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ProGlobal 2015

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2016

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Tanya Thouw & Steve Marshall: Extending global mobility programmes 2

Peter Taylor: International pension plans - dispelling the myths 4

Will Schofield: Stability and support - the keys to global mobility success 6

Armin Hopp: Driving workforce mobility through communications support 16

Helen van Eeden: Moving boundaries: global mobility in the age of information 18

Matthew MacLachan: National success: international failure 20

Brynne Herbert: Bringing HR technology to global mobility 22

Sam Sprules: How to acheive a more cost-effective global mobility policy 24

C-J Green: Going global and moving forward as one 26

Dear Reader,

Welcome to our latest special edition which examines the issues surrounding international HR management and global mobility. As organisations become more globalised, the need to employ expatriates for international assignments is ever-increasing. In many corporations based wholly or partly in the UK, these assignments play a pivotal role in succession planning and talent development, as well as being an effective means of transferring knowledge, expertise and even corporate culture around the world.

This edition contains the latest thinking from a range of experts and experienced practitioners as we deliver the global mobility agenda for 2016. We hope you enjoy.

Rebecca ClarkeNews Editor

Contents

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Global mobility professionals are in an influential position in today’s workforce, with the responsibility for a range of essential global assignments and critical business travel that supports a company’s business strategy. Today’s internal corporate mobility professional is a blend of HR expert, recruiter, immigration administrator, household goods moving consultant and project manager with a profound understanding about the entire mobility process. But more often, their capabilities and that of their mobility teams are stretched to provide far-reaching oversight, and charged with managing all opportunities of global business. Companies are hesitant to increase their internal mobility teams, and are aware that they need reliable partners to expand their global reach and bring capabilities that both align with and broaden their internal competencies.

A Redefined Role for Relocation Management Companies

Along with the increased demands on mobility teams, relocation service providers have been tasked with increasing responsibilities to support the needs of corporate clients and their relocating employees. In recent years, the tendency to outsource for additional relocation support has been on the rise. Many companies such as SAP are recognising the benefits of scalability, specialised expertise and global reach.

The flexible relocation outsourcing models have made this approach to meeting mobility needs increasingly accessible to companies..

• Relocation management services: this offering enables companies to outsource their entire end-to-end mobility process – including assignment

management and needed secondary services.

• Secondary services: opting to outsource select relocation services, such as visa & immigration, helps companies to incorporate specific resources and support they need.

• Household goods services: any move requiring goods to be shipped will involve a company outsourcing the household goods shipment – this can either be managed directly or through a move management service.

A Benchmark for Mobility Outsourcing

The mobility program at SAP is active in the Americas, EMEA and APAC including 2,000 international moves per year, plus international travel, resulting in ongoing challenges related to global assignments, transfers, and related compliance requirements. Finding solutions for those

The role of the global mobility expert requires a ‘Jack of all trades’ mentality. How should professionals cope with the task of blending the role of HR expert with immigration administrator, home moving expert, recruiter and project manager?

Tanya Thouw is Head of Global Mobility for SAP and oversees international HR and mobility, and is responsible for all global assignments (short, long-term and permanent moves), transfers, international business travel, and related compliance.

Tanya Thouw & Steve Marshall

Extending global mobility teams with relocation management companies

Steve Marshall, Managing Director Europe joined SIRVA in early 2012, bringing with him over 20 years of relocation industry experience. He has held a variety of leadership roles in the European, Middle Eastern, and African (EMEA) market.

challenges requires a strong partnership between the company and its RMC partner to ensure the partner functions as an extension of the internal global mobility team. They recognise that is not possible to accomplish internally without building a much larger team and incorporating on-site specialists.

Like many global businesses today, SAP’s internal mobility team faces challenges to execute relocations in limited timeframes, large volumes and uncharted locations - it can be nearly impossible to accomplish the move without an RMC partnership that has deep and wide expertise with experience to ensure the correct actions are taken every step of the way. SAP shares mobility responsibilities with their RMC with the internal team being responsible initially and a seamless hand off to their RMC partner is required in order to determine the most suitable relocation package, address compliance issues and understand and obtain approval of costs.

Operate Globally by Providing Specialised Support Locally

There is a significant dilemma in the mobility arena for companies today: it is difficult to be both global and local, but business objectives demand it. With strict governance models in some areas around policy and benefits packages, companies are discovering the need to be more consistent and more aware of each region’s workforce arrangements, which is increasingly more challenging.

For SAP, business travellers are an increasingly serious aspect of global mobility, particularly in the EMEA region, where countries are in close proximity to each other. While employees might not

see this as a big issue, especially since in many cases they can travel with relative ease from one country or location to another, the company is still required to be vigilant about compliance for business travellers at all times.

In the European market the laws change quickly creating additional challenges for companies that can be addressed through a RMC partner with a comprehensive network that can provide local expertise and policy tracking. Although it is not a large region geographically, with so many countries in such close proximity that have so many different laws, the complexity is high. Additionally, there can be countless country combinations, each with their own immigration and border requirements. Without local expertise and previously established relationships it can be a challenge for companies to know how to provide effective on-the-ground support for employees, such as when to sign commitments during the global mobility process or how accelerate the speed of delivery of services.

An Investment in Mobility

One of the most significant drivers in enduring, successful organisations is their ability to transform as rapidly as their environment. In the global arena, this means incorporating new ways of recruiting, managing, moving, integrating talent, and helping employees deliver an optimal performance. Investing in mobility enables companies to achieve their business objectives, address business needs by ensuring the right employees are located in the right place at the right time, grow and take care of employees. RMC partners can offer value with added efficiencies both inside and outside of companies by ensuring

the mobility function has a seat at the planning table to demonstrate through insight and data how important it is for mobility to be included in the company’s strategy from the ground up.

The ability to scale the mobility program is a must-have for global companies; both for the current environment and the future, and an exceptional outsourcing partner can adapt and grow with a company’s needs and requirements. Effective and innovative technology, accurate estimating tools and accurately tracking and reporting through an RMC partner provides absolute access to mobility program data that enables companies to continually fine-tune processes, improve program management and identify greater cost efficiencies. Most importantly, it can enable companies to keep delivering a high-quality mobility experience for employees. As companies enter emerging or developed markets for the first time, or expand their global business in an area, they need to be able to project costs and talent requirements, and provide consistent, high-quality assignment and travel experiences to their employees. They must support their global, mobile workforce in a way that retains their best and brightest employees, fulfils the company’s current objectives, and positions effectively for its future goals. For many companies, that can only be accomplished with a RMC that understands their culture and business so well they are a seamless and powerful extension of their own team.

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Peter Taylor

International pension plans - dispelling the myths

“IPP’s are not really pensions at all – they don’t have any tax advantages.”

Internationally mobile employees face a number of additional challenges when it comes to establishing a pension. Local pensions vary greatly from country to country in terms of the tax position, some giving relief on contributions but taxing income, others with no relief but providing a tax-free income in retirement. Importantly the tax advantages are often partly or wholly negated by other factors, such as currency volatility, investment restrictions and economic and political instability. Given a choice between a local plan offering tax relief of 15% in a volatile currency, or an IPP with no relief but a strong currency, the latter can easily be seen as the least risky option. While it’s important to avoid decisions based solely on tax advantages, the IPP can be a very tax-efficient way to save. If benefits are accumulating during

periods of work in low-tax countries, such as the Middle and Far East, tax relief up front will be of limited importance. The IPP then offers tax-free growth, and with careful timing of the withdrawal of benefits any income tax liability on benefits can also be minimised. So while the IPP may not be, tax advantaged, for some people, it will be tax efficient.

“We only have a few mobile employees, it’ll be too expensive to set up for a small group.”

Employers recognise the potential benefits and flexibility of IPPs, but the cost of establishing a plan is often seen as prohibitive, particularly for small numbers of employees. IPPs have historically been more expensive to set up and administer than domestic plans, due to the IPP market being smaller and specialist and lacking the economy of scale of domestic markets.I In recent years the costs associated with

IPPs have fallen and while they are more expensive than domestic plans, the difference has narrowed. This is due to improved automation of administration and investment, use of low-cost passive funds, the emergence of multi-employer master trust solutions that cater for smaller numbers, and competition in the market to drive down costs. It is important to be aware that employer-sponsored corporate savings plans will almost always be a better deal for the expatriate employee than plans available in the local retail savings market.

“We don’t need an IPP. We use home and host plans or extra cash.”

the most frequent reason I am told that a company doesn’t need an IPP is that there are better options available, such as retention in home plans These alternatives will be the right solution for certain employees, depending on the nature

Peter Taylor, International Corporate Distribution Manager for Zurich Corporate Savings International, is based in the Isle of Man, Great Britain, and has 23 years of experience in international employee benefits.

For the last 16 years, Peter has worked with distributors and employers from Latin America, USA, Canada, and Europe, primarily in the area of pensions and savings. Prior to this, Peter worked as a relationship manager with international employers in Asia for 5 years, where he was responsible for our portfolio of corporate savings and risk business in Hong Kong and Singapore.

Pensions are difficult enough to deal with when you have spent all your working life in the UK, so imagine what it is like for professionals calculating their retirement pots after a working life spent abroad.

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and length of their assignment, but will be wrong for others. Retention in home plans carries a number of risks and challenges, such as the creation of a cross-border scheme, regulatory time restrictions and providers’ inability or lack of appetite to include overseas workers (for example in group personal plans in the UK). Host country plans face a number of concerns that can add significant risk, such as currency volatility and the factors already mentioned above when looking at tax breaks.

Occupational pension plans established in one European country and with members localised in another European country must satisfy the cross-border regulations. This includes creating different country sections and meeting the social and labour laws of each country, which may mean member materials in different languages, meeting local disclosure regulations and so on. For defined benefit plans it means ensuring the plan is fully funded at all times.Recognising these issues leads employers to resort to paying cash in lieu of a pension. An examination of the reasons why pensions are offered in the first place would seem to demonstrate that this isn’t a good option – the use of benefits to attract and retain skilled employees, good social responsibility, centralised approaches to benefits for senior employees and supporting employees to plan for their departure from the company are just a few examples.

“We don’t want the responsibility and risk of a trust-based plan for a small group of employees.”

the most common approach to setting up an IPP is under a trust – typically one established in a tax-neutral location such as the

Isle Man or the Channel Islands. For some employers, trusts are viewed with much apprehension. There is a perception that trusts are expensive to set up and run, and that individuals must be appointed as trustees who then personally shoulder the burden of selecting an appropriate range of investments, with the risk that employees may in the future seek recourse for funds that fail to deliver on expectations. Where alternative structures to a trust are preferred, the investment risk point still prevails, resulting in many employers opting for guaranteed funds that promise no risk at all – a concept that I challenge further below.Trusts serve a number of important purposes that arguably justify the costs involved. In addition to separating the plan funds from the assets of the company, and so securing them for the benefit of the plan members, trusts add an important layer of governance and assist in plan administration, especially if things go wrong. The trustees are responsible for ensuring that the funds made available are suitable for the members, but this responsibility need not fall on individuals, as the majority of IPPs are set up with professional firms of trustees, not individual employees or the sponsoring employer. For smaller numbers of employees the cost of setting up a trust may still seem disproportionate, but the growth in master trust solutions is starting to overcome this. Yes, master trusts lack some of the flexibility of stand-alone trusts, but they do offer a low-cost way for employers to provide an IPP for small numbers of mobile employees.

Many employers will only offer one fund to members, one that has no risk of downside and offers a guaranteed annual return. The problem with these funds is that

they hide a number of issues and are widely misunderstood. The first problem lies in understanding what the true cost of the guarantee actually is, as these funds rarely provide any information on the underlying assets and charges. Second, returns on these funds are at an all-time low and are being eroded in real terms by inflation. Third, in order to offer these funds, the insurer must match the liability of the guarantees with low-risk assets such as bonds, which in turn create a drag on performance, particularly over the longer term. And finally, providing a guarantee adds liability to the insurer’s balance sheet, creating a third-party risk to the plan – any guarantee is only as good as the company that promises it. In the US the trend is strongly in favour of target date funds. These funds seek to take the appropriate level of investment risk at the right time, reducing the level of risk as the target date approaches. A similar effect can be achieved with lifestyle or lifecycle funds, which reduce the risk profile as retirement, or some other target date, approaches. These funds are normally the default fund, but where the member wants to be more involved in the process of selecting funds, trustees and employers can assist through the use of risk assessment tools and risk-rated fund options that maintain a particular risk profile on an ongoing basis.

The IPP is developing at some pace and the advent of master trusts, sophisticated blended and lifestyle funds and greater flexibility over when and how benefits are withdrawn, means that IPPs are becoming a solution available to all. As a result, HR professionals who have avoided setting up a plan due to costs and numbers of mobile employees may have options available that they have previously passed by.

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Will is a London based partner in PwC’s global mobility practice. He has approaching 26 years assignee tax and HR mobility experience. He is a member of both the Chartered Institute of Taxation and, more recently having completed a postgraduate diploma in HR Management, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

While in Eastern Europe Will was responsible for the broader HR Services network across 28 territories. During this time he developed a deeper understanding of the numerous challenges of doing business and managing people across a diverse range of cultures and economies.

Will Schofield

Stability and support: the keys to mobility success

How many years of your life did all your international moves take up?

Of the 26 years I’ve spent working with PwC I have only spent eleven in the UK.

Have you noticed an improvement in the way HR departments run mobility programmes over that time?

When I first went on assignment the HR teams were very helpful in pointing me in the right direction for relocation vendors and removal firms as well as providing a list of recommended “to do’s”, for example updating the electoral register and the post office for change of address. The support I received for more recent moves though had gone up a notch or two with the team in Russia being particularly supportive, helping to negotiate tenancy agreements, setting up bank accounts and other critical admin in the early days.

What about in terms of assistance with immigration law?

Yes, I was helped with that a great deal and it took a lot of anguish out of what we needed to do. We just needed to come up with the relevant paperwork. The HR departments were always very supportive, for example, when my wife lost her Australian passport that had her Russian visa in it, they resolved that problem very quickly.

I would imagine a country like Russia has a lot of paperwork and bureaucracy to get through before they allow you to work in the country?

Yes, a lot of bureaucracy and had we been left to deal with it without assistance there would have been a language issue too.

You mention language, is that another area you were offered assistance with?

Yes, we were offered language lessons and my wife did somewhat better at those than I did. For us as a couple, and we had two children as well while we were in Russia, it was absolutely critical that one of us at least could speak some of the local language. Learning the language allows you to manage life so much more effectively. If I had my time again I would make far more of an effort to learn the language.

What was your job role while you were in Russia?

I work in the global mobility area advising clients on global mobility strategy. My role in Moscow, and then Prague, was to run our local practices on a day to day basis, but I also led the broader global mobility advisory teams across our Central and Eastern European practice, spreading from Prague in the West all the way through to Moscow in the East and Kazakhstan in the South.

Schofield has worked for PwC for 26 years, during that time he has completed three international assignments, one in Australia, Russia and the Czech Republic. As a Partner at PwC he offers both HR and Global Mobility related advisory services.

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Do some people find relocation more difficult than others, in your experience?

Absolutely, there is no simple formula for making working internationally easy. Every individual and family will have different needs and experiences. When I first moved to Russia I was fortunate in one way in that my family remained in Australia for 8 months allowing me time to integrate at work and find my feet without domestic distractions. That having been said, being on different sides of the world wasn’t easy either! When the family did arrive I was fortunate in that my wife was willing to try hard and integrate into expat life, joining in with various expat activities as well as learning Russian. If I was advising a client I would say when selecting someone to go on assignment, where there will be cultural differences, I would say don’t just think of the worker’s performance in the UK or their values and their skill-set, you’ve got to think of the broader picture, for example, are they likely to take some risks, be prepared for new challenges, will their family be supportive. I often hear that global mobility should be for top talent and to a fair degree I agree with that statement, but sometimes top talent in the UK may not transfer into being top talent in an environment with a different job requirement and a different set of skills that are needed.

If you, for example, are approached by two people who are equally qualified to be sent on an assignment, but one person is single and the other has a family, does that effect the decision?

Of course there could be financial considerations to take account

of, but leaving that aside, to make an assignment a success the employee and family need to be the right fit. If equally qualified to take on the role I would consider the “fit” of the individual and for the family try to understand the motivations and whether the spouse would also be comfortable in the new environment. At the end of the day an unsuccessful assignment will end up being very expensive and potentially disruptive for the business. It is far more sensible to work hard to get the right person in place regardless of family circumstances.

Would a person who took a family with them be, in your opinion, more likely to see an international assignment through to the end?

I don’t have any firm evidence one way of the other on that question. However, with mobility trending away from the more traditional avenues of long term assignments to increased business travel, commuting, project work etc I would say that these create additional and new pressures which can impact on family life and a person’s work. I commuted in-between Russia and Prague for about twelve months and it was hard for both me in Russia and my wife in Prague. Working in this way has to be taken on with an open mind and an acknowledgement that it won’t be easy.

Does undertaking an international assignment improve career prospects in the long run?

Some will say that the experience has been wonderful for their career, however, there are no guarantees. People who undertake multiple or longer international assignments may, for example, see a completely different career path from those taken by their peers in their home office so it is difficult to judge.

After people have worked abroad for a period of time is it difficult to move back and is any assistance offered with this process?

It is critical that an employer helps the returning expat reintegrate. There should be a programme of support and mentoring which should be offered by someone who has already been through it. People often need help to find their feet again after they have completed an assignment.

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As organisations in-creasingly operate in an international market-place, the need to have a flexible and mobile workforce is more pressing than ever. More often than not the lack of language and communi-cation skills across the workforce is the major barrier to achieving this. Employees need to be able to communicate easily and fluently with each other, with sup-pliers and with custom-ers. While these skills are lacking, global HR professionals will strug-gle with planning for succession and global mobility.

Global HR profession-als are keenly aware of this issue. In fact, 98% of organisations who responded to the Spe-exx corporate learning 2015 survey1 agreed that good communica-tions are ‘very impor-tant’ or ‘important’ for their overall business success. Yet one in five (21%) thought that lack of foreign language skills among employees

was a major issue. One of the reasons that many organisations do not have employees with the language and communication skills necessary for global deployment is that HR managers often assume that employee language skills are better then they are. Employees who may be able to get by in a second language on holiday or in a social setting may struggle to function in the business environment. Work-ers who have learned a language mainly from books in their home country may need sup-port with pronunciation and diction. In addition, effective communica-tions is not just about being able to speak the language. It is also requires a deep under-standing of cultural dif-ferences.

Here are seven steps to supporting communica-tions across the global workforce:

1. Start by getting management onside.

Lack of support by man-agement was the single greatest barrier to rolling out global language and communications develop-ment cited by respond-ents to the Speexx survey (27 percent). Management may respond well to an approach to supporting communications that ad-dresses succession plan-ning at management level as this is an issue for many organisations in an ageing society. Technology can help you carry out a wide–scale audit that provides a clear business case for where action needs to be taken.

2. Look to the cloud.

In 2015 only one in five organisations used a cloud-based solution to deliver learning across the globe, while a third (33 percent) of organisa-tions were still using local learning management systems to manage cor-porate learning. A single unified learning platform that employees can access wherever they are in the world is key to rolling out

Armin Hopp

Driving workforce mobility through communications support

Armin Hopp is the Founder and President of Speexx, provider of award-winning online corporate language training. The company operates in over 80 countries, has a worldwide network of more than 1,500 online tutors. Speexx offers an extensive range of innovative language-learning modules and has delivered results for more than 8 million users worldwide.

Communication is key to business success, but this can prove problematic when firms operate across borders. For Global Mobility schemes to become more successful HR professionals have to set about tackling the language skills gap.

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consistent language and communi-cations learning. Learner data from a centralised learning solution can inform personalised learning de-livery for individuals. Data security and privacy issues will not go away but in a mature marketplace there is the technology and the expertise to address them.

3. Set up centralised testing of employee language skills.

If level of skill is accurately as-sessed, that provides a solid foundation on which to develop capabilities.

4. Go mobile.

Mobile learning platforms are all but essential for a global, mobile workforce. Just over a third of or-ganisations offer mobile learning, according to the Speexx survey, and this figure is steadily increas-ing. More than a third of organi-sations (35%) provide or at least allow mobile devices at work and these are used for learning. When it comes to mobile learning provi-sion, technical problems and lack of integration are the main barri-ers, even ahead of management buy-in. With 39% of learning de-velopment professionals indicat-ing that technical infrastructure may be a problem, this suggests additional investment is required in for siloed, legacy systems that only offer a fragmented view of workforce capabilities. Using an out-of-date infrastructure may be holding back some organisations.

5. Implement blended learning.

Language and communication training delivery should not be lim-ited to self-paced e-learning only. Supplement self directed e-learning with peer learning, perhaps partner-ing employees with others with the target language skills, and enabling

employees to travel to overseas offices, experiencing first hand dif-ferent cultures and making connec-tions with employees with other language skills.

6. Involve partners and family.

Bear in mind that if you ask an employee to relocate, this has an impact on partners and family, as they tend to relocate as well. Consider offering language and communications training to those people too. As well as being good practice, helping employees and their families settle in a differ-ent country, language acquisition works best in a social setting.

7. Make sure your language and communications development strategy is working.

This is not a one size fits all or a tick box exercise. What works in Malaysia or China may not work in Western Europe. If employees are to gain real, usable language and communication skills, it is vital to embrace cultural differ-ences, assess learner progress continuously and to adapt learn-ing delivery to individuals to ensure that the workforce has the skills that the organisation needs to move forward.

Success on the global stage de-mands a long-term talent man-

agement strategy that focuses on developing the language and communication skills of each individual employee. As well as getting the learning delivery right, HR professionals can play a part in fostering a culture of person-to-person communications across the organisation to help develop language and communication skills. Many organisations oper-ate virtual workspaces so em-ployees do not travel or relocate globally but do work with col-leagues globally. The temptation can be to hide behind email but spoken communications are key if employees are to develop solid language skills.

The benefits of getting this right include improved collaboration across borders, faster time to decision in global operations and increased quality of customer service. Younger employees, who now make up almost half the workforce, respond well to opportunities in the workplace for international working and self-development. Language and communication skills can keep Millennials engaged and onside, while also underpinning a real competitive advantage: keeping your organisation ahead of the pack.

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May 12, 2016 @ Hilton Hotel, Canary Wharf, London

Media Partner:

Conference Preview

ProGlobal 2015

Delivering the HR, Expat and Global Mobility Agenda

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Welcome to the ProGlobal 2016 conference preview

As businesses begin to expand into the global marketplace or as they send their employees to diverse geographic and cultural backgrounds, they may have to adapt to new labour laws and tax liabilities. Operating human resources across geographic and cultural boundaries can often prove difficult for HR professionals. Here, in the special edition, packed with information and practical tips on how to approach the most challenging issues that International Hr faces, you can gain understanding of relevant legislation changes, read an insightful interview with Will Schofield from PwC or look into some hot tips from people speaking at our conference, Zurich and Sirva.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Piotr LewiczHead of Conference Production, Symposium Events

09:00 Coffee and registration

09:30 Chair’s opening remarks

Lisa Johnson, Global Practice Leader, Consulting Services, Crown World Mobility

09:45 Policy review: Aligning assignments for a truly global policy

• When and how to review your policy• Creating a policy fit for your future organisation• Understanding your organisations culture

Eluned Wallace, Group Global Mobility Director, Walt Disney Company

10:10 Managing emerging assignment types

• Mobility into and within emerging markets• How to keep your employees secure when on

assignment• How to immerse yourself into another culture• Remaining compliant in a complex immigration

system

Richard Thompson, Senior Vice President Sales & Marketing, SIRVA

10:35 Questions and discussion with speakers

10:45 Knowledge share networking session

Facilitated networking session to discuss your challenges with your peers

11:20 Refreshment and networking

11:40 Reducing costs: How can you achieve a more cost effective mobility policy

• Using new technologies to reduce administration• Measuring the value and keeping a lid on costs

Ema Boccagni, Software Solutions Consultant, ECA International

12:05 Integrating mobility effectively into the broader HR remit

• Repatriation and retaining talent• Building and managing a diverse workforce• Getting the best from your people• Case study: Journey and successes

Anett Wilkie, HR Business Partner, Amey

12:35 Questions and discussion with speakers

12:45 Panel discussion: Global Mobility Vendor Selection - Three sides of the same coin

Identifying and selecting the ideal Global Mobility partner for your business involves multiple people in the decision-making process. K2 invites you to join a session where we hear from the Global Mobility leader, Procurement Leader and a primary internal stakeholder what drivers, influences and customers do they need to consider when it comes to selecting their primary mobility partners. K2 will be hosting the session with:

Mark Derksen, Associate Director Head of International Mobility, Arup

Catherine Birchall, Business Advisor, PwC

Conference programme

ProGlobal 2016 Preview

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Jeff Young, Strategic Sourcing and Procurement, White & Case LLP

Julie Harrington, International HR Executive: Global Mobility and Expatriate Administration, K2 Corporate Mobility Advisory Services

Breakout session 1

14:15 Segmentation of policy and how to apply this to talent

• Aligning with company’s talent management program

• Where should mobility sit, separately or with talent?• Building internal relationships with business

partners

Helen Walton, Director Global Mobility, AstraZeneca

14:40 Considerations when setting up in challenging locations

• Managing dangerous locations and risk• Where to start when setting up in a new location• Helping assignees settle in• Understanding culture and customs

Lucy Cowell, International Mobility Manager, BP

15:05 Questions and discussion with speakers

Breakout session 2

14:15 Helping international employees plan their financial future

Mobility, demographic changes and the shifting pensions landscape are creating interconnected risks for employersCan an outcomes orientated approach to retirement savings help address these challenges?

Stewart Allanson, International Corporate Distribution Manager, Zurich Corporate Savings

14:40 Immigration update; changes across Europe

• What is the impact of global mobility• Examining immigration related issues• Potential consequences for work mobility in the awe

of Brexit

15:05 Questions and discussion with speakers

15:15 Refreshments and networking

15:35 Mobility and the taxmanHint and tips

• Challenging your tax provider• Understanding residential and double tax

agreements• Cross border working and the impact in overseas

countries

Stephen Mayled, Global Mobility, Tax Manager, Arup Group

16:00 Junior mobility

• Managing the graduate experience• Pluses and minuses• How the policy differs to other types of assignees• How does mobility develop careers

Richard McBride, Global Mobility Director, Baker Hughes

16:25 Questions and discussion with speakers

16:35 Chairs closing remarks and end of conference

Profile of the Chair

Lisa is responsible for supporting Crown’s clients and account teams with Global Mobility program and policy design and enhancements. Before joining Crown in 2012, she worked extensively in linking mobility to talent management and assignment related ROI strategies, conducting industry-specific research and leading client-driven consulting engagements. Her most recent research project focused on linking Mobility to Diversity & Inclusion strategies. Additionally, she brings a background in global leadership development, intercultural training and change management initiatives.

www.symposium.co.uk

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Our expert speakers include:Eluned Wallace, Group Global Mobility Director, Walt Disney Company

Eluned Wallace is the Senior Manager for Global Mobility, EMEA, for The Walt Disney Company. Eluned is responsible for assignees, international transfers, commuters and business travellers across EMEA. Eluned has 18 years HR experience gained in various sectors including Construction, IT, Financial Services, Oil & Gas and Entertainment.

ProGlobal 2016 Preview

Stephen Mayled, Global Mobility, Tax Manager, Arup Group

Steve is currently the Arup International Mobility Tax Manager and is responsible for the management of income tax and social security liabilities of over 500 international assignees. He has recently spent 6 months working as the Joint Head of International Mobility involved in the wider aspects of international assignments. He has 24 years of international tax & social security experience from designing policies and processes, development of cost estimate tools, compensation planning and international payroll consulting.

Peter Taylor, International Corporate Distribution Management, Zurich Corporate Savings International

Peter Taylor, International Corporate Distribution Manager for Zurich Corporate Savings International, is based in the Isle of Man, Great Britain, and has 23 years of experience in international employee benefits. For the last 16 years, Peter has worked with distributors and employers from Latin America, USA, Canada, and Europe, primarily in the area of pensions and savings.

Ema Boccagni, Software Solutions Consultant, ECA International

Ema joined ECA International in 2008. She collaborates closely with ECA’s global Client Services, Software and Marketing teams to focus on the sales of software, and is responsible for collating client feedback and requirements and channelling these into the appropriate teams to support product development. Ema has worked extensively with many major multinational companies advising them on current practices in international HR and assisting clients with the management of assignments abroad, including data briefing and salary calculation work.

Richard McBride, Global Mobility Director, Baker Hughes

Richard has over 25 years’ experience in International Assignments, Employment Taxes and Global Compensation Programs. He is the Global Mobility Director for Baker Hughes based in London with overall responsibility for the international assignment

programs for some 3,000 employees in more than 80 countries worldwide.

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www.symposium.co.uk

Anett Wilkie, HR Business Partner, Amey

Anett joined Amey’s International Management team in November 2013. She owns all the International HR policies and supports growth in new markets as well as continuous improvement and innovation in the international HR area. She holds an MA in International Human Resource Management from the University of West England. Anett has over 10 years’ experience in HR working in Norway for Accenture (Anderson Consulting), Halliburton and Schlumberger.

Helen Walton, Director Global Mobility, AstraZeneca

Helen is Director of Global Mobility at AstraZeneca Plc, a major pharmaceutical company. For the past 13 years she has led a team responsible for the design, development and delivery of high quality policy solutions and specialised programmes to support international assignments globally. In January 2011 her role was expanded to include one-time relocation globally and she is currently leading the relocation services for the strategic relocation of the UK scientific organisation and Global HQ to Cambridge.

Lucy Cowell, International Mobility Manager, BP

Lucy is the International Mobility Policy Manager at BP, and is responsible for all aspects of global policy management, review and governance, along with the management of the underlying policy data. She has been with BP for almost 10 years in various International Mobility roles ranging from operational to client service focused. Lucy has an HR and expatriate tax background gained from her time working at RBS and Ernst & Young where she also completed her CIPD and ATT qualifications.

Richard Thompson, Senior Vice President Sales & Marketing, SIRVA

Richard joined SIRVA in June 2015 as SVP Sales and Marketing, responsible for the European growth strategy. Prior to joining SIRVA, he led Pitney Bowes Management Services as Managing Director UK / RoI, and has 20 years’ experience in senior management roles gained principally within a Sales and Marketing environmen

Julie Harrington, International HR Executive: Global Mobility and Expatriate Administration, K2 Corporate Mobility Advisory Services

Julie Harrington started her career in global mobility management in 1999. Julie worked predominantly in the financial services industry, managing programmes and advising regarding expatriate workforces for Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, EY and JP Morgan. Today she works at K2 Corporate Mobility advising businesses on the strategic development of their Global Mobility programmes.

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Helen van Eeden

Moving boundaries: global mobility in the age of information

Helen has a degree in Business Management. Through both her work experience and academic studies, she has acquired a sound understanding of a wide range of operational, financial, HR and business processes. Efficient organisation, the personal development of employees and nurturing a strong company culture are the aspects that Helen has a particular interest in. In her role as Operations and HR Manager at CRITICAL Software, she is responsible for creating a positive working environment for employees and for overseeing the general operational processes of the UK business.

In a complex, information-rich, global economy, the need for companies to have a culture that supports and fosters mobility is more important than ever. Capturing and fully realising internationally dispersed knowledge demands an approach that supports information and talent liquidity. It is no longer enough for global companies to think in terms of traditional, localised models, operating internationally but through many distinct, national silos. The risks are too great, with information, knowledge and talent often imprisoned in local subsidiaries.

Metanational companies are different from traditional international companies. In the race to captitalise on the skills and expertise of the many talented individuals dispersed across the globe, metanationals recognise that the ability to fluidly connect employees,

knowledge, skills and technologies is crucial. They operate as a single, organic organisation breathing as one, rejecting the traditional structure of an international head office acting as puppet master to local satellite offices. This fluidity comes with rewards; metanational companies are more easily able to mobilise their talent where market opportunities exist, developing a culture that locally captures skills, innovation and knowledge, efficiently transforming them into global applications.

So what are they key obstacles companies face when trying to successfully create a culture of global mobility? The first and arguably most important challenge to overcome is to ensure that the opportunities actually exist for individuals to freely move between a company’s locations or even to work remotely – but, crucially, to do

this in a way that ensures individuals still feel part of a single, strong, working dynamic, wherever they happen to be. This often means getting some pretty basic things right, such as having the local support infrastructure to accommodate employees who might normally be based elsewhere, or who perhaps have no fixed base at all. Planning is key here. For example, trying to hastily find office space for a mobile employee at short notice is less effective than proactively planning the working environment from day one so that mobile individuals are as much a part of a workplace’s day-to-day life as local employees are, however long their stay might be.

Nonetheless, true employee integration is about much more than the careful planning of work environments. It is also about making the most of a strong culture – and a company works best when this culture is consistent across its geographies, providing a

Taking the culture of your home office and implanting its culture in another country is not enough. Global Mobility experts have to develop district set-ups, honed to fit the individual environment they find themselves in. Subsidiaries have to take an international mind-set.

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familiar home when individuals are seemingly ‘away’. Part of this means appealing to an individual’s senses so that the cultural codes and signifiers that represent their company are familiar to them wherever they might be working.

That’s not to say individual cultural differences should be ignored. Studies show that in key areas such as communicating, decision-making, planning and evaluating, there can be some clear differences between employees familiar with cultural norms in one country compared to another. But the overall cultural fabric of a company should be strong enough to unite employees through a consistently applied framework of values and working practices. Indeed, one of the benefits of a globally mobile workforce is that mobile employees who visit one place of work are able to act as cultural pollinators of another.

Ultimately, whatever cultural differences exist globally, most individuals are at their most productive when they feel looked after, valued and listened to. It’s no coincidence that the companies that best achieve quick integration of mobile employees are often those who are better at looking after their employees more generally, and who make themselves more than just a place of work. These companies know that the little things count. Games rooms, company massages, free office refreshments, culture clubs and the like are more than just gimmicks – they contribute to a broader environment that shows a company being more than just, well, a company.

Another crucial aspect to encouraging employee fluidity is to allow individuals to manage their work flexibly, as much as possible. Too often employers demand flexibility from employees without really providing them with the necessary structure or policy to support it. Technology is obviously key to this – taking advantage of tools that allow for easy mobile communications and the secure sharing of knowledge, documents and information. But often, the barrier to change is not technology, but the traditional 9-5, ‘work-from-a-fixed-office’ mindset that sees companies struggling to adapt to a generation of digital-savvy employees that have the talent to optimise their own productivity through new technologies that offer connectivity on the move.

Indeed, the concept of global mobility does not just apply to employees – but to information. Many companies that seemingly embrace the concept of global mobility are often ironically over-dependent on the mobility of employees. Sometimes the more productive and efficient route is to embrace technologies that allow

their global talent base to more actively contribute from wherever in the world they might be. That’s not to suggest that employee mobility is not important – there will always likely be a role for face-to-face contact and the direct application of skills – but metanational companies will tend to think first and foremost about the possibilities digital technologies open up for rapidly sharing information and knowledge, which in itself is often then a catalyst for requiring additional support from a mobile talent pool.

And what do employees stand to gain from all of this? Apart from some of the obvious cross-cultural benefits, employees working for metanational companies benefit from a true meritocracy, where geographic barriers to career progression are more easily cleared, regardless of where market opportunities exist. Metanational organisations present employees with global opportunities to put into practice their skills and talents in ways that local markets might not necessarily require of them. And, of course, the ability to gain globally-diverse work experience is also a significant way of enhancing career prospects, and a sure-fire way of learning from others with talents from different parts of the world.

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‘No man is an island’, the old saying goes, no one can stand alone in an increasingly interconnected world. Businesses opting to operate in different locations means that communication has to be perfected to a fine art, in order to ensure a national success doesn’t become an international failure.

Matthew heads up Communicaid’s Intercultural training division where he is responsible for the design and global management of programmes in more than 60 different countries each year. A seasoned interculturalist, Matthew has more than twenty years’ experience of helping clients to maximise the opportunities and minimise the risks of working internationally. For more information about Communicaid, please visit www.communicaid.com

Matthew MacLachlan

National success: international failure

A recent report in the Harvard Business Review suggests that as much as 80 percent of job success comes from “soft” skills, rather than technical expertise. It is easy to un-derstand why: we spend a large part of our working lives interacting with other people. No man is an is-land – that is certainly true of any modern-day organi-sation where employees work and collaborate in cross-functional and geographically separated teams.

The Changing Remit of International Assignees

Historically, an as-signee arrived in their new host country, car-ried out a specific task and returned home (or went elsewhere). The past decade has seen a dramatic change in how assignees work and interact with local employees and offices. Assignments are now much more about skills transfer, professional development and build-ing capacity – three

munication skills learned in a home environment are not suited to the new cultural environment. Nevertheless, we con-tinue to select assignees primarily based on their technical skills and their ability to work effectively in their home country/culture. This is a flawed approach.We know, for example that the way we interpret emotional responses, and how we demonstrate emotion are a product of our cultural background. Behavioural psycholo-gists tell us that we only learn this interpret-ing skill in our teenage years. If we do not have the cultural awareness to understand emotions across cultures, we can only conduct our inter-national business on a pre-pubescent emotional level. Is it any wonder we frequently hit a cul-tural wall?

Measuring Intercultural Competence

What we need therefore is a way of examining the

areas that need rela-tionship building skills. Despite having a task to do, the scope of assign-ments has become much wider. When managers now go on an interna-tional assignment, it has become normal for them to be involved in “people work” more often than technical work. The challenge is that we assume, just as techni-cal skills are a given, soft skills, or more accurate-ly business communica-tion skills, are universal. We know from cultural theory and research that this is not the case - far from it.

Translating Soft Skills

This calls into ques-tion our approach to selecting and assessing potential talent for inter-national roles. Research consistently shows that one of the most common causes of assignment failure is the inability to adapt to some aspect of the cultural differences of the new host country. In other words, the com-

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intercultural skills of an assignee before they leave and identifying how to bridge any competency gap. This will help them apply their technical expertise effec-tively in the new culture. One of the difficulties is that there is no green light/red light test that you can apply universally to say send or don’t send. By definition, a new culture is a new experience, and we do not yet have a method-ology to predict the unknown.However, we can measure inter-cultural competency levels as a baseline, and use that to examine what intercultural and commu-nication skills an assignee may need to develop before going on assignment. Here at Communic-aid, we deploy The International Profiler (TIP) for exactly this purpose. TIP is an intercultural psychometric assessment tool with an emphasis on personal skills development. Based on rigorous research it is an effective way to help international workers become more effective.TIP allows assignees (or other international workers) to look at their future role in the light of their current intercultural com-petency in 22 skill areas. Based on the results of a detailed online assessment, a Communicaid certified coach can then work

with the assignee to review com-munication (and other) areas that may prove challenging for them in their new host country.The results of the psychometric tool feed into many of Commu-nicaid’s programmes and form an invaluable part of the learning and coaching sessions for any assignee going on a new interna-tional assignment.

Case Study

A product specialist of a large industrial company was due to move to China after taking on the leadership of an important pro-ject. The purpose of the assign-ment was to evaluate the cur-rent packaging process, suggest improvements to reduce over-heads and increase efficiency. Her initial attempts to investigate the processes while based in her home country had been met with resistance by her Chinese colleagues. The decision was taken that being based in China for a period might help her build relationships and understand the people and processes better. As the first part of her interna-tional assignee training package with Communicaid, the assignee carried out the online psycho-

metric assessment. The results proved interesting as they high-lighted a low score in the attrib-ute called Flexible Judgement. The low score for this attribute impacted her ability to under-stand why things are done in a certain way. Her Communicaid Consultant also noted that her low score in Range of Styles could mean that her communication style was overly direct for her Chinese colleagues, and may lead to a breakdown in relationships. During the session, Commu-nicaid was able to introduce the assignee to the “DIVE” model of intercultural analysis (Describe, Interpret, Verify, Evaluate) to help her understand other people’s perspectives. She was also able to practise how to take a more indirect, high context approach to her communication, which can build trust, rapport and common ground with her Chinese counter-parts. Her employer was able to avoid the potential embarrassment of a curtailed assignment and the alienation of both the assignee and the local team. The cost sav-ing processes have been identi-fied, relationships built and the assignee has gained invaluable intercultural skills and interna-tional experience

Overlook at your Own Risk

Intercultural and communication skills are often dismissed as ex-pensive luxuries – this judgement ignores the overwhelming weight of data and research that shows that they are the key to unlock-ing the potential of an interna-tional assignment. Taking the time to analyse the intercultural competency of your international assignees can maximise the return on the assignment, reduce the risk of failure and help your organisation develop truly global talent.

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Brynne Herbert is the Founder and CEO of MOVE Guides. MOVE Guides offers the first ever cloud platform for talent mobility that makes it easy to move around the world. Brynne founded the company in 2011 during her MBA at London Business School, after experiencing the challenges of her own relocations around the world as an investment banker.

She also writes a column in the Financial Times “Millennial vs. Boomer” where she discusses workplace issues confronting millennials, and writes a publication on Medium “Across the Ocean” where she shares insights on building a global company with headquarters in London and San Francisco.

Brynne Herbert

Bringing HR technology to global mobility

MOVE Guides recently hosted an event at our London office to bring the best and brightest from the mobility world together. Joining me on an interactive panel about “The Future of Global Mobility” were industry experts from King.com, PwC and Re:Locate magazine. We discussed the incredible growth of the global mobility industry and what technology solutions are needed to support it and make it go mainstream.

All the panelists agreed that global mobility is not only growing in importance within HR, it is also becoming core to business success for the 21st century organization. It helps build a pipeline of global leaders (1/3rd of S&P 500 CFOs have international experience-Korn/Ferry), it helps retain and engage millennial staff (71% of millennials expect to live and work abroad-PwC) and it helps fill talent gaps (63% of CEOs are

concerned about the availability of key skills in their local markets-PwC). These factors foster strong global brands, empower global teams and grow global revenue.

Our panel also pondered, given that HR technology is such a hot button topic, why does talent mobility continue to remain absent from the conversation?

Large incumbent global mobility outsourcers have done little to introduce enterprise technology applications and are hesitant to disassemble their own complex and opaque business models. Traditional HCM vendors are also noticeably absent from the global mobility market because they lack the expertise in payments, tax, supply chain management and employee move support to create what global mobility teams need for success.

Last year, MOVE Guides conducted a survey with

the RES Forum of more than 80 multinational companies which showed that only 18% of employees were satisfied with their global mobility programs while the majority of respondents considered global mobility to be one of the most complex areas of HR disciplines.

Additionally, while technology is playing a huge role in improving efficiency, lowering costs and driving success, our joint research showed that almost 72% of companies don’t use cloud technology for talent mobility and 43% don’t use any technology solution.

All these factors combined – a large and growing market, frustrated employees and complex manual processes – leads to a perfect opportunity for enterprise technology disruption.

Delivering a successful global mobility program requires configuring HR processes,

The global mobility industry is growing and developing at a remarkable speed. Brynne Herbert, founder of MOVE Guides, explores what technology solutions can be deployed to expand the revolution.

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helping employees organize their relocation, sourcing and managing a large supply chain of global vendors such as shipping, housing, immigration and coordinating payments to these global vendors. Building a successful enterprise application requires mapping this complexity into a data model, bringing together these components, and building simple experiences for the different users — HR, global mobility, employees, families, finance and vendors.

To make it even more complex, it also involves building scalable configuration and permissions for different global mobility programs and policies; building integrations with a supply chain that have many categories and virtually no APIs or integration experience; and blending a beautiful technology solution with offline support for the counselling and escalations that invariably happen

in an international move.

Now you may start to realize why a $150bn industry with no technology innovation has 18% satisfaction and the highest complexity rating.

During the panel, I explained my vision for bringing technology innovation to global mobility with MOVE Guides. Similar to Lego blocks, mobility needs to be built into a single structure, with each block representing the different segments of a global mobility program. But today, it looks more like a five-year-old spilling Lego blocks across the floor.

There are independent systems to manage HR processes, for example tools to estimate the cost of a move; there are many suppliers who perform services for employees and hold data about it; there are many different places where an employee

consumes information while planning a move; and there are different payment gateways, payroll systems, cost of living information and much more.

To make a successful global mobility system for companies, employees and global vendors, we must put all of these global mobility Lego blocks together — one by one — into a single mobility view. This is also the vision behind MOVE Guides’ technology solution, the Talent Mobility Cloud.

We believe it is finally time for global mobility to have access to the same technology solutions that other key business functions already benefit from today. When this occurs, the global mobility team will be able to transform a company’s global reach and overall success.

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Sam Sprules

How to achieve a more cost-effective global mobility policy

It sounds cliché, but the world really is getting smaller. In an increasingly globalised marketplace – helped greatly by the internet – it’s never been easier for businesses to tap into the international - not just local - community. Businesses in the UK may use Skype to communicate with their sister company in China, and e-commerce has helped small local business open their doors to the world.

However, for some industries and certain roles, there is a need for people on the ground, and that’s where global mobilisation comes in. Placing staff overseas in on the up. PwC’s report - Talent Mobility: 2020 and Beyond, states that overseas placement levels have increased by 25% in the last decade, and this is set to rise by an additional 50% by 2020.

For most HR professionals, this can present a recruitment, relocation and staffing headache. Not least

because global mobility is a costly affair. Never-before-considered fees for immigration, relocation and professional services mean that the price of global mobility goes way beyond the salary of the staff.

So how best can a HR professional take advantage of global mobility and be cost effective? The two may seem impossible to marry, but at AeroProfessional our core business is offering global mobility solutions to airlines and aviation companies across the globe, whilst being cost-effective. So yes, it is possible.

We’ve broken down the key things to consider: Benchmarking local salaries – global candidate placement is not a cookie-cutter strategy. So what may seem an appropriate salary in the UK, could be disproportionately high (or low) in another country.

A common mistake is for the HR department, or key decision maker, to offer the same pay and benefits to a relocated member of staff as they would a domestic employee. This can result in a business overpaying, particularly when you consider locations such as the Middle East which are tax free, therefore the salary should adjust in light of this benefit.

On the other hand, paying too low for a location can result in disengagement, and a reduced quality of candidate. This is particularly key for us at AeroProfessional, as aviation pay rates can vary dramatically from one location to another. You could be faced with the argument that the worker shouldn’t be any worse off than if they were performing the work in their home country, so perhaps a pre- mobilisation strategy could be to recruit locally rather than mobilise existing workers.

The world is shrinking at great speed, which makes a global presence key. However, this cannot be done on a shoestring budget, people will be required on the ground to do the job.

Sam Sprules is a Director at AeroProfessional. With more than 12 years’ experience in the aviation HR and the recruitment industry, Sam leads a team of professional consultants who provide strategic HR advice on issues such as global mobility, as well as people solutions for airlines worldwide. Sam’s in-depth knowledge of cross border engagement, mobility, aviation skills, and large scale recruitment enables him to provide specialist industry insight, as well as comment on a range of issues affecting the HR and recruitment industry as a whole. Sam’s strong flair for business and sales saw him promoted to Director at AeroProfessional in 2013.

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Consider the local compliance costs

These include taxes and any social security, which can be varied. Cross border compliance is complicated, so check to see which country’s regulations will apply, taking into consideration employee residency, duration of assignment, time spent in and out of location, double taxation treaties, etc. Check to see if you can utilise any approved overseas subsistence allowances to lower employment costs and also increase employee salary retention (such as HMRC subsistence allowance guidelines). At the very least, be aware of these additional costs as they could be the surprise that isn’t initially budgeted for.

Think about the costs of supporting the assignment

Additional support costs include accommodation, transport, relocation and logistics. These can be negotiated with local suppliers to obtain favourable levels of cost based on scale and/or duration of need. So multiple relocations for an onsite project may benefit from economies of scale.

Plan carefully and allow for an appropriate budget

It’s not surprising that overseas assignments go over-budget, given the myriad of unforeseen costs that crop up throughout the process. Budgeting is not a ‘finger-in-the-air’ or estimation process. And the answer is not necessarily on Google. Each business and sector has its own unique considerations, so a one-size certainly does not fit all. To help with budget planning, a HR professional could take a step-by-step ‘walk’ through the

whole relocation process, and note down all the costs, surprises and other factors that come up along the way. This will help establish a realistic, but still conservative budget for the global mobility strategy. This will also help key stakeholders remain on target and cost-conscious. Every stakeholder likes to keep costs under budget, so set a cost ceiling.

Outline the global mobility policy carefully and monitor closely

This will help ensure that the policy is applied evenly across the business, and adhered to accordingly. This can reduce the risk of ‘discretion’ (i.e. one rule for some departments, not for others). The key to a successful, applicable and robust strategy is avoiding inconsistency and varying costs.

Prepare your employees and support them throughout

At AeroProfessional, we see great value in providing as much information as possible to employees on the location, from basic detail such as currency, cost of living, public transport to culture and religion. This

ensures they are prepared, and a more intangible but valuable factor is that they are regularly engaged and taken care of by HQ. The employee will then spend less time trying to acclimatise and therefore be more productive from day one, being able to hit the ground running.

Engage in specialist external support where required

The other option for creating a cost effective global mobility strategy is to enlist the support of an external company who specialise in the international labour market. This can often end up being more efficient as you are paying for the exact expertise required, and external advisers can provide local information and advice. The other saving with this option is time, as the HR professional is often juggling this responsibility at the expense of other priorities. At AeroProfessional, we work as an extension of the in-house team, to ensure that HR team, internal stakeholders and the employee is engaged throughout the whole process.

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In the HR world, international mobility is arguably more of a popular issue today than ever before - no doubt due to the blurring of borders as more organisations reap the benefits of operating worldwide. At Servest, we’re currently undergoing a transformation ourselves, one that requires an additional focus on this hot topic. In the space of a few years, we have experienced phenomenal growth and this is set to continue, especially as we are due to embark on a joint venture with a European service provider. As such, Servest will soon be developing its international base so we need to apply our learning from our national HR programmes to an international realm.

Having implemented a fluid employee mobility programme here in the UK, we understand how vital it is to plan

our global expansion accordingly. Before we develop an international presence, it’s important to review the issues that may arise along the way, in addition to strategically plotting how we will encourage shared learning between employees and global hubs. What’s more, it’s essential that we as employers recognise that individuals working on an international basis will experience both pros and cons in their challenging yet rewarding careers. HR professionals, business leaders and globetrotting entrepreneurs alike need to understand both the opportunities and the pitfalls in order to respond in kind. Thus, boosting the associated benefits of such working and lessening the impact of the inevitable disruptions that may be encountered along the way. For us, it’s necessary to establish a dialogue with our employees before any such changes are

implemented. This is where our Navigator Programme has stemmed from.

Servest’s Navigator development programme has been implemented in order to give the senior executives within the company ownership of how to best manage the pending organisational and continental shifts. The project launched a couple of months ago and various discussions are currently taking place in order to design a system that will ensure we’re ready for the multiple moves ahead. We didn’t want to dictate the way; we wanted the team that will be taking Servest into Europe to come up and manage the solution themselves. As the individuals that will be making this happen, this is enormously exciting for them.

Planning for international expansion requires several areas

C-J Green is Group HR Director for Servest Group, a leading facilities management provider employing more than 20,000 people over 7,500 sites across the UK. C-J joined Servest’s HR team in August 2009 and was promoted to Group HR Director in April 2014. As head of the HR function, she is responsible for all people services within the UK group - including HR advice, HR shared services, payroll, time and attendance, HR business partnering and learning and development. She also provides leadership to the 40 staff working in the people service functions.

C-J Green

Going global and moving forward as one

C-J Green from Servest offers some top tips on how to move a business from a national base into an international level. Lessons have to be taken from the successful formation of a business on home turf and trasferred onto the world stage.

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of focus. Organisations must question how to continue offering an excellent level of service, especially with the naturally fluctuating expectations from country to country. It’s also important to ask what can be done to strive towards a seamless cultural fit between teams, including how senior managers can attempt to tackle language barriers. In addition, organisations must stay up to date and adhere to the latest legislation.

By successfully operating a business across the UK, we have some well-proven mechanisms in place now, especially when it comes down to the management style that will bring the best out of people - regardless of where they’re based. We plan to continue pushing these

principles, especially as we roll out internationally. In the face of such change, it’s not just important that individuals buy into how the business is developing on the whole - it’s essential - especially as they will be the individuals carrying the business forward. That being said, a move to international mobility mean business leaders have to be prepared to give the senior executives that will be behind the transition the support they need in order to maximise the returns and to ensure employees are engaged.

From the work taking place so far, we can safely conclude that companies that have global or national mobility programmes have to be adaptable to change. Businesses also need to be aware of the changing landscape

of tax, including how the Base Erosion Profits Sharing initiative (BEPS), pension reform (EET to TEE), reduction to lifetime allowance, and the removal of Per Diem Dispensations affects the overall landscape. Then we have the added complication of the current Brexit situation; if Britain leave the EU, this will have repercussions, and businesses will need to be ready for such upheaval. International mobility can be used to achieve business objectives, enhance corporate culture and develop the people within an organisation. However, such pursuits require vigilant planning and buy in from everyone who is involved in worldwide rollouts. This is how we’re planning on going global; we need to move forward as one.