalties for
non-compliance, and the risks of business travel.

Click here to register

This course is approved for one hour of CRP credit and one credit hour toward PHR, SPHR and GPHR recertification.

 “While many other relocation companies, both large and small, have come and gone in the last 25 years, Paragon has thrived even during the most challenging economic times and is well positioned for the next 25 years or longer, said Morabito, Founder and CEO of Paragon. 

 Morabito also credits the company’s longevity in the relocation industry to the talent of his employees. 

 “We have been supported and bolstered throughout the years by our long tenured employees who form the foundation of our company, as well as the significant experience of our senior leadership team.  With decades of experience in all facets of global mobility, we have been able to build an exceptional company that is prepared to succeed today, tomorrow and for many years to come,” stated Morabito.

 Today, Paragon owns numerous subsidiaries in addition to Paragon Relocation including Paragon Relocation Holdings, Paragon GeoImmigration, Paragon Decision Resources, GenEquity Mortgage, Paragon GeoMobility, as well as many other corporations in numerous countries.  

 About Paragon Relocation

Paragon Relocation is the premier partner of choice in the Global Relocation Management industry providing innovative programs, value-added support, superior customer service and thought leadership to our clients and the families we relocate. Paragon Relocation has been providing relocation services for 25 years and offers services in 150 countries. For further information, please visit www.paragonrelocation.com.

A good place to start is to determine where alcohol is consumed most frequently around the world and then compare that with your typical drinking patterns in your current location. Do you drink more often or less often than is average in your new destination?

Which countries drink the most alcohol in the world?

According to this Economist.com map below and a recent Forbes article the leading drinking region of the world is clearly Europe although drinking alcohol is popular in many countries throughout the world.

On a per capita basis here are the top 20 drinking countries in the world:

1. Luxembourg
2. Hungary
3. Czech Republic
4. Ireland (Hello, Paragon Relocation Dublin office!)
5. Germany
6. Spain
7. Portugal
8. United Kingdom
9. Denmark
10. Austria
11. France
12. Cyprus
13. Switzerland
14. Belgium
15. Russia
16. Slovakia
17. Latvia
18. Romania
19. Finland
20. Netherlands

Other countries of note that didn’t make the top 20 list include Italy (24), the United States (26), Brazil (41), China (42), and Mexico (45).

What are the most popular alcoholic drinks in the world?

According to a WHO (World Health Organization) report distilled spirits are the most popular type of drink in the world (followed by beer and then wine) yet this varies significantly by country as shown in the map below.

What is the drinking etiquette in your country?

Because many countries are globalizing today they are assimilating a diversity of ideas about drinking into their culture. With that said there are still many underlying traditions around the world that continue to flourish and it makes sense to understand them before you move to a country on an international assignment.

A few notable examples of drinking traditions include:

Japan: In Japan is not polite to fill your own glass, wait for your table mate to fill your glass. In addition, if you fill their glass it might remind them to fill your empty glass. Filling your own glass announces to the world that you might have an alcohol problem.

Russia: In Russia drinking is often all or nothing, with vodka being a prominent drink of choice. Among many other drinking traditions in Russia, empty bottles should not be placed on the table but should be put on the floor, the first and second toast are the most important, and it is considered rude to interrupt the proceedings between the first and second shot.

Australia: In Australia there aren’t many rules related to drinking other than making it a point to buy your friends a round of drinks. In Australia the name for this tradition is called the “Shout” and often the expectation is that your round of drinks will be reciprocated by others in the group.

China: In China for special occasions its not uncommon to break out the “bai jiu” (translation – “firewater”) which doesn’t have much flavor but delivers quite a punch to your throat. Typically this beverage is enjoyed during meals at which time one of your table mates salutes you with “gan bei” challenging you to drink until both glasses are dry.  During the gan bei it is encouraged for you to keep eye contact with the one who toasted their drink to you as a show of respect.

In addition to the drinking traditions of these countries there are a plethora of resources available on the internet to research the drinking traditions of your destination before you get there. In general we recommend, searching sites like Wikipedia, Lonely Planet and Frommers to discover the drinking nuances of many different cultures throughout the world. In addition to doing research our advice would be to carry with you some level of common sense related to drinking alcohol, if you have reached a point at a social function where you shouldn’t be drinking anymore find ways to communicate that to your friends of another culture without offending them, if possible. Generally speaking, even in cultures with strongest traditions they will respect your decision to stop drinking if you communicate effectively.

What drinking traditions have you observed around the world that are different from your own? Please let us know your stories of international drinking experiences and any advice you have about drinking abroad in the comments on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter!

Bonus: How to say “Cheers” in different languages!

England: ‘Cheers!’ (Good wishes)
Wales: ‘Iechyd da!’ (Good health)
Germany: ‘Prost!’ (May it be good)
Romania: ‘Noroc!’ (Good luck)
Philippines: ‘Mabuhay!’ (Long life)
Turkey: ‘Şerefe!’ (To honour)
Croatia: ‘živjeli!’ (To life)
Poland: ‘Na Zdrowie!’ (Bless you)
Learn how to say “Cheers” in 50 languages!

The Russian Orthodox church uses the old Julian calendar for religious celebration days, hence why Christmas is celebrated by Russians in January. Traditionally Russians do not eat anything on Christmas Eve until the first star has appeared in the sky. They then eat Sochivo or Kutia a porridge made from wheat or rice served with honey, poppy seeds, berried fruit and nuts. In the early 90’s food was scarce in Russia and the local employees were unable to share their family festivities. The assignees decided therefore to bring their traditional Christmas to their host location and each assignee brought an item they associated with the festival i.e Christmas pudding, Christmas cake, crackers when the returned from home leave.

What stories can you share about celebrating festivals whilst on assignments? Should assignees use home leave to return home for tradition celebrations or should they embrace local traditions?

A financial problem that started in Greece has now spread to several other nations such as Italy, Ireland and Spain. The problem is like a virus moving throughout Europe. Even the giant European countries such as France and Germany are not unscathed. The problems have been created by debt. When Greece’s debt was maturing, people realized that a large percentage of Greek debt was due. The debt was in the form of government bonds, which had been given mainly to key European banks, who had sold the bonds to investors. Suddenly, the investors did not feel confident that Greece would pay back their debt. The lack of confidence triggered a debt crisis, which is in reality a confidence crisis. As people talked, the lack of confidence gained momentum. More and more investors chose to get rid of their bonds. The banks that bought the bonds had to pay back the investors who had purchased the bonds from them, with virtually no guarantee that Greece will reimburse. If Greece failed to pay, the banks would collapse.

President of France Nicolas Sarkozy (L), German Chancellor Angela Merkel (C) and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso (R) chat during the EU summit in Brussels, Belgium, 09 December 2011.    EPA/BGNES

Several big European banks were in danger of collapsing. The European Union decided to take action, not only to stop the demise of the banks but to help retain the image of the Euro zone. As there are many countries in the European Union, each with their own priorities, political power and ideas, it took a long time for them to agree on a strategy. Eventually on 9 May 2010, Europe’s Finance Ministers approved a rescue package worth €750 billion aimed at ensuring financial stability across Europe. In October 2011, they agreed to additional measures which they hoped would prevent the collapse of member economies. This included an agreement with banks to accept a 50% write-off of the Greek debt.

The EU leaders continue to meet, to develop treaties which they hope will increase confidence and stabilise the Union. David Cameron, the British Prime Minister, refused to sign the latest EU treaty, which has isolated Britain from the other European countries. But that, as they say, is another story.

Coppell, TX

This year Paragon’s California, Illinois and Texas offices each hosted a toy drive to benefit less fortunate children during the holiday season. The Illinois and Texas toy drives both benefited U. S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program.

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA

The California drive benefited Spark of Love, a local charity in which firefighters from Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside,

Paragon’s Ervin Walker and Cris Santiago in Warrenville, IL

San Bernardino and Ventura counties along with Los Angeles City firefighters will collect the gifts and distribute them to under-served children in local communities. As evidenced in our photos, each office filled their donation boxes and then some.

Because of the generosity of Paragon’s employees, many children across the United States will have a wonderful holiday!

2011 Giving

Paragon, along with our employees, places high value on promoting and participating in various charitable activities. Throughout the year, Paragon employees have raised monies for numerous charities and each employee donation has been matched dollar for dollar by the Paragon Foundation. Here are just a few of the charities that have benefited from our 2011 contributions:

• American Red Cross
• Multiple Sclerosis Society
• The North Texas Food Bank
• The United Way
• Spark of Love
• Second Harvest Food Bank
• World Vision

Paragon has had a full exhibition schedule this year. Most recently, Paragon exhibited at Worldwide ERC®’s Global Workforce Symposium in Denver, Colorado. Attendees had the opportunity to win an iPad in addition to having the opportunity to hear about Paragon’s service offerings. To finish out the 2011 exhibition schedule, Paragon Relocation, along with Paragon GeoImmigration and GenEquity Mortgage, exhibited at the HR Southwest Conference in Fort Worth, Texas. Paragon gave away a set of Dallas Cowboys tickets to one lucky winner.

We hope to see some of you at the upcoming Worldwide ERC®’s Global Workforce Summit in Shanghai, China on March 22-23, 2012. To keep up-to-date with Paragon’s events and conferences in 2012, please visit our Events page throughout the year.

The last few years have been challenging to say the least. Uncertainty in the global economy has made it difficult to plan for the future. Even so, in 2011, we completed migration to our enhanced PRISM 2.0 automated system to track and report on all global moves. Thousands of hours were spent migrating existing clients and adding new ones to our new system. We put the mechanisms in place to bill in additional currencies. We added a Paragon Regional Service Center in France and expanded our current operations in the Netherlands to service the entire Benelux region, as well as grew our business in Spain, South Korea, Switzerland, Ireland, Britain, China and the U.S. We moved into our new 23,000 square foot office in Dallas/Coppell, Texas. We journeyed to the cloud, as we moved our primary data center to an off-site co-location center, while maintaining a completely redundant data center in our Dallas office. We enhanced our Disaster Recovery Plan to make certain that we would be operational in the event of any natural disaster. We added Paragon GeoImmigration to provide worldwide visa and immigration services. We substantially completed the process to provide FHA mortgages through GenEquity Mortgage, our national mortgage company. We implemented and participated in many informational webinars, conventions and seminars. And, while doing all of this, we successfully moved several thousand customers and their families around the world. It was a very busy year.

As we look to 2012, we are in discussions to establish Paragon Relocation boots on the ground in Brazil, Singapore and India, though other locations are also feasible. Plans are in the works that would allow GenEquity Mortgage to offer retail mortgage services to the general public, in addition to the corporate mortgage services we already provide. Additional enhancements will be added to our PRISM 2.0 system to allow for better workflow management and quality audits. Our Learning Resources department will implement additional training and a new certification program to make certain that Relocation and International Assignment Consultants are well prepared to implement our relocation services. More resources will be committed to social media and networking to advance our brand around the world. And, we will unveil PGR Home Caregivers, our newest subsidiary, to offer home care and various real estate services to senior citizens in the United States. And, again, we will do all of these things while successfully moving thousands of customers and their families around the world.

One thing is for sure: despite the uncertainty in the global economy, Paragon never stands still. As we celebrate our 25 year anniversary in January of 2012, we build on our past; but we always look to our future in response to our clients and customers. In addition to the services we provide in the United States, we will continue to see international growth across borders. Paragon continues to evolve as we extend our reach around the world.

At this joyous time of year, we are grateful for our work with you, our clients and customers. From each and every one of us at Paragon, we wish you abundance, happiness and peace in a new year filled with hope. Happy Holidays!

What is the tipping etiquette in…

Asia and the Pacific: Special care must be taken to insure that your well-meaning gesture is not taken as insulting. If you are unsure, it is best not to tip. If possible, observe the locals and follow their lead.

Europe: Many hotels and restaurants add a service charge to the bill. In most cases, an additional tip is unnecessary. If no service charge is added to your bill 10% is the general rule for restaurant service, a dollar per bag will be appreciated.

Middle East/Africa: While your tip will not be seen as insulting, it may be unnecessary. Once again, the best bet is to do as the locals do.

Central/South America: Many hotels and restaurants add a service charge to the bill, and an additional tip is unnecessary. If not, 10% is the general rule for restaurant service, and a dollar per bag will be appreciated.

How much am I expected to tip in countries around the world?

(Click to Enlarge)

Let us know if you have any international travel tipping advice to add to the above!

“It is important to show how much we value and support the communities in which we live and work, especially at this time of year. Paragon is thrilled to be able to donate to such a worthy cause,” said Craig Selders, President of Paragon Relocation.

The North Texas Food Bank was established in 1982 to address the critical issue of hunger in the North Texas area by securing donations of wholesome foods and grocery products for distribution through a network of charitable organizations dedicated to feeding the hungry in 13 North Texas Counties, including Dallas, Denton, Collin, Fannin, Rockwall, Hunt, Grayson, Kaufman, Ellis, Navarro, Lamar, Delta and Hopkins.

About Paragon Relocation

Paragon Relocation is the premier partner of choice in the Global Relocation Management industry providing innovative programs, value-added support, superior customer service and thought leadership to our clients and the families we relocate. Paragon Relocation has been providing relocation services for over 24 years and is present in 150 countries. For further information, please visit www.paragonrelocation.com.

Paragon Relocation’s customer reviews:

Paragon Relocation enjoys making raving fans out of their customers. Let us know if you have any other stories where you have received great customer service from Paragon Relocation!

Related Posts:

Paragon Relocation Announces Enhancements to Customer Service
The World’s Biggest Companies Choose Paragon Relocation – HRO Baker’s Dozen
Paragon Relocation Opens New Office in France!
Paragon Relocation Expands Operations Into the Benelux Countries
Paragon Relocation now offers billing in Chinese Renminbi

“We are excited at the opportunity to continue our tradition of providing excellent customer service. With the additional support of our technical helpdesk as well as our extended phone coverage we give our clients and customers the comfort of knowing that we are always available to assist them during their relocation,” said Craig Selders, President of Paragon Relocation.

Paragon’s expanded phone coverage extends Paragon’s customer service to relocating employees that need immediate assistance for emergency issues outside of traditional business hours or on weekends. Relocating employees will receive a dedicated phone number for urgent after-hours access to their Relocation Consultant or International Assignment Consultant.

Additionally, expert technical agents are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, via a toll-free telephone number or email to provide assistance on the following technical issues:

• Site availability
• Login issues
• Reset passwords
• Basic site navigation
• Browser compatibility support

These enhancements underscore Paragon’s commitment to providing the best customer service in the mobility industry.

About Paragon Relocation

Paragon Relocation is the premier partner of choice in the Global Relocation Management industry providing innovative programs, value-added support, superior customer service and thought leadership to our clients and the families we relocate. Paragon Relocation has been providing relocation services for over 24 years and offers services in 150 countries. For further information, please visit www.paragonrelocation.com.

Let us know what you think!