Whether you are traveling for business or you are taking an international relocation there are a number of different perspectives on drinking alcohol related to both work and life abroad. When is it appropriate to have a glass of wine on a lunch break? Is it always expected that you accept an invitation to after hours libations with co-workers? Answer these questions incorrectly and it could make for a few awkward situations. However, understand some of the drinking habits of your destination before you arrive and you can be ready for most alcohol related social interactions.

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!

Filed under: Diversity, Social Media, The Best Thinking... |

One of the advantages of living in a different country is the opportunity to observe different festivals and to share the celebrations with the locals. Conversely one of the disadvantages of an international assignment is that assignees are sometimes away from home when festivals they traditionally celebrate in their home country, take place. One of my colleagues, Amanda Ward reminisced about her assignment to Moscow in the early 90’s. She returned to Moscow in early January after a traditional Christmas home leave in England and celebrated Christmas again in Russia on January 7th.

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?

Filed under: Articles, Diversity, The Best Thinking... |

This is the second part of our two-part series on Why You Need to Accept that International Assignment. In the first part of the series we focused on the benefits of an International Assignment from a career perspective. To read the first part of the series please click here: Why You Need to Accept that International Assignment (Part 1).

As we wrote about in the previous post there are many benefits to taking an International Assignment from a career perspective. However, many are reluctant to accept an International Relocation because of how it will affect a person’s family and life outside of work. In this post we would like to point out some solutions to the main barriers to accepting an International Relocation as it relates to family life that can be overcome with a little bit more information. To get to that point where you are ready to say Yes to an International Relocation you need to find answers to your questions so you can make the decision with confidence. It may be a good idea to take time with your family to write down what could be potential obstacles to taking that International Assignment so that by working with your HR department and their Relocation Services company you can come up with a solution that fits you and your family.

Why Should I Take an International Assignment?

It’s Family Friendly. One barrier to accepting the International Relocation might be the question, how will a relocation affect my family? In response to this question many former International Assignees will say that taking their family on an International Assignment was one of the best things they could’ve done because it gave their family (and especially their children) a truly global education. The Expat information website, Expatica, wrote about taking children on an International Assignment: “Don’t worry parents, your children will settle in the new country, so don’t use them as an excuse for turning down an International Assignment. Expatriate children can – and do – grow up to be savvy, articulate, interesting, and diversity-embracing adults, so give them a chance of a lifetime, a life-altering, enriching experience.”

Home is Where the Heart is. Some of the barriers to taking an International Relocation might include your housing situation. You might own a home which cannot be sold in the current real estate market. How can you accept a relocation when you can’t sell your home? With the help of a good relocation company you can find a way to sell your home for the best possible price and capitalize on cheaper housing costs in your new location, or you can continue owning your home while you’re on assignment and use it as an income property while you are away. To help with this companies like Paragon, offer Property Management services.

International Schools are Cool. In addition, another question might be, if I take an International Relocation, what will my children do about school? A good relocation company in conjunction with your company will often include access to very highly rated schools for expat children as part of your company’s International Relocation policy. The education at some of these schools is among the best in the world. In addition to this, children will often return from the International Relocation having learned another language with a valuable international experience to take with them to college and or to the workplace.

Broadens Your Horizons. Taking an International Relocation will broaden your horizons like no other experience. It will open you up to new cultures and different approaches to a variety of issues. It is impossible to have this same experience without taking time to live in another culture other than your own.

Live the Adventure. In addition to the reasons given above one of the primary reasons you should take that International Assignment is because it can be the adventure of a lifetime. An International Assignment is an opportunity to break free from the normal routine. It gives you an opportunity to truly make each weekend a vacation adventure. Don’t waste the time abroad, explore your surrounding countryside and put together a plan with your family to use your location as a jump off point to visit other major destinations in that region.



In addition, to the many reasons an International Relocation will benefit your career it might be even more beneficial as a life experience for you and your family. Don’t miss the opportunity of a lifetime when your company offers you the chance to go live and work in a country other than your own.

If you liked this post and would like to receive more helpful articles from us, would you take a moment now to “like” us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn?

Filed under: Diversity, The Best Thinking... |

The decision to take an International Assignment is a difficult one. The excitement of international travel and a new challenge in a different country definitely have their appeal. However, the obstacles associated with an International Assignment can certainly be high as well. You have to move away from a familiar life at home and at work, change is never easy, and the fear of the unknown always looms large. In light of this, should you take an International Assignment? In most cases the answer should still be Yes and we are going to tell you why.

First you may want to consider if you are an ideal candidate for an International Assignment by visiting our recent post on the topic, but like with most major decisions in life you won’t know if it was the right decision until you decide to make it. In addition, there are certainly some risks to taking an International Assignment but the risk of missing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity may be much greater. You can live the rest of your life in your home country but you may never be offered the opportunity to take an International Assignment ever again. That is why if you are fortunate enough to given the opportunity you should take it. If it turns out that you don’t enjoy your assignment, you can simply return to your home country after it is done but if you don’t take the opportunity you will never know what you would have missed.

We are breaking this post up into two parts to focus on two different sets of reasons why you should take an International Assignment. In today’s post we will talk about why you need to accept that International Assignment for your career, and then in Part Two we will talk about why you need to accept an International Assignment from a life experience/family perspective.

Why should I take an International Assignment?

Builds the Resume. When you are invited to take an International Relocation you should take it because there may be no other experience that adds to your resume more. Inherent in the opportunity is most likely a promotion which instantly builds the resume but more than that a recent study has shown that 7 of 10 Fortune 100 C-Level Executives have had International Assignment experience in their past. Taking an International Relocation can only help you rise up the corporate ladder.

Become a Multi-Cultural Pro. When you take an International Assignment it gives you an opportunity to add to your multi-cultural tool belt. Everyday you will be challenged by cultures different from your own in the workplace. Learning to manage people of different cultures than your own is an increasingly valuable asset today. In addition to this there is no better way to learn a foreign language than immersion, you can use the opportunity of your international relocation to pick up a foreign language in a relatively short amount of time.

Work with Clear Objectives. An International Assignment in the strictest terms is a temporary relocation with the assumption that you would either relocate back to your departure country or take a rotational international assignment to your next location once the goal of your project is done. As a result of the assignment being a big investment by your company and because of how assignments are project oriented the goals of your International Assignment should be very clear. In a well-managed Relocation Program you should know what you are sent to do and how much time you have to carry out your tasks.

International Relocation Opportunities are Rare. The opportunity to have to secure a stable job overseas is very rare because of the costs to the corporation involved with relocating an individual (and their families) overseas. Often times the cost of the International Relocation costs three times as much (or more) as employee’s annual salary over the course of the assignment. If you were trying to take an International Relocation without the help of your company (and their Relocation Management Company) it might be prohibitively expensive to do on your own so take the opportunity to relocate when the option is available.

Expands Your Network. As we said above, taking an International Assignment builds your resume and puts you on the fast track to executive leadership but it is also an opportunity to significantly expand your network to people from all over the world. This will broaden your perspective and give you access to more job opportunities and career resources that you wouldn’t have had if you didn’t take the assignment in the first place.



When the opportunity presents itself to take an International Assignment take some time to think about all the benefits to your career before you close the door. Even some things that seem like impossible barriers to taking the International Assignment can be overcome with the help of your HR department and your Relocation Company. Before saying No, look for ways to say Yes to the great opportunity of an International Assignment.

What are some other reasons someone should take an International Assignment? Let us know in the comments below, or on LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter!

Update: To read the second part of our two-part series on Why You Need to Accept that International Assignment, please click here: Why You Need to Accept that International Assignment (Part 2).

Filed under: Articles, Diversity, The Best Thinking... |

Are you considering an international relocation to a happier place? According to a recent study done by the OCED (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) and cited by the Economist.com, Canada and Australia are among the happiest places on the planet. While Norway and the United States were among the wealthiest countries they still weren’t as happy as Canada and Australia.

Happiness and Wealth

While the saying may be true that “money can’t buy happiness” the study indicated that the level of wealth as it relates to the GDP of a country might be a correlating factor to the sense of happiness within each country. The study used 20 factors including life satisfaction and things like air pollution to determine a happiness scale but also focuses on how wealth relates to happiness around the world. The coresponding graph from the study is below.

How happy are people in my country?

Happiness in the United States

In addition to rating happiness around the world Gallup Poll also released a study of the happiest metro areas in the US if you are considering a relocation to the US or within the US. This study surveyed wellbeing as it related to work environment and physical and emotional health among many other factors. The graphs for the happiest places and least happiest places to live in the US are below.

Where are the happiest places to live in the United States?

Where are the least happiest places to live in the United States?

Whenever you are relocating to it is our hope at Paragon Relocation that you will always find your own bit of happiness. Our goal is to make every relocation experience as happy as possible for all of our customers and clients.

Click “Like” if you have found your happy home or click “Like” if you are still searching for it.

More resources to make your relocating experience happier:

The Top Ten Most Expensive Places on Earth to Live

How to Deal with Culture Shock

How to Get into Executive Leadership: Go Global!

Paragon Relocation Expands Operations Into the Benelux Countries

Filed under: Blog Post, Diversity, The Best Thinking... |

Princeton.edu defines culture shock as “a condition of disorientation affecting someone who is suddenly exposed to an unfamiliar culture or way of life or set of attitudes“. It is very common to be exposed to this disorientation when you have been relocated internationally for a new position at your company. At first, living in a new culture often begins with excitement but is eventually peppered with confusion and frustration as a result of living in a culture that has different attitudes and patterns than your own. Finally this stage is typically followed by acceptance after a few months or a year in a new location. In this post we would like to display the typical patterns of culture shock and give you what you can do to overcome culture shock.

How do you deal with the culture shock of living in a different country?

Below you will find a graph that details the typical patterns that people experience regarding living abroad:

Source: www.isep.org

What can you do to deal with culture shock?

Here is some helpful advice:

1. Enjoy the honeymoon: Typically the first couple of months of living abroad are exciting and new. Use this boost of excitement to really seek out your “favorites” in your new neighborhood, so that when a low point hits you know where you can go to lift your spirits.
2. Tour your own town: Use the the opportunity of living abroad to understand the history of your new place. Sign up for guided tours or read about the history of your new place on the internet (wikipedia.org is always a great source of historical information, also tripadvisor.com‘s “Things to Do” points out popular tourist attractions with reviews in many locations around the world.
3. Don’t isolate yourself: Join a club, and use the internet to find local expats from your home country. This will help you to get out of the bubble that can be your workplace, home or apartment.
4. Learn some language: While learning a new language as an adult may seem to be a daunting task; today there are many avenues that you can use to learn a language. From software packages such as the popular Rosetta Stone to full intensive language immersion courses where you are only allowed to speak the foreign language for a couple of weeks. There are many options that might fit your learning style. (Here is a full list of the leading Language Training suppliers from around the world who offer a full range of learning methods that might fit your needs). Even learning a little bit of the local language can go a long way to making your life abroad a lot more comfortable.
5. Embrace the change: The new location where you will be living will be different than where you are moving from. Have the attitude that discovering differences in culture is part of the adventure that should be appreciated rather than criticized.

Because Paragon Relocation is an International Relocation Company we relocate employees of our company’s clients all over the world. Through this experience we have found that often times there are many reasons to go abroad. Many employees want the experience of Going Global to benefit their careers by going on a international assignment or others are simply interested in the experience of living in a different country. Whatever the reason it is our goal to equip each and every person that passes through our company with the tools necessary to overcome many of the challenges that they will face as a result of taking that assignment. As part of that Paragon Relocation offers Cross Cultural and Language Training as part of the greater portfolio services we offer to our clients. Including these elements in an international relocation program design sets up the international assignment for success. If you are in the midst of your move abroad consider researching the resources that are available to you make your time living abroad a great experience.

Filed under: Articles, Blog Post, Diversity, The Best Thinking... |

In a recent Mobility Magazine, they published this graph from their New Hire Survey in 2011.

From this chart we can see that 73% say finding available talent to hire does not fall in the “easy” category. This often requires companies to find and relocate the talent to where the job is currently located.

Paragon Relocation designs New Hire Relocation Policies for employees at every level in their career path, from entry level to organizational leaders so that employees can transition seamlessly into their new job in their new location without any bumps in the road.

Filed under: Diversity, ERC, The Best Thinking... |

Recently Mercer released its global Quality of Living survey results.

Here are the global top five cities to live in based on quality of living:

1. Vienna, Austria
2. Zurich, Switzerland
3. Geneva, Switzerland
4. Vancouver, Canada (tied 4th)
5. Auckland, New Zealand (tied 4th)

Also they added a few other lists.

Here are the global top five “Eco”  green cities to live in:

1. Calgary, Canada
2. Honolulu, United States
3. Ottawa, Canada (tied 3rd)
4. Helsinki, Finland (tied 3rd)
5. Wellington, New Zealand

Here is the Quality of Living of cities by Region:

This might be valuable information for someone who is considering a relocation to one of these coveted locations. To read the summary of this study or to get the full report go to Mercer.com.

Filed under: Articles, Diversity, The Best Thinking... |

Organizations all over the world are continuing their growth into new markets, as a result there is a growing trend of  executives eager to become fluent in Global Leadership Development.

Worldwide ERC recently surveyed various corporations about the topic and found that this trend is continuing to grow:

Today most organizations are interdependent on partners in other countries to accomplish their goals, therefore global training is no longer a “nice to have”, it is essential for corporations to achieve their corporate goals.

In addition to Global Leadership training it is often common for executives to seek out opportunities to go on an international assignment to add to their overall corporate experience. Paragon specializes in creating a cost effective international relocation experience that attempts to get out of the way of the executive so that they can focus on the goals of their assignment and create value for their corporation.

Filed under: Articles, Diversity, ERC, The Best Thinking... |

There is no doubt that we see diversity everywhere. We see it in the cars we drive, the clothes we wear, the food we eat, the music we play, where we live, and how we spend our leisure time. Diversity is a driver of our economy. At work we see diversity in jobs, skills and experience, age, exempt and on-exempt employees, and cultural backgrounds = in other words, the PEOPLE.

Organizational leadership is faced with challenges that diversity brings, but it also has opportunities when diversity is recognized and used as a resource. Many organizations have well defined diversity programs designed to identify its own diversity and then provide learning opportunities that support that diversity. If an organization does not have a diversity program, they may want to research diversity programs that others have implemented successfully. The following are some general points to consider for an existing or potential diversity program.

Step 1: Determine why you are implementing the diversity program (plan) and the outcome/s you desire = Mission Statement. An example of a mission statement might be: To achieve a status of employer of choice while providing opportunities that encourage employees to be productive and successful.

Step 2: Develop clear objectives for the program plan, such as:

• Define diversity and identify the dimensions of diversity
• Recognize how your culture drives attitudes and behaviors toward diverse populations
• Develop an action plan for increasing awareness of diversity and the role it plays in your organization’s success
• Develop strategies for increasing an understanding of the harmful effects of stereotypes and inappropriate behaviors and humor directed to an individual or group
• Establishing guidelines for interaction that fosters respect for diversity
• Understand and comply with federal employment guidelines
• Recruit, train/develop, and retain talented people

Step 3: Form a Diversity Advisory Committee or Council which will develop and implement programs, policies, and procedures that will address personnel interactions and issues. The committee should include a cross-section of employees including race, gender, age, functional teams or divisions, management and non-management, full-time and part-time, and work shifts.

Step 4: Develop evaluation tools and establish progress indicators or benchmarks that will provide feedback on what is going well and what future initiatives might be needed to achieve the diversity program goals.

Diversity is here to stay. Capitalizing on diversity and fostering an environment for its inclusion is just good business sense!

This article was published by www.hr.com

Paragon embraces employee diversity companywide. We have a comprehensive supplier diversity program which was established to increase inclusion and diversification of our global suppliers.

Paragon works with a number of suppliers, many of whom are small businesses. Diversity among these suppliers is an important aspect of Paragon’s supply chain philosophy. We believe diversity is good for our business in a variety of ways:

• Regional diversity gives us access to worldwide skills and markets and provides business resiliency if disruptions occur in a particular region
• Culturally diverse suppliers offer different viewpoints which help to develop and market services that fit the needs of the global community
• Social diversity promotes inclusiveness that benefits communities and local economies

The Paragon supplier diversity program provides equal access to businesses owned by minorities, women, service disabled and veterans as well as to companies in historically underutilized business zones (HUB zones). Currently, Paragon exceeds our internal goal of awarding 10 percent of our supplier expenditures to such businesses.

Filed under: Diversity |