Category Archives: International Expertise

Ten Questions HR Should Ask When Your Company Expands Internationally

Posted on December 4, 2011 by | 2 comments

Author:
Warren Heaps – Birches Group LLC

Companies are increasing the pace of international expansion, constantly seeking new opportunities and new markets.  One of the most commonly asked questions through our Ask the Experts feature and on other sites is how to prepare, from a human resources perspective, for international expansion.  It might be opening a new office, or just hiring one or two sales reps, but either way, there’s work to do.  If your company is expanding to a new country, what questions should you ask (and answer) as an international HR expert to help prepare your firm?

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Posted in Benefits, Compensation, Global HR Expertise, International Employment Law, International Expertise, International Payroll

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Square Peg in a Round Hole: Balancing the Global Salary Budget

Posted on July 26, 2011 by | 2 comments

Author:
Warren Heaps – Birches Group LLC

Managing salary budgets on a global basis is a real challenge.  In some companies, the process is often dictated by the corporate finance department, which establishes the amount of growth in the budget “salary line” which is acceptable for the following budget year, say 3%.  That’s 3% in the currency used for budgeting, usually the headquarters country currency.

So how do compensation professionals make the global salary budget “come in at 3%?”  It’s kind of like fitting a square peg in a round hole.

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Posted in Compensation, Developing Markets, Global HR Expertise, International Expertise

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What You Wish You Knew For Your Global HR Career

Posted on July 14, 2011 by | 8 comments

Author:
Warren Heaps – Birches Group LLC

I spotted a question recently from one of my LinkedIn connections, Don Schepens, that I want to share with you.  Don is the head of the HR program at Grant MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta (Canada), and is also very involved in the human resources community there through the Human Resources Institute of Alberta.

The question:

“For those of you who have been around for a while (seasoned?), and to help out my HR students, “What is the one thing you wish you would have known starting out?”

I thought this was a great question, and of course, provided an answer to Don.

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Posted in General, Global HR Expertise, International Expertise, Professional Development

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Global Mobility Policies for the 21st Century

Posted on May 26, 2011 by | 8 comments

Author:
Warren Heaps – Birches Group LLC

It’s now almost the middle of 2011, so the 21st century is well underway.  The new realities of global business are upon us:

  • Companies are expanding from developed countries into new, high-growth markets in the developing world in record numbers.
  • Global talent is being snatched up across borders on a regular basis.
  • Companies are sending expats to new locations, and breaking new ground with each assignment.
  • Companies headquartered in developing markets like India, China, Brazil and South Africa, to name a few, are expanding along with multi-nationals from more established markets.
  • Demographic shifts will result in an increasing number of workers being sought from developing countries to replace the ageing workforce in North America and Europe.  In fact, McKinsey predicts that by the year 2040, the largest working-age population in the world will reside in Africa.

So what does this have to do with global mobility?  A lot!

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8 Comments

Posted in Compensation, Expatriate Recruitment, Expatriate Selection, Expatriates, General, Global HR Expertise, Global Mobility Services, International Assignee Recruitment, International Assignee Selection, International Expertise, Repatriation, Talent Management

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Importance of Medical Insurance in Multinational Pooling

Posted on May 9, 2011 by | 1 comment

Author:
Jacque Vilet – Vilet International

Many companies with employees located in many countries globally provide supplemental benefits in addition to those that are government mandated.   Many of these supplemental plans are insured:   life, accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D), disability, retirement, etc.   Typically, the office in each country location manages their own process of selecting insurance companies, types of coverage, comparing premiums and settling on the final contract language.   Sometimes the number of employees is very small and, therefore, the premium is high because the risk is spread over a small number of people.

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Posted in Benefits, Compensation, Global HR Expertise, International Benefits, International Expertise

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Taking Corporate Programs Global – Your Mileage May Vary!

Posted on April 4, 2011 by | 10 comments

Author:
Jacque Vilet – Vilet International

Companies these days are always striving for global consistency, and one of the ways to achieve it is to use the same corporate programs around the world.  But such an approach can sometimes present unexpected challenges.  I would like to share some of my experiences in this regard, to get you thinking about all the possible ramifications in rolling out corporate programs in multiple countries, and how each of those countries may be impacted.

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10 Comments

Posted in Compensation, Global HR Expertise, International Expertise

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Global Salary Grades or Global Salary Structure?

Posted on March 14, 2011 by | 7 comments

Author:
Warren Heaps – Birches Group LLC

Recently a reader posed a question to me:

“My company has expanded into ten new countries and I’m trying to establish a global salary structure.  With all the different exchange rates, I’m finding it difficult to come up with one structure that works everywhere.  Can you give me some advice?”

I provided a short answer to the reader, which I will share here, along with some additional information.  First, though, some clarifying definitions, because I believe there is some confusion with terminology (which provided the name of this post).

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7 Comments

Posted in Compensation, General, Global HR Expertise, International Expertise

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Managing International Assignees During a Crisis

Posted on February 1, 2011 by | 7 comments

Author:
Warren Heaps – Birches Group LLC

With the recent events unfolding in Tunisia, Egypt and elsewhere around the world, a common question we’ve been hearing a lot lately is, “What do we do about the expats we have there?”  The simple answer is that you need  a plan.

In Egypt specifically, the recent events evolved quickly and after more than a week, there are no signs of the crisis abating.   Continue reading →

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Posted in Expatriates, Global HR Expertise, Global Mobility Services, International Expertise

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Impact of Devaluation on Local Pay

Posted on January 21, 2011 by | 9 comments


Author:
Warren Heaps – Birches Group LLC

Recently, a client posed the following question to me:

“The Ethiopian Birr has devalued recently and management wants to offer an across-the-board increase to our staff there.  Can you offer any guidance?”

The first thing I asked my client was if she was referring to expats or local staff. She confirmed local staff, not expats.  So, I told her if that’s the case, you might want to reconsider such a step.  Why?

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9 Comments

Posted in Compensation, Developing Markets, Global HR Expertise, International Expertise

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Who Dresses for Success Anymore?

Posted on December 15, 2010 by | 3 comments

Author:
Chuck Csizmar – CMC Compensation Group

It hasn’t been that many years ago that the term “business casual” was coined to describe a new flexibility in acceptable office attire .  To many business leaders though, the phrase meant no more than wearing a red tie, and perhaps only once a week.

Well, that was then.  Today, attitudes and customs are quite different, and typically much less conservative.  For example, it is not uncommon in some circles for male employees to forgo the use of socks within an office environment.  I know, because recently I visited such an office and saw for myself.

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Posted in Cross Cultural Insights, Global HR Expertise, International Expertise, Professional Development

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