Author:
Warren Heaps – Birches Group LLC
I am delighted to announce today an exciting new partnership between Aon Hewitt and Birches Group. Under the partnership, Aon Hewitt will make Birches Group surveys in developing country markets available to their clients, expanding their survey coverage to over 170 countries globally.
The two firms will also collaborate closely on consulting projects and promotional activities.
Here is a link to the full Press Release.
Author:
Warren Heaps – Birches Group LLC
As we reflect back on the 2011 year just completed, we have compiled a list of the most popular posts on the site during the past year. Each of the posts listed below had more than 1,000 views during 2011. If you did not have a chance to view these posts when they were first published, here’s a great opportunity to see what you missed.
We have much to look forward to as we enter 2012. We will be adding some new regular contributors to the site, and will be revamping the entire site over the next few months. We appreciate your support and encourage you to add your comments on how we can make the site even more valuable for you. Also, let us have your suggestions for future posts and other ideas you think would be helpful in advancing the site as a resource for international human resources professionals. Finally, if you are interested in submitting a post, we welcome your participation. Please contact me to discuss your interest.
Guest Author:
Dean Foster – DFA Intercultural Global Solutions
[Editor’s Note: We are happy to welcome Dean Foster as a Guest Author. Dean is a well-known expert on culture in business, is a frequent lecturer at various universities and conferences, and is the author of many books on the topic of culture in business. He is the Director of his own firm, DFA Intercultural Global Solutions.]
Gift giving can be a little tricky when giving gifts to
international colleagues. 
Cultural differences can make a terrific gift at home into a terrible no-no abroad. With the holiday season soon upon us, here are some important cross-cultural gift-giving considerations when sending gifts to your international friends and business associates.
Guest Author:
Rachel Yates – Definingmoves.com
[Editor’s Note: We are very excited to share with you the assignee’s spouse perspective on international relocation, from someone who has lived through five such moves. Rachel Yates edits a website, Defining Moves, devoted to assisting relocating families around the world. ]
I read the post from May, 2011 by Warren Heaps about global mobility policies for the 21st century on this site, and found it to be fascinating, mainly because I am part of the changing demographics Warren described. On paper, we are the traditional relocating family; husband as assignee, spouse as the accompanying partner, and two dependent children. We have relocated through three continents over the last 10 years, and we have struggled. And we are most definitely not alone.
So what do relocating individuals and families really need from HR?
Jennifer Stein – Global Tax Network
[Editor’s Note: We are happy to welcome Jen Stein as a Guest Author. Jen is the Managing Director of the Global Tax Network Chicago office. She has more than 15 years of experience in expat and foreign national tax preparation and consulting, starting her career with Arthur Andersen, and then Ernst & Young, where she served for over 14 years.]
International assignment administration is complex. Sometimes it’s useful to take a step back and review basic components. The list below, while not exhaustive, is a good starting point to help review your international assignment process and procedures. Adopting one or all of these components may make your life easier when administering international assignments.
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?
Author:
Warren Heaps – Birches Group LLC
Recently on LinkedIn there was a somewhat heated and lengthy debate about job evaluation. Many were questioning why companies should even bother with such an “archaic” exercise, while taking pot shots at a well-known job evaluation methodology that shall remain nameless (but begins with the letter H). Some folks proclaimed market pricing was the solution to everything and rendered job evaluation a pointless and unnecessary process for a modern company. Continue reading
Author:
Warren Heaps – Birches Group LLC
Many companies use salary scales together with salary grades to manage their compensation programs globally. There are many advantages to doing so, including cost management, positive employee relations and transparency which enables managers to be directly accountable for pay decisions.
In developing markets, creating salary scales is more challenging than in countries with more stable economic conditions. Developing country markets are volatile and often fluctuate from year to year based on a combination of factors. Cost of labor (supply and demand), tax and labor law changes, general economic conditions (such as inflation), business growth and expansion, as well as unplanned events such as natural disasters, civil unrest and the like are all in the mix.
Guest Author:
Nikki Goodstein – Cisco Systems
[Editor’s Note: We are happy to welcome Nikki Goodstein as a Guest Author. Nikki is a leader in Compensation & Benefits at Cisco Systems, Inc. and has a depth of experience designing and implementing global mobility programs. Before establishing the strategy and redesigning the program at Cisco, she led Global Mobility at The Coca-Cola Company. Nikki began her international HR career at Johnson & Johnson as part of their international compensation organization and has held HR roles in both the business as a generalist and in centers of excellence.]
Sorry, there is no talent planning “crystal ball,” but that does not mean you don’t need a plan!
Many companies with mature global mobility programs have evolved to measuring assignment success by leveraging available data across several key employment metrics: performance over time, promotions/career
opportunities, years with the company post repatriation, engagement scores reflecting manager performance, etc. When consolidated into a dashboard, these metrics can help tell the story of success or challenges in your global mobility program.
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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