Imagine an experienced international professional starting a new role in Switzerland.
The relocation went smoothly, the onboarding programme is in place, and the first meetings have taken place.
However, when it comes to moving a project forward, the new hire isn’t sure who to consult before making a decision. Their manager assumes the process is clear, while the employee hesitates to ask.
Even with well-planned relocation and onboarding support, these small gaps in understanding can affect how quickly someone feels confident and contributes to their new team.
So how can HR professionals and hiring managers better support international hires beyond their arrival?
In this article, I will show you a practical 90-day framework to clarify expectations, build working relationships, and support professional integration in Switzerland.
TL;DR — Key Takeaways
Relocation packages handle the logistics. They do not guarantee that your new international hire will succeed.
- Before Day One: Don’t just offer support; clarify exactly who to contact and when. Information overload is a real risk during a move.
- Days 1–30: Make the unwritten rules explicit. Define success, communication channels, and decision-making authority early.
- Days 31–60: Address friction early. Don’t automatically label it a “cultural problem”—look at the process and communication styles first.
- Days 61–90: Review progress and plan for the next phase. Use our 30/60/90-day checklist to stay on track.
- The Business Risk: When senior hires struggle silently, you risk losing top talent and the significant investment made in their relocation.
- The Goal: Treat integration as a structured process, not a personal favour.
Before Day One: Agree Who Will Support the Transition
Before an international hire starts their new role, there is often a lot happening behind the scenes. Relocation arrangements, language classes, school enrolment, intercultural training, and sometimes, career support for an accompanying partner.
While these services can be valuable, having access to support does not always mean knowing how to use it. It happens many times with my clients that they received an enormous amount of information from the new workplace but did not know which one to use when the need arises.
For example, one of my clients, an accompanying spouse, shared something interesting in her feedback. She wished she had received one simple document explaining all the available services, who to contact, and what each person could help with.
It is a small detail, but an important reminder. When someone is managing so many changes at once, clarity matters as much as the support itself.
This is where coordination between HR, global mobility, and the hiring manager becomes essential.
HR can bring together the available resources and contacts, while the manager prepares role expectations, early priorities, key introductions, and regular check-ins. A peer buddy can offer a more informal point of contact for everyday questions.
The new hire should also be encouraged to share their needs and take an active part in planning their first weeks.
Before day one, make sure there is a clear answer to one question.
Who will the new hire contact if they are unsure how something works?
Days 1–30: Clarify Expectations and Start Building Relationships
The first month is about helping your new international hire understand their role, build relationships, and become familiar with how the team works.
Even experienced professionals need time to understand a new organisation. Their previous experience is valuable, but they may not yet know how decisions are made, how colleagues communicate, or what is expected of them.
Agree Realistic Early Priorities
Start by agreeing on a few achievable priorities for the first month. Separate what the employee needs to learn from what they are expected to deliver.
Discuss which decisions they can make independently, who needs to be consulted, and what resources they can rely on.
This gives them room to contribute without feeling pressured to understand everything immediately.
Explain How the Team Works
Beyond formal policies, every team develops its own ways of working.
For example, imagine a new employee who regularly sends important updates by email, while their colleague rarely checks their inbox and prefers instant messages. Both believe they are communicating effectively, yet information gets missed, responses are delayed, and frustration builds.
Neither person is necessarily doing anything wrong. They simply have different expectations about how communication should happen.
The same applies to learning preferences. Some colleagues prefer written instructions, while others learn better through demonstrations or conversations.
Discuss preferred communication channels, meeting preparation, documentation, how disagreements are handled, and when issues should be escalated.
Encourage the new hire to schedule individual conversations with colleagues. These meetings help them understand different working styles and build relationships beyond formal introductions.
For more guidance on how to communicate effectively at Swiss workplace, check out this article.
Begin Introductions and Feedback Immediately
Relationships and feedback should develop from the first week, not wait until a formal review.
Introduce key colleagues and explain how their responsibilities connect. A local buddy or accountability partner can also provide a safe space for everyday questions.
Regular manager check-ins, perhaps weekly at first, create opportunities to identify confusion early and hear how the employee is experiencing the transition.
Rather than simply asking whether everything is going well, try more specific questions.
- Which decisions do you feel confident making independently?
- What information, resources, or connections are you still missing?
- Is there anything about how our team communicates that we could explain more clearly?
These conversations also help managers recognise where the team’s own practices could improve.
Days 31–60: Deepen Collaboration and Address Misunderstandings
By the second month, your international hire is becoming more familiar with their role. Now is the time to strengthen working relationships and address any misunderstandings that may have emerged.
Encourage them to connect with people whose input they need to move projects forward, including colleagues outside their immediate team. Make sure they can access the right information and participate fully, especially in hybrid or multilingual teams.
Keep the peer buddy involved as an informal source of support, alongside regular conversations with the manager.
Address Misunderstandings Before They Grow
Imagine a new hire leaves a meeting believing their proposal has been approved. They begin working on it, only to discover that colleagues were expecting written confirmation before proceeding.
The issue may have little to do with cultural differences. It could simply reflect different communication preferences or previous working experiences.
Rather than assuming the employee misunderstood, the manager can clarify how decisions are confirmed and agree on a process everyone understands.
This is where empathetic leadership becomes particularly important.
Managers need to listen with curiosity, understand different working styles and personalities, and recognise that established team practices may not be obvious to newcomers.
The employee’s fresh perspective can also reveal processes that the organisation could improve.
Supporting this requires investment and should be offered at all levels. Just as organisations may provide coaching for leaders handling difficult conversations or improving performance, they can offer team development or individual executive coaching to strengthen intercultural communication and empathetic leadership.
The goal is not simply to help international hires adapt, but to create a working environment with psychological safety where everyone can collaborate more effectively.
Days 61–90: Review Progress and Agree What Comes Next
By the third month, your international hire has gained a better understanding of their role, colleagues, and working environment.
This is a good time to review their progress together and identify what support they may still need. Rather than treating day 90 as the end of onboarding, use it as an opportunity to plan the next stage of their development.
Focus the conversation on four areas.
- Role clarity. Does the employee understand their priorities, responsibilities, and decision-making authority?
- Working relationships. Have they built the connections needed to collaborate effectively?
- Contribution. What progress have they made towards the objectives agreed during their first month?
- Ongoing support. What challenges remain, and what could help them move forward?
Encourage both the manager and employee to share specific examples. If difficulties remain, explore factors such as workload, unclear processes, language barriers, or access to resources before assuming cultural differences are responsible.
Professional integration and development do not end after 90 days.
Some organisations offer employees ongoing access to career or executive coaching, allowing them to book sessions when they need support.
This can be particularly valuable when preparing for performance reviews, managing competing priorities, improving time management, or addressing wellbeing and work-life balance.
End the review with a simple action plan that identifies the next steps, who is responsible, and when progress will be discussed again.
The goal is not to declare someone fully integrated after three months, but to ensure they have the support to continue growing and contributing.
A Practical 30/60/90-Day Onboarding Checklist
Use this checklist to keep track of the key onboarding activities, clarify responsibilities, and identify where additional support may be needed.
| Stage | Key Actions | Person Responsible | What to Review |
| Before Day One | Prepare access, share support contacts, assign a buddy, and schedule initial meetings. | Manager and HR | Is the first-week plan clear? Does the employee know whom to contact? |
| Days 1–30 | Agree on priorities, clarify decision-making, introduce colleagues, and begin regular feedback. | Manager and new hire | Does the employee understand expectations and know where to find help? |
| Days 31–60 | Strengthen collaboration, address misunderstandings, and remove barriers. | Manager and new hire, with HR or buddy support | Are working relationships developing? Are identified challenges being addressed? |
| Days 61–90 | Review progress, identify development needs, and agree on ongoing support. | Manager and new hire | Are the next steps, responsibilities, and review dates clear? |
These stages are flexible rather than fixed deadlines. Many activities will overlap, and meaningful support should continue well beyond the first 90 days.
When Intercultural or Executive Coaching Can Help
Even with a well-structured onboarding process, some challenges benefit from a different kind of support.
For example, an experienced leader may want to understand how to adapt their communication style to a new team. Another employee may need space to reflect on stakeholder relationships, build confidence in unfamiliar situations, or prepare for new leadership responsibilities.
This is where intercultural or executive coaching can add value.
Ideally, coaching begins before relocation or during the early stages of onboarding, rather than waiting until difficulties arise.
It gives international professionals a confidential space to explore their experiences, understand different perspectives, and develop approaches that work for them and their new environment.
When coaching is funded by the employer, it is important to agree on the goals, responsibilities, and boundaries from the beginning. The employee, coach, and sponsoring organisation should understand what information can be shared, while respecting the confidentiality of individual coaching conversations.
Coaching works best alongside good management, clear expectations, and a supportive team environment. It gives employees an additional space to reflect on their experiences, explore challenges, and develop their own ways of working effectively in a new environment.
This is also the approach I take in my intercultural and executive coaching work. I support international professionals as they navigate new workplace dynamics, strengthen their leadership skills, and find ways to contribute with confidence while staying true to their professional identity.
If your organisation is welcoming international talent, I would be happy to explore how coaching could complement the support you already provide. You can read more about my corporate coaching in this page.
Make Support Part of the Working Relationship
Successful onboarding goes beyond helping someone settle into a new role. It means creating an environment where expectations are clear, people are approachable, and feedback leads to meaningful action.
When HR and managers make this an ongoing part of the working relationship, international hires have a stronger foundation to contribute, grow, and feel part of the team.
If you are looking to strengthen this support, let’s explore how coaching can help your international hires.
Frequently Asked Questions About Onboarding International Hires in Switzerland
How is international onboarding different from relocation support?
Relocation support typically focuses on helping employees settle into a new country, including housing, practical arrangements, and family needs.
International onboarding focuses on helping them work effectively in their new organisation. This includes understanding expectations, building relationships, and adapting to a new professional environment.
Both areas can overlap, and ideally, they should complement each other.
Is 90 days enough for an international hire to settle in?
Not necessarily. The first 90 days provide a useful structure for setting priorities, reviewing progress, and identifying support needs.
However, integration takes different amounts of time depending on the role, organisation, language environment, and individual circumstances. For example, 6 months probation period is very common for high levels as well or banks. Support should continue as needed.
Who should be responsible for onboarding an international hire?
Onboarding is a shared responsibility.
The hiring manager leads role expectations and feedback, while HR coordinates resources and support. A peer buddy helps with everyday questions, and the employee actively participates in their own transition.
Should employers offer support to an accompanying partner?
Where appropriate, offering optional partner support can make the relocation experience easier for the whole family.
Depending on individual goals, this may include local integration resources, language learning, career and job search coaching, or guidance on freelancing and entrepreneurship in Switzerland.
The key is to offer relevant choices while respecting personal circumstances and privacy.
For more insights, read You Moved for Their Career. How Do You Rebuild Yours?.
