High Cost + High Risk …so why are Global Assignments still important to the company? How would you insure against failure? Tell me…

Anne Rossier-Renaud, Principal in Mercer’s Global Mobility business, recently said, “International assignments have become more diverse to meet evolving business and global workforce needs.

Relatively low pay increases in some regions and pressure to attract and retain talent have spurred many companies to embrace a wider range of global mobility strategies to incentivise their high performers.

Mobility managers and HR Directors now face great complexity in the number and type of international assignments that need managing.”

WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT?

“It’s important because companies operate across multiple “cultures” which have different ways of doing business (e.g., local environments/ ways of working).

Trying to run a global business with only local country – and it’s dominant culture – experience is not a successful business approach.

That’s why only a few (relative to size and geo reach of the company) get offered global assignments.

And fewer of those get to lead a global business or function,” says Mr. Jaison Williams of GlaxoSmithKline; Global HR Leader / Organizational Effectiveness / Learning / Talent Management / Change Management.

And the following remarks were presented by the Vice President Global Talent, AVON, keynoting at GLOBAL HR BUSINESS CONFERENCE, New York on April 11, 2013, at JPMorganChase, 1 Chase Plaza, penthouse suite

“To realise growth opportunities today, you will need to ‘play’ your best talent in markets which are not likely to be their home market.

These people are to be thought-of as your leaders and they will need to develop and implement a set of differentiating global ‘integration skills’.

This skill-set will be relevant now and into the future…skills and global-mindset attitudes and behaviours are acquired through international assignments and global projects.

This process comes at an incremental cost and organisations must change their approach to be ‘investment’ rather than expense.”

GLOBAL MOBILITY POLICY & PRACTICES
• +70% expect to increase short-term assignments in 2013;

• 39% said employees with international experience are promoted more quickly;

• 13% are female; up 3% since 2010;

• 66% of long-term assignees are 35-55 years old;

• 2% of multinational companies determine their mobility programs’ ROI.

WHY ARE INTERNATIONAL ASSIGNMENTS IMPORTANT TO THE COMPANY?
 provide specific technical skills not available locally;

 provide career management / leadership development;

 ensure knowledge transfer;

 fulfill specific project needs;

 provide specific managerial skills not available locally.

INCREASE USE or DECREASE?
 62% anticipate an increase in the number of technical-related short-term assignments;

 55% anticipate an increase in talent development assignments;

 50% anticipate an increase in key strategic assignments.

WHERE ARE THE INTERNATIONAL ASSIGNMENTS EXPECTED TO GO?
> United States
> Brazil
> China
> Australia
> United Kingdom
> Mexico
> United Arab Emirates
> Russia.

SOURCE: Mercer’s Worldwide International Assignments Policies and Practices report presents trends in international assignment program management, policies and practices data. For more information about this survey, visit www.imercer.com/wiapp .