Inside Asian Gaming

Information about schooling, accommodation, utilities, health servic- es, banks and immigration is generally obtained informally by word- of-mouth rather than through employers, relocation consultants (re- location whats?),or clear communication from the sources of services themselves. There are some good support services available but they are of- ten difficult to find. Expatriates can be in Macau years before they hear about the benefits of applying for residency and the difference between Blue, Yellow and White cards. Where are the libraries and foreign language bookstores? What is the full range of options for schooling children? And they charge you to deposit money into your own bank account? Yes, if it’s more than HK$30,000 cash at one time. Where else can you get money out of an ATM and then not have the cash accepted at the post office around the corner for fear of counter- feit notes? And the one about the 2 year old Australian boy who was about to be deported even though his parents had valid visas. Tried bringing your de facto spouse to Macau to live with you? The stories are endless. All of this impacts upon the ability of expatriates and their fami- lies to settle happily, and upon their willingness to stay and to work effectively in Macau. It also impacts greatly on organisations in their attempts to recruit and retain off-shore employees. One ex-Macau HR executive facetiously suggested to me that supporting expatriates to enhance their work performance was easy: organisations merely need to pay expatriate managers more money, but this is no joke.This is indeed what is occurring in Macau. The gaming industry is the in- dustry with the largest growth and shortest supply of labour (from 22,100 employees in 2001 to 55,300 in the third quarter of 2006): av- erage salaries have increased by 60% against a total average increase of 44% over the same period. There is much more that can be done to make the move to Macau one that many more are willing to con- template. Value beyond money The salary is one thing and many executives will do their sums and calculate the cost of sending their older children to good boarding schools, the cost of health cover, fares to return home for family re- unions, and will shrug their shoulders when they realise that not all these things may have been considered by their new employers.This they do because their base salaries more than cover these costs. The happier executive is one that feels the organisation values them as an individual and has taken the whole person into consideration in the hiring and welcoming of the employee. Companies can show managers they value them by taking time to consider their lifestyle needs: to compile information about immi- gration, schooling options, employment opportunities for the trailing spouse, training the executive and the executive’s family in cross-cul- tural issues, helping them to find suitable accommodation, utility and telephone deals, giving them lists of contacts for doctors and dentists and emergency services, and how to book a taxi or the process one takes to purchase a car, renew registration (by the way, they do not send an account when it is due) and obtain a driving permit. Each step along the way is a learning process and to date thousands of potentially productive hours have been wasted as each and every newcomer learns the ropes for themselves. Lost focus Organisations may over-estimate a newly arrived expatriate’s ability to handle adjustment problems. The spouse who acts as a proxy Hu- man Resource department, running errands and standing in immi- gration department queues, and who supports other newly arrived expatriate families with tours of schools and accommodation has the coercive power to dislodge an expatriate from the job and return home. The expatriate who cannot get the employer to pay $1,000 patacas for an immigration consultant and thus wastes 3 weeks on understanding and compiling paper work, and lending a supportive ear to the distraught spouse, is not sitting as his desk or pounding the main floor doing the job hired for. Organisations can clearly see the failures in their expatriate turnover rates. Less recognised are the brown-outs when expatriates are unable to perform at their peak lev- el because their focus is not on their role as they grapple with setting up home and settling into an uncertain environment. Productivity is not the only cost. Family harmony, emotional sta- bility and commitment to the organisation are very often sacrificed. In a market where expatriates are constantly looking for the next ca- reer opportunity and properties are clambering for experience and willing to pay higher prices to get them, the organisation that can differentiate itself as the one that values their employees will have a greater chance of keeping their star performers. The face of Macau is changing.There will be more foreigners seen on the streets.The visitors will only continue to come if they enjoy the experience.What the employers, the government and the wider com- munity manage to do to make life easier and enjoyable for the work- force that services these visitors can only enhance the experience for the tourists.The life of an expatriate worker in Macau is a full one.Let’s hope that the‘unfathomables’do not distract them from contributing productively to their roles in their newly adopted community. Leanda Lee is a PhD researcher in the Department of Management, Fac- ulty of Business and Economics, Monash University. Leanda currently resides in Macau and her research focuses on the factors that influence the performance of expatriates living in Hong Kong and Macau. She has taught International Human Resource Management, International busi- ness and Japanese language subjects at Monash University and Swin- burne University of Technology. 46