ABSTRACT
Connecting expats with a buddy or local host is a great way for organisations to support their expats, especially for those expats who will have to work closely with locals and in countries where it is not so easy to make local friends. This chapter discusses how organisations can set up a buddy system, the choices an organisation has, what the process looks like and what they should pay attention to when matching an expat to a buddy or local host. Once the contact is established, the organisation can stimulate the development of a high-quality relationship between the expat and their local host. Buddy systems have also increasingly been used for refugees, and the chapter also dives deeper into how they are different from buddy systems in organisations, and what one should keep in mind when setting up a buddy system for refugees.
