Relocating for work can bring a lot of additional stress. Alongside learning the requirements of a new role and meeting new colleagues, those moving internationally must also adapt to a new culture and potentially learn a new language.
It’s a challenge many people now face. Some 12.9 million people from outside the EU are employed in the EU labor market, according to data from the European Commission.
However, expats are not always made to feel welcome. European countries were consistently ranked among the worst countries for expats, according to InterNations’ Expat Insider 2026 report, with many of those surveyed reporting difficulty making friends and feeling at home. In Germany, which came second to last overall, they also struggled with the practicalities of daily life, bureaucracy, housing, and the language.
Siemens Healthineers is a medical technology company headquartered in Erlangen, Germany, and employs 74,000 people worldwide. Some of the challenges facing foreign staff began surfacing during its monthly staff surveys with international employees, which represent about one in ten of its more than 17,000 workers in Germany, reporting that they did not always feel fully integrated.
In January 2026, the company launched Beyond Borders, an employee network where international staff can help one another navigate the hurdles of settling in, such as finding a doctor, navigating an insurance policy document, or arranging childcare. Within nine months, the employee resource group had 200 members.
Liza Follert, head of people attraction for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa at Siemens Healthineers, says Beyond Borders was created in response to employee feedback. For eight years, the company has sent out a regular staff survey asking them how they are feeling.
An anonymized self-identification option, added three years ago, lets the company see which groups are dissatisfied. “80% agree. But who are the 20%?” Follert says. “Knowing the answer tells the company where to act.”
Siemens Healthineers ranks ninth on Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For – Europe list. Follert credits the monthly check-ins and the direct impact employees can have in shaping the company culture for its ranking in the top 10.
Beyond Borders is one of several employee resource groups the company is investing in. Each group is given HR support, a presence on internal channels, an executive sponsor, and a seat in strategy meetings.
Other networks have been established for working fathers, LGBTQ+ employees, and early-career staff, which were established to give younger employees a greater say in their career development and opportunities to communicate with leadership. EmpowerME, which supports employees living with cancer, brings staff and patients together.
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Siemens Healthineers rank on Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For – Europe list
Mental health challenges remain a “huge issue”, according to Follert. Expectations around workload and external factors, including international conflicts and crises, are contributing to these heightened anxieties. Follert adds: “you cannot predict the next oil price rise or the next geopolitical crisis.”
In response, the company began training employees in mental health first aid. In some markets, including the U.K. and the U.S., employees also have access to Headspace, a meditation app. Stress scores in the survey have since leveled out, though Follet concedes it is hard to say how much of that is down to the program.
Siemens Healthineers once considered training employees as formal brand ambassadors, Follert says, but dropped the idea once it noticed that staff were already doing the job. “Employees write on LinkedIn not just about their work, but about their personal growth, the hard times they have been through and how the company supported them. Mental health comes up often, as do the pressures of working life as a parent, a woman, an expat, or someone at the start or end of a career.”
The supportive employee culture is having a positive impact on staff retention and attraction. Resignations fell by about a quarter in 2025 to 2,336, roughly 3% of employees. Follert has also seen an increase in job applications over the past two years, and more candidates are arriving on a colleague’s recommendation, she says. In Europe, the Middle East and Africa, employee referrals have risen 13% since 2024.
The higher number of applicants and referrals brings its own challenges. “At that volume, the risk is that recruiters become administrators, moving candidates left and right,” Follert says, and she is conscious of the need to create a positive first experience for all candidates.
Siemens Healthineers is currently switching to a new recruiting system, which involves moving roughly 2,500 open positions and around half a million candidates onto the new platform. The system works in multiple languages and uses AI to help applicants upload their CVs and find roles that match their skills, while giving recruiters a clearer view of the application process.
This transition to a new applicant system is part of a wider change. Siemens Healthineers is currently mid spin-off from parent company Siemens. A vote on the direct spin-off of Siemens Healthineers shares is scheduled to be held at Siemens’s next annual general meeting in February 2027.
Follart says that employees have stayed loyal during this transition because the company remained “consistent in the more critical times.” Completing the spin-off, amid economic and geopolitical upheaval, will be the clearest test yet of whether that holds.
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This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
