Tag Archives: international hr

Global Mobility Policies for the 21st Century

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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Taking Corporate Programs Global – Your Mileage May Vary!

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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Global Salary Grades or Global Salary Structure?

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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The Way To Identify Your Future Leaders (Part 1)


Authors:
Han van der Pool – Van der Pool Consultancy
Lex Lindeman – HRBoosters

It is not that easy to identify and groom future leaders.  Companies make use of various techniques to spot talent, and often manage their inventory of high potentials – those with the best chance of being a future leader.  In this post, we describe some of the best techniques which are used by companies to manage their talent pool of future leaders.

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International Annual Leave Rules — Or I Want to Live in Brazil!

Author:
Jacque Vilet – Vilet International

In many parts of the world, time off from work is called annual leave or holiday, not vacation.  Whatever you call it, we can agree on a universal definition:  Annual leave refers to the period of time-off with pay which is available to employees, to pursue relaxation and recreation with their family and friends.  The amount of annual leave provided in different countries around the world varies quite a bit.  This post provides a nice summary of the legal requirements for annual leave provisions in some key countries. In order to be competitive in a specific country, a company also needs to take competitive data in mind when forming its policy.

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What About Inflation?


Author:
Warren Heaps – Birches Group LLC

In one of my recent posts, I explained why employers should be careful how they use devaluation as a factor in setting changes to salaries.  One reader sent me a long note describing her dilemma in managing the merit budget approval process for international locations in her company, specifically, how should she take inflation into account?  I realized that my conversation with this reader would probably be of broader interest, so I decided to write this follow-up post.

The fundamental question is:
How should inflation be considered when determining salary increase budgets?

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Ten Frequently Asked Questions About China’s Labor Law

Guest Author:
Aaron Schindel – Partner at Proskauer

Editor’s Note:  This post was compiled by Aaron Schindel, a Partner in the Labor & Employment Law Department and co-head of the International Labor & Employment Group at Proskauer.  His career spans the full range of labor and employment matters for clients ranging from multinational corporations to small not-for-profit organizations, to large and small public sector entities.

The article originally appeared in the Proskauer law firm newsletter “International HR Best Practices Tip of the Month.”

With the explosive growth of the Chinese economy, many companies are opening offices in China. Hiring employees in China requires a detailed understanding of local laws and regulations. Ying Li and Lijuan Hou of Proskauer’s Hong Kong office have compiled this list of ten frequently asked questions about the laws affecting foreign employers opening offices in the People’s Republic of China.

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Managing International Assignees During a Crisis

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

Impact of Devaluation on Local Pay


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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Best Practices for Selecting International Assignees (Part 2)

Author:
Alan Freeman – LOF International HR Solutions

This is the second of two installments on the topic of assignee selection.

In our last posting, we began to list a number of proven best practices for selecting candidates for international assignments.  Here are several more:

Provide an overview of the your company’s applicable policies and processes. You and the candidate need to know early on if there are any “show-stopper” issues or you run the risk of wasting everyone’s time. Be sure, by the way, that your policy and administrative processes are well thought through and developed. You don’t want to be caught building an ad hoc “package” through negotiations. One-off deals frequently lead to lots of ongoing problems. Continue reading