Interview with Daniel Tytiun

On October 3rd, 2011 the WBFN had the pleasure of welcoming Daniel Tytiun, Manager of Human Resources and Administration at IFC and Paul El-Meouchy, Human Resources Analyst at IFC, to the WBFN office for a conversation about the support that IFC provides for staff that are relocating to a new duty station. Our main interest was to find out more about the kind of support IFC gives to relocating staff and their families, as well as how this relocation support is organized. This article is an excerpt from our meeting.

How is the relocation support for IFC staff and families organized?

This depends on whether the relocation is ‘inbound’ (staff coming to headquarters in Washington, DC) or ‘outbound’ (staff moving to one of IFC’s duty stations worldwide). Relocation support for IFC staff and families coming to the Washington Metropolitan Area is provided by the Global Staff Mobility unit of the World Bank. Their services include assistance with finding housing, choosing the right school, providing important information about spouse/partner career options and sharing other practical tips.

The relocation support offered to IFC staff and families going to one of IFC’s duty stations outside Washington is facilitated through third party providers—so–called ‘destination service providers’. The services provided by these organizations can include airport pick-up, housing assistance, help with finding schools and doctors, and an initial orientation of the location, among other things. The service providers also offer 50 hours of language training with an individual teacher that can be shared between a staff member and their spouse/partner. The only precondition of this training is that the official language of the destination country is not English.

What kind of pre-departure support is given to IFC staff and families?

IFC staff members are invited to attend the Overseas Assignment Briefing (OAB) facilitated by Global Staff Mobility at the World Bank Headquarters in Washington, DC. These sessions are also open to spouses, who are strongly encouraged to participate. In cases where a staff member is relocating between duty stations without going through Washington, DC, an electronic OAB version (eOAB) is available, which provides the same information. If the relocating staff member is newly hired, they will not yet have access to the eOAB, which is available only through the World Bank Group intranet. In this case, pre-departure counseling is provided in person by Mobility and Recruitment Officers from IFC.

What kind of challenges does IFC face in providing relocation support to staff and families?

Recent surveys of IFC staff showed that the relocation support being offered did not fully meet the needs of relocating staff and families and that the support infrastructure needed to be improved. The destination service providers are not always familiar with IFC’s culture and the needs of its people and consequently are not able to perform in a way that meets the expectations of IFC staff and families.

How is IFC responding to these challenges?

In cooperation with the World Bank, IFC is currently selecting destination service providers that better meet the requirements of relocating staff and their families. In order to better coordinate its efforts, IFC is also hiring eight full-time Mobility Assistants who will be posted in Cairo, Dakar, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Moscow, Nairobi, New Delhi and Sao Paulo. In addition, a Global Mobility Officer stationed in Washington, DC as well as regional Mobility and Recruitment Officers posted in Hong Kong, Istanbul, Johannesburg and Washington, DC will oversee IFC’s relocation support efforts. Furthermore, IFC is revising some of its relocation benefit packages in order to better adjust them to staff needs.

How does IFC view the importance of supporting spouses/partners and families of staff during the relocation process?

IFC recognizes that it is not only moving employees but also their spouses/partners and families. Officially the IFC deals with staff and not with their families. However, IFC is well aware of the fundamental role that spouses/partners and families play in the relocation process, given that they are often the ones handling most of the details of the move. IFC strives to make staff and their families feel supported by the organization from day one. The organization is planning to engage spouses/partners more directly in order to learn more about how best to support IFC families. IFC also constantly encourages all spouses and partners to get in touch if the relocation support they are receiving is not meeting their family’s needs. The organization will listen, but can only act if advised on what needs to be done.

What is WBFN’s role in supporting IFC staff and their families?
WBFN serves the staff and families of the entire World Bank Group, which includes IFC. It is therefore important that IFC spouses/partners are aware of the services WBFN offers, and how it can support them during their move. When IFC finishes hiring its new Mobility Assistants, they will meet with WBFN, hopefully establishing a strong collaborative relationship.