How animals shape emotional resilience, assignment success, and the future of people mobility

Global Mobility is often discussed in terms of visas, housing, taxes, and logistics. But behind every assignment is a human being — and very often, a pet who moves with them. For many internationally mobile professionals, pets are not “extras.” They are family, emotional anchors, and stability in times of extreme change.

As international careers become more mobile, more hybrid, and more emotionally demanding, the role of pets in successful relocation is no longer anecdotal — it is psychological, measurable, and strategic.

Why Pets Matter for Mental Health — What Science Says

Expatriates lose their social fabric when they relocate. Friends, family, routines, neighbourhoods and language are suddenly gone. Research shows that emotional isolation is one of the biggest risk factors for early assignment failure (Haslberger et al., 2013; Takeuchi, 2010).

Pets counteract this.

Studies show that pets:

• Reduce cortisol (stress hormone)
• Lower anxiety and blood pressure
• Increase feelings of social support
• Improve emotional resilience (Allen et al., 1991; McConnell et al., 2011; Herzog, 2011)

In new countries, pets also act as social connectors — enabling conversations, community integration and new routines, which are essential for expat well-being (Wood et al., 2015).

In short: Pets help expats not only survive relocation — they help them belong.

In times of upheaval, humans seek continuity, routine, and emotional safety. Pets provide all three.

They offer:

• Predictability (feeding, walking, care routines)
• Non-judgmental emotional presence
• Physical contact and grounding
• A sense of being needed

These factors are central to psychological stability — especially during major life transitions.

Relocation Is a Psychological Stress Test

International relocation is one of the most stressful life events an adult can experience. It combines:

• Loss of social networks
• Cultural disorientation
• Language barriers
• Identity shifts
• Uncertainty about belonging
• Professional pressure

Psychologists refer to this as cultural transition stress or relocation stress syndrome. When people relocate, their sense of “home” is disrupted. Expatriate research shows that adjustment, not competence, is the strongest predictor of assignment success (Black, Mendenhall & Oddou, 1991; Shaffer et al., 2006). Pets often become the only stable attachment that travels with them.

Psychological research demonstrates that pets function as attachment figures, offering emotional stability, security and unconditional support — similar to close human relationships (Zilcha-Mano et al., 2011; Kurdek, 2008). This bond is not symbolic; it is physiological. Interaction with pets increases oxytocin, the hormone associated with trust, bonding and stress regulation (Beetz et al., 2012; Odendaal & Meintjes, 2003).

Research shows that expatriates with pets report:

• Lower loneliness
• Higher emotional stability
• Faster emotional settlement
• Stronger sense of continuity
• Better overall adjustment

(Wood et al., 2015; Endenburg & van Lith, 2011)

In expat terms: pets accelerate psychological adjustment — which directly affects performance, retention and assignment success.

Why Pets Can Decide the Success or Failure of an Assignment

Many organisations still treat pets as a “private issue.” But psychology and expat research tell a different story.

If a pet:

• Cannot travel
• Is poorly transported
• Is quarantined
• Or becomes ill

The expat experiences severe emotional distress, guilt and anxiety — all of which directly affect focus, decision-making and performance (Zilcha-Mano et al., 2011; Beetz et al., 2012).

This is why pets often determine whether an employee:

• Accepts an assignment
• Performs well abroad
• Or returns early

In practice, many international moves fail not because of work — but because the personal system collapses. Pets are part of that system.

The Specific Challenges of Pets in International Assignments

Moving pets across borders is complex:

• Quarantine regulations
• Vaccination and microchip requirements
• Breed restrictions
• Airline policies
• Climate adaptation
• Stress during travel
• Access to veterinary care
• Housing limitations

For employees, navigating this alone adds significant emotional and administrative burden — at the worst possible time.

For organisations, ignoring it creates:

• Delays
• Frustration
• Failed moves
• Lost talent

What Progressive Companies Should Offer in their Global Mobility Policies

If Global Mobility wants to be truly people-centred, pets must be included in policy design.

Forward-thinking organisations already offer:

1. Pet relocation support

• Approved pet relocation providers
• Coverage for transport and documentation

2. Veterinary and health guidance

• Local vet access
• Insurance support
• Emergency protocols

3. Housing assistance

• Pet-friendly housing search
• Lease negotiation support

4. Emotional well-being recognition

• Acknowledging that pets are family
• Not treating them as “optional extras”

These measures are not luxury benefits — they are assignment success factors.

Why Including Pets Benefits Organisations

From a professional GM perspective, including pets is not “nice to have.” It is risk management. Organisations that support the whole family system — including pets — experience:

• Higher assignment acceptance rates
• Lower failure rates
• Better retention
• Stronger employer branding (Shaffer et al., 2006; Haslberger et al., 2013)

Pet inclusion is not just emotional — it is strategic.

The Pet Mobility Award — Why PMA Created It

This is why the Pet Mobility Award exists. The award was created by the founders of People Mobility Alliance as a tribute to the often-unseen companions who make global mobility possible.

“When I moved internationally, my two cats were not a side topic — they were part of the decision, the preparation, and the emotional reality of the move. Having pets creates continuity in a time of change. That experience is one of the reasons why we created the Pet Mobility Award: to make visible what global mobility professionals know to be true — successful mobility is not just about the employee, it’s about the whole life that moves with them.” – Mira Pathak, PMA Co-Founder

By inviting global mobility professionals to share their pet stories, it celebrates:

• Shared journeys
• Adjustment and what really makes assignments work
• Emotional bonds
• The everyday reality behind international careers

It is a celebration of the companions who travel with us, ground us, and quietly make international life possible. Community members share a photo and a story of their pet in a mobility moment — whether at an airport, in a new home, or on the road between worlds.

The award is built around three simple missions:

Mission Pet Moments of travel, relocation, and transition.

Mission Team The bond between human and pet across borders.

Mission Action A single image that captures presence, personality, and connection.

Check out our Pet Mobility Awards.

“Through our global mobility community I’ve seen again how deeply pets shape the success or failure of international moves. The Pet Mobility Award was created to honour those stories — the emotional, everyday realities that sit behind mobility policies. It’s our way of bringing more humanity, empathy and authenticity into the global mobility conversation.” – Daniel Zinner, PMA-Co-Founder

By focusing on pets, we remind our industry of something essential: Global Mobility is not about policies. It is about lives. And very often, it is also about paws, tails, whiskers, and quiet companionship in unfamiliar places.

Final Thought

If we truly want to build a human-centred future of global mobility, we must include everyone who travels — not just the employees, but those who make them feel at home. Sometimes the most powerful support system has four legs.

If you are interested in supporting your global mobility strategies for international employees contact us here.

References:

Allen, K., Blascovich, J., Tomaka, J., & Kelsey, R. M. (1991). Presence of human friends and pet dogs as moderators of autonomic responses to stress in women. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61(4), 582–589.
https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.61.4.582

Beetz, A., Uvnäs-Moberg, K., Julius, H., & Kotrschal, K. (2012). Psychosocial and psychophysiological effects of human–animal interactions: The possible role of oxytocin. Frontiers in Psychology, 3, 234.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00234

Black, J. S., Mendenhall, M., & Oddou, G. (1991). Toward a comprehensive model of international adjustment. Academy of Management Review, 16(2), 291–317.
https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1991.4279008

Endenburg, N., & van Lith, H. A. (2011). The influence of animals on the development of children. The Veterinary Journal, 190(2), 208–214.

Haslberger, A., Brewster, C., & Hippler, T. (2013). Managing performance abroad: A new model for understanding expatriate adjustment. Routledge.

Herzog, H. (2011). The impact of pets on human health and psychological well-being: Fact, fiction, or hypothesis? Current Directions in Psychological Science, 20(4), 236–239. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721411415220

Kurdek, L. A. (2008). Pet dogs as attachment figures. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 25(2), 247–266.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407507087958

McConnell, A. R., Brown, C. M., Shoda, T. M., Stayton, L. E., & Martin, C. E. (2011).
Friends with benefits: On the positive consequences of pet ownership. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 101(6), 1239–1252. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0024506

Odendaal, J. S. J., & Meintjes, R. A. (2003). Neurophysiological correlates of affiliative behaviour between humans and dogs. The Veterinary Journal, 165(3), 296–301.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S1090-0233(02)00237-X

Shaffer, M. A., Harrison, D. A., Gregersen, H., Black, J. S., & Ferzandi, L. A. (2006). You can take it with you: Individual differences and expatriate effectiveness. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91(1), 109–125.
https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.91.1.109

Takeuchi, R. (2010). A critical review of expatriate adjustment research through a multiple stakeholder view: Progress, emerging trends, and prospects. Journal of Management, 36(4), 1040–1064. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206309349308

Wood, L., Giles-Corti, B., & Bulsara, M. (2015). The pet connection: Pets as a conduit for social capital? Social Science & Medicine, 61(6), 1159–1173.

Zilcha-Mano, S., Mikulincer, M., & Shaver, P. R. (2011). An attachment perspective on human–pet relationships: Conceptualization and assessment of pet attachment orientations. Journal of Research in Personality, 45(4), 345–357.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2011.04.001

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