ORC Sightlines: HR News and Trends. Managing and leading an international team. The host-based salary system. With this year’s MyExpatriate Market Pay survey about to open, Steven Kilfedder, Research Analyst at ECA, examines current trends in the use of host-based salary systems. Of the various salary systems that exist, the home-based build-up method of salary calculation is still easily the most commonly used method. Nevertheless, recent results from ECA’s MyExpatriate Market Pay survey reveal a rise in the use of host-based systems within Asia. While the spread of the host-based system is not consistent throughout the region, as graph 1 shows, the results of the MyExpatriate Market Pay (MyEMP) Survey 2009 do demonstrate that in the richer, more developed countries of East Asia, host-based salaries are more common. Benefits and the host-based system If the savings in terms of salary for a host-based approach are modest at best, where does the cost-effectiveness associated with this approach come from?
It would appear that these cost-savings result from lower levels of benefits provision. Expat partner support. Organisations offer all kinds of assistance to expatriate partners but how do the partners feel about the support they receive? Global Connection, publisher of information and support tools for expat life abroad, shares its findings. "Support for my wife?
No one mentioned that. My boss was courteous enough to ask me how my wife felt about me going to work Down Under but lessons in cultural adjustment? Help with finding a house? Education? We were given a small budget, and that was that. Martin is a former expat who moved from Germany to Australia while working for an organisation with many international activities. Financial reasons and involvement Expatriations are costly. However, many companies and organisations are not only motivated financially. The manner in which support is provided differs, from keeping it within the company to outsourcing everything. Rely on own initiative Larger companies generally don’t need convincing of the benefits of partner support. Need for support. The changing global mobility landscape. Year-on-year, there are plenty of challenges to keep IHR on their toes. Josephine Woolley looks at ongoing and emerging issues from ECA’s latest Managing Mobility Survey.
When ECA carried out its last Managing Mobility survey two years ago before the global economy went into meltdown, over 60% of companies were anticipating increases in assignee numbers. Although reality has proved less positive, demand for expatriates has remained resilient: 56% of companies participating in this year’s survey said they had increased their long-term assignment workforce over the past two years. Furthermore, forecasts for the future also remain positive, with 54% anticipating increases in assignee workforces. There is little evidence then that the recent global economic slowdown has significantly changed the importance of international mobility to the global development of businesses and organisations.
New markets – new angles Challenges throughout the decade Changing society, changing demographics. Intercultural training – is it up-to-date? Intercultural training is still considered by most companies to be an important part of the expatriation process. Indeed, a recent survey by ECA showed that two thirds of companies provide inter-cultural training, but how many employees and their families actually take it up? Excuses commonly given for non-attendance range from "I don’t have time" to "I've been to that country loads of times before for work so living there won’t be a problem. " Yet the challenges of being a global employee are greater than ever. Most expats not only have to deal with the culture they are moving to, but also work within a multinational team. As the world continues to work at an insatiable speed, turnaround times for moving abroad can involve just a number of days’ notice. And overriding all this is the feeling of being part of a shrinking planet, where so many cultural references are accessible on a virtual basis through mediums such as the worldwide web.
Shift to shorter sessions Communicating concerns. Gestion des expatriés : les entreprises peuvent mieux faire. Le nombre des expatriations ne cesse d'augmenter. C'est ce que révèle une étude d'ECA International réalisée fin 2006 auprès de plus de 270 sociétés. 72 % des entreprises interrogées ont en effet affirmé avoir proposé un plus grand nombre de missions de longue durée à l'international sur ces trois dernières années que sur la période précédente.
"Après l'éclatement de la bulle des nouvelles technologies, le 11 septembre 2001 et avec l'austérité sur les marchés, nous nous attendions à un creux, note Frédéric Franchi, porte-parole pour la France d'ECA International. Mais cela n'a pas été le cas. " Un phénomène en grande partie dû à la multiplication des succursales de grandes entreprises, en Chine et en Inde tout particulièrement.
Et la tendance devrait perdurer : les deux tiers des répondants pensent encore augmenter le nombre de leurs expatriés dans les trois années à venir. Un recrutement focalisé sur les compétences techniques Un suivi insuffisant des expatriés Le site d'ECA International.
Femmes gestionaires. International HR: Helping managers go global. Our Expert Julian Clover is director of WorldWork, a consultancy that provides tools such as questionnaires, videos and coaching manuals to help managers and professionals build the skills and knowledge they need to work successfully in an international environment. For more information, e-mail julian.clover@worldwork.biz One of the main challenges that globalisation brings to organisations is the task of equipping managers and professionals to work in unfamiliar settings and motivate teams from different cultures.
The challenge can be broken down into three parts: Identifying the most important skillsAssessing employees’ strengths and weaknesses in those skillsHelping people develop their capabilities. Key skills International management consultancy WorldWork has drawn together 22 key skills to form an international set of competencies. So what are some of the most valuable skills, and how can individuals be helped to develop them? Tips for success Be an ‘active’ listener. Principles of Management: Functions of the International Manager - CliffsNotes.
Index. Since the 1980s there has been a trend for large companies to think globally: producing goods or delivering services and selling them, all over the world. And when companies operate at international level they need international managers. What is an international manager and is such a person easy to find? Soft skills According to a recent survey, the top characteristics of an international manager include many soft skills, such as the ability to work in international teams, adaptability to new situations, sensitivity to different cultures (and awareness of own cultural background), and relational skills.
The manager should be self-reliant and have an open, non-judgemental personality. Another important characteristic is strategic awareness: the manager should have a global view of his or her contribution at work. The current position Companies are beginning to recognise that they do not have enough high-quality people for their international activities. Development? Reading for meaning.