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Managing International Assignments

International assignment management is one of the hardest areas for HR professionals to master—and one of the most costly. The expense of a three-year international assignment can cost millions, yet many organizations fail to get it right. Despite their significant investments in international assignments, companies still report a 42 percent failure rate in these assignments. 1

With so much at risk, global organizations must invest in upfront and ongoing programs that will make international assignments successful. Selecting the right person, preparing the expatriate (expat) and the family, measuring the employee's performance from afar, and repatriating the individual at the end of an assignment require a well-planned, well-managed program. Knowing what to expect from start to finish as well as having some tools to work with can help minimize the risk.

Business Case

As more companies expand globally, they are also increasing international assignments and relying on expatriates to manage their global operations. According to KPMG's 2021 Global Assignment Policies and Practices Survey, all responding multinational organizations offered long-term assignments (typically one to five years), 88 percent offered short-term assignments (typically defined as less than 12 months), and 69 percent offered permanent transfer/indefinite length.

Managing tax and tax compliance, cost containment and managing exceptions remain the three principal challenges in long-term assignment management according to a 2020 Mercer report. 2

Identifying the Need for International Assignment

Typical reasons for an international assignment include the following:

  • Filling a need in an existing operation.
  • Transferring technology or knowledge to a worksite (or to a client's worksite).
  • Developing an individual's career through challenging tasks in an international setting.
  • Analyzing the market to see whether the company's products or services will attract clients and users.
  • Launching a new product or service.

The goal of the international assignment will determine the assignment's length and help identify potential candidates. See Structuring Expatriate Assignments and the Value of Secondment and Develop Future Leaders with Rotational Programs .

Selection Process

Determining the purpose and goals for an international assignment will help guide the selection process. A technical person may be best suited for transferring technology, whereas a sales executive may be most effective launching a new product or service.

Traditionally, organizations have relied on technical, job-related skills as the main criteria for selecting candidates for overseas assignments, but assessing global mindset is equally, if not more, important for successful assignments. This is especially true given that international assignments are increasingly key components of leadership and employee development.

To a great extent, the success of every expatriate in achieving the company's goals in the host country hinges on that person's ability to influence individuals, groups and organizations that have a different cultural perspective.

Interviews with senior executives from various industries, sponsored by the Worldwide ERC Foundation, reveal that in the compressed time frame of an international assignment, expatriates have little opportunity to learn as they go, so they must be prepared before they arrive. Therefore, employers must ensure that the screening process for potential expatriates includes an assessment of their global mindset.

The research points to three major attributes of successful expatriates:

  • Intellectual capital. Knowledge, skills, understanding and cognitive complexity.
  • Psychological capital. The ability to function successfully in the host country through internal acceptance of different cultures and a strong desire to learn from new experiences.
  • Social capital. The ability to build trusting relationships with local stakeholders, whether they are employees, supply chain partners or customers.

According to Global HR Consultant Caroline Kersten, it is generally understood that global leadership differs significantly from domestic leadership and that, as a result, expatriates need to be equipped with competencies that will help them succeed in an international environment. Commonly accepted global leadership competencies, for both male and female global leaders, include cultural awareness, open-mindedness and flexibility.

In particular, expatriates need to possess a number of vital characteristics to perform successfully on assignment. Among the necessary traits are the following:

  • Confidence and self-reliance: independence; perseverance; work ethic.
  • Flexibility and problem-solving skills: resilience; adaptability; ability to deal with ambiguity.
  • Tolerance and interpersonal skills: social sensitivity; observational capability; listening skills; communication skills.
  • Skill at handling and initiating change: personal drivers and anchors; willingness to take risks.

Trends in international assignment show an increase in the younger generation's interest and placement in global assignments. Experts also call for a need to increase female expatriates due to the expected leadership shortage and the value employers find in mixed gender leadership teams. See Viewpoint: How to Break Through the 'Mobility Ceiling' .

Employers can elicit relevant information on assignment successes and challenges by means of targeted interview questions with career expatriates, such as the following:

  • How many expatriate assignments have you completed?
  • What are the main reasons why you chose to accept your previous expatriate assignments?
  • What difficulties did you experience adjusting to previous international assignments? How did you overcome them?
  • On your last assignment, what factors made your adjustment to the new environment easier?
  • What experiences made interacting with the locals easier?
  • Please describe what success or failure means to you when referring to an expatriate assignment.
  • Was the success or failure of your assignments measured by your employers? If so, how did they measure it?
  • During your last international assignment, do you recall when you realized your situation was a success or a failure? How did you come to that determination?
  • Why do you wish to be assigned an international position?

Securing Visas

Once an individual is chosen for an assignment, the organization needs to move quickly to secure the necessary visas. Requirements and processing times vary by country. Employers should start by contacting the host country's consulate or embassy for information on visa requirements. See Websites of U.S. Embassies, Consulates, and Diplomatic Missions .

Following is a list of generic visa types that may be required depending on the nature of business to be conducted in a particular country:

  • A work permit authorizes paid employment in a country.
  • A work visa authorizes entry into a country to take up paid employment.
  • A dependent visa permits family members to accompany or join employees in the country of assignment.
  • A multiple-entry visa permits multiple entries into a country.

Preparing for the Assignment

An international assignment agreement that outlines the specifics of the assignment and documents agreement by the employer and the expatriate is necessary. Topics typically covered include:

  • Location of the assignment.
  • Length of the assignment, including renewal and trial periods, if offered.
  • Costs paid by the company (e.g., assignment preparation costs, moving costs for household goods, airfare, housing, school costs, transportation costs while in country, home country visits and security).
  • Base salary and any incentives or allowances offered.
  • Employee's responsibilities and goals.
  • Employment taxes.
  • Steps to take in the event the assignment is not working for either the employee or the employer.
  • Repatriation.
  • Safety and security measures (e.g., emergency evacuation procedures, hazards).

Expatriates may find the reality of foreign housing very different from expectations, particularly in host locations considered to be hardship assignments. Expats will find—depending on the degree of difficulty, hardship or danger—that housing options can range from spacious accommodations in a luxury apartment building to company compounds with dogs and armed guards. See Workers Deal with Affordable Housing Shortages in Dubai and Cairo .

Expats may also have to contend with more mundane housing challenges, such as shortages of suitable housing, faulty structures and unreliable utility services. Analyses of local conditions are available from a variety of sources. For example, Mercer produces Location Evaluation Reports, available for a fee, that evaluate levels of hardship for 14 factors, including housing, in more than 135 locations.

Although many employers acknowledge the necessity for thorough preparation, they often associate this element solely with the assignee, forgetting the other key parties involved in an assignment such as the employee's family, work team and manager.

The expatriate

Consider these points in relation to the assignee:

  • Does the employee have a solid grasp of the job to be done and the goals established for that position?
  • Does the employee understand the compensation and benefits package?
  • Has the employee had access to cultural training and language instruction, no matter how similar the host culture may be?
  • Is the employee receiving relocation assistance in connection with the physical move?
  • Is there a contact person to whom the employee can go not only in an emergency but also to avoid becoming "out of sight, out of mind"?
  • If necessary to accomplish the assigned job duties, has the employee undergone training to get up to speed?
  • Has the assignee undergone an assessment of readiness?

To help the expatriate succeed, organizations are advised to invest in cross-cultural training before the relocation. The benefits of receiving such training are that it: 3

  • Prepares the individual/family mentally for the move.
  • Removes some of the unknown.
  • Increases self-awareness and cross-cultural understanding.
  • Provides the opportunity to address questions and anxieties in a supportive environment.
  • Motivates and excites.
  • Reduces stress and provides coping strategies.
  • Eases the settling-in process.
  • Reduces the chances of relocation failure.

See Helping Expatriate Employees Deal with Culture Shock .

As society has shifted from single- to dual-income households, the priorities of potential expatriates have evolved, as have the policies organizations use to entice employees to assignment locations. In the past, from the candidate's point of view, compensation was the most significant component of the expatriate package. Today more emphasis is on enabling an expatriate's spouse to work. Partner dissatisfaction is a significant contributor to assignment failure. See UAE: Expat Husbands Get New Work Opportunities .

When it comes to international relocation, most organizations deal with children as an afterthought. Factoring employees' children into the relocation equation is key to a successful assignment. Studies show that transferee children who have a difficult time adjusting to the assignment contribute to early returns and unsuccessful completion of international assignments, just as maladjusted spouses do. From school selection to training to repatriation, HR can do a number of things to smooth the transition for children.

Both partners and children must be prepared for relocation abroad. Employers should consider the following:

  • Have they been included in discussions about the host location and what they can expect? Foreign context and culture may be more difficult for accompanying family because they will not be participating in the "more secure" environment of the worksite. Does the family have suitable personal characteristics to successfully address the rigors of an international life?
  • In addition to dual-career issues, other common concerns include aging parents left behind in the home country and special needs for a child's education. Has the company allowed a forum for the family to discuss these concerns?

The work team

Whether the new expatriate will supervise the existing work team, be a peer, replace a local national or fill a newly created position, has the existing work team been briefed? Plans for a formal introduction of the new expatriate should reflect local culture and may require more research and planning as well as input from the local work team.

The manager/team leader

Questions organization need to consider include the following: Does the manager have the employee's file on hand (e.g., regarding increases, performance evaluations, promotions and problems)? Have the manager and employee engaged in in-depth conversations about the job, the manager's expectations and the employee's expectations?

Mentors play an important role in enhancing a high-performing employee's productivity and in guiding his or her career. In a traditional mentoring relationship, a junior executive has ongoing face-to-face meetings with a senior executive at the corporation to learn the ropes, set goals and gain advice on how to better perform his or her job.

Before technological advances, mentoring programs were limited to those leaders who had the time and experience within the organization's walls to impart advice to a few select people worth that investment. Technology has eliminated those constraints. Today, maintaining a long-distance mentoring relationship through e-mail, telephone and videoconferencing is much easier. And that technology means an employer is not confined to its corporate halls when considering mentor-mentee matches.

The organization

If the company is starting to send more employees abroad, it has to reassess its administrative capabilities. Can existing systems handle complicated tasks, such as currency exchanges and split payrolls, not to mention the additional financial burden of paying allowances, incentives and so on? Often, international assignment leads to outsourcing for global expertise. Payroll, tax, employment law, contractual obligations, among others, warrant an investment in sound professional advice.

Employment Laws

Four major U.S. employment laws have some application abroad for U.S. citizens working in U.S.-based multinationals:

  • Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
  • The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA).
  • The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
  • The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA).

Title VII, the ADEA and the ADA are the more far-reaching among these, covering all U.S. citizens who are either:

  • Employed outside the United States by a U.S. firm.
  • Employed outside the United States by a company under the control of a U.S. firm.

USERRA's extraterritoriality applies to veterans and reservists working overseas for the federal government or a firm under U.S. control. See Do laws like the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act apply to U.S. citizens working in several other countries?

Employers must also be certain to comply with both local employment law in the countries in which they manage assignments and requirements for corporate presence in those countries. See Where can I find international employment law and culture information?

Compensation

Companies take one of the following approaches to establish base salaries for expatriates:

  • The home-country-based approach. The objective of a home-based compensation program is to equalize the employee to a standard of living enjoyed in his or her home country. Under this commonly used approach, the employee's base salary is broken down into four general categories: taxes, housing, goods and services, and discretionary income.
  • The host-country-based approach. With this approach, the expatriate employee's compensation is based on local national rates. Many companies continue to cover the employee in its defined contribution or defined benefit pension schemes and provide housing allowances.
  • The headquarters-based approach. This approach assumes that all assignees, regardless of location, are in one country (i.e., a U.S. company pays all assignees a U.S.-based salary, regardless of geography).
  • Balance sheet approach. In this scenario, the compensation is calculated using the home-country-based approach with all allowances, deductions and reimbursements. After the net salary has been determined, it is then converted to the host country's currency. Since one of the primary goals of an international compensation management program is to maintain the expatriate's current standard of living, developing an equitable and functional compensation plan that combines balance and flexibility is extremely challenging for multinational companies. To this end, many companies adopt a balance sheet approach. This approach guarantees that employees in international assignments maintain the same standard of living they enjoyed in their home country. A worksheet lists the costs of major expenses in the home and host countries, and any differences are used to increase or decrease the compensation to keep it in balance.

Some companies also allow expatriates to split payment of their salaries between the host country's and the home country's currencies. The expatriate receives money in the host country's currency for expenses but keeps a percentage of it in the home country currency to safeguard against wild currency fluctuations in either country.

As for handling expatriates taxes, organizations usually take one of four approaches:

  • The employee is responsible for his or her own taxes.
  • The employer determines tax reimbursement on a case-by-case basis.
  • The employer pays the difference between taxes paid in the United States and the host country.
  • The employer withholds U.S. taxes and pays foreign taxes.

To prevent an expatriate employee from suffering excess taxation of income by both the U.S. and host countries, many multinational companies implement either a tax equalization or a tax reduction policy for employees on international assignments. Additionally, the United States has entered into  bilateral international social security agreements  with numerous countries, referred to as "totalization agreements," which allow for an exemption of the social security tax in either the home or host country for defined periods of time.

A more thorough discussion of compensation and tax practices for employees on international assignment can be found in SHRM's Designing Global Compensation Systems toolkit.

How do we handle taxes for expatriates?

Can employers pay employees in other countries on the corporate home-country payroll?

Measuring Expatriates' Performance

Failed international assignments can be extremely costly to an organization. There is no universal approach to measuring an expatriate's performance given that specifics related to the job, country, culture and other variables will need to be considered. Employers must identify and communicate clear job expectations and performance indicators very early on in the assignment. A consistent and detailed assessment of an expatriate employee's performance, as well as appraisal of the operation as a whole, is critical to the success of an international assignment. Issues such as the criteria for and timing of performance reviews, raises and bonuses should be discussed and agreed on before the employees are selected and placed on international assignments.

Employees on foreign assignments face a number of issues that domestic employees do not. According to a 2020 Mercer report 4 , difficulty adjusting to the host country, poor candidate selection and spouse or partner's unhappiness are the top three reasons international assignments fail. Obviously, retention of international assignees poses a significant challenge to employers.

Upon completion of an international assignment, retaining the employee in the home country workplace is also challenging. Unfortunately, many employers fail to track retention data of repatriated employees and could benefit from collecting this information and making adjustments to reduce the turnover of employees returning to their home country.

Safety and Security

When faced with accident, injury, sudden illness, a disease outbreak or politically unstable conditions in which personal safety is at risk, expatriate employees and their dependents may require evacuation to the home country or to a third location. To be prepared, HR should have an evacuation plan in place that the expatriate can share with friends, extended family and colleagues both at home and abroad. See Viewpoint: Optimizing Global Mobility's Emergency Response Plans .

Many companies ban travel outside the country in the following circumstances:

  • When a travel advisory is issued by the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, International SOS or a government agency.
  • When a widespread outbreak of a specific disease occurs or if the risk is deemed too high for employees and their well-being is in jeopardy.
  • If the country is undergoing civil unrest or war or if an act of terrorism has occurred.
  • If local management makes the decision.
  • If the employee makes the decision.

Once employees are in place, the decision to evacuate assignees and dependents from a host location is contingent on local conditions and input from either internal sources (local managers, headquarters staff, HR and the assignee) or external sources (an external security or medical firm) or both. In some cases, each host country has its own set of evacuation procedures.

Decision-makers should consider all available and credible advice and initially transport dependents and nonessential personnel out of the host country by the most expeditious form of travel.

Navigating International Crises

How can an organization ensure the safety and security of expatriates and other employees in high-risk areas?

The Disaster Assistance Improvement Program (DAIP)

Repatriation

Ideally, the repatriation process begins before the expatriate leaves his or her home country and continues throughout the international assignment by addressing the following issues.

Career planning. Many managers are responsible for resolving difficult problems abroad and expect that a well-done job will result in promotion on return, regardless of whether the employer had made such a promise. This possibly unfounded assumption can be avoided by straightforward career planning that should occur in advance of the employee's accepting the international assignment. Employees need to know what impact the expatriate assignment will have on their overall advancement in the home office and that the international assignment fits in their career path.

Mentoring. The expatriate should be assigned a home-office mentor. Mentors are responsible for keeping expatriates informed on developments within the company, for keeping the expatriates' names in circulation in the office (to help avoid the out-of-sight, out-of-mind phenomenon) and for seeing to it that expatriates are included in important meetings. Mentors can also assist the expatriate in identifying how the overseas experience can best be used on return. Optimum results are achieved when the mentor role is part of the mentor's formal job duties.

Communication. An effective global communication plan will help expatriates feel connected to the home office and will alert them to changes that occur while they are away. The Internet, e-mail and intranets are inexpensive and easy ways to bring expatriates into the loop and virtual meeting software is readily available for all employers to engage with global employees. In addition, organizations should encourage home-office employees to keep in touch with peers on overseas assignments. Employee newsletters that feature global news and expatriate assignments are also encouraged.

Home visits. Most companies provide expatriates with trips home. Although such trips are intended primarily for personal visits, scheduling time for the expatriate to visit the home office is an effective method of increasing the expatriate's visibility. Having expatriates attend a few important meetings or make a presentation on their international assignment is also a good way to keep them informed and connected.

Preparation to return home. The expatriate should receive plenty of advance notice (some experts recommend up to one year) of when the international assignment will end. This notice will allow the employee time to prepare the family and to prepare for a new position in the home office. Once the employee is notified of the assignment's end, the HR department should begin working with the expatriate to identify suitable positions in the home office. The expatriate should provide the HR department with an updated resume that reflects the duties of the overseas assignment. The employee's overall career plan should be included in discussions with the HR professional.

Interviews. In addition to home leave, organizations may need to provide trips for the employee to interview with prospective managers. The face-to-face interview will allow the expatriate to elaborate on skills and responsibilities obtained while overseas and will help the prospective manager determine if the employee is a good fit. Finding the right position for the expatriate is crucial to retaining the employee. Repatriates who feel that their new skills and knowledge are underutilized may grow frustrated and leave the employer.

Ongoing recognition of contributions. An employer can recognize and appreciate the repatriates' efforts in several ways, including the following:

  • Hosting a reception for repatriates to help them reconnect and meet new personnel.
  • Soliciting repatriates' help in preparing other employees for expatriation.
  • Asking repatriates to deliver a presentation or prepare a report on their overseas assignment.
  • Including repatriates on a global task force and asking them for a global perspective on business issues.

Measuring ROI on expatriate assignments can be cumbersome and imprecise. The investment costs of international assignments can vary dramatically and can be difficult to determine. The largest expatriate costs include overall remuneration, housing, cost-of-living allowances (which sometimes include private schooling costs for children) and physical relocation (the movement to the host country of the employee, the employee's possessions and, often, the employee's family).

But wide variations exist in housing expenses. For example, housing costs are sky-high in Tokyo and London, whereas Australia's housing costs are moderate. Another significant cost of expatriate assignments involves smoothing out differences in pay and benefits between one country and another. Such cost differences can be steep and can vary based on factors such as exchange rates (which can be quite volatile) and international tax concerns (which can be extremely complex).

Once an organization has determined the costs of a particular assignment, the second part of the ROI challenge is calculating the return. Although it is relatively straightforward to quantify the value of fixing a production line in Puerto Rico or of implementing an enterprise software application in Asia, the challenge of quantifying the value of providing future executives with cross-cultural perspectives and international leadership experience can be intimidating.

Once an organization determines the key drivers of its expatriate program, HR can begin to define objectives and assess return that can be useful in guiding employees and in making decisions about the costs they incur as expatriates. Different objectives require different levels and lengths of tracking. Leadership development involves a much longer-term value proposition and should include a thorough repatriation plan. By contrast, the ROI of an international assignment that plugs a skills gap is not negatively affected if the expatriate bolts after successfully completing the engagement.

Additional Resources

International Assignment Management: Expatriate Policy and Procedure

Introduction to the Global Human Resources Discipline

1Mulkeen, D. (2017, February 20). How to reduce the risk of international assignment failure. Communicaid. Retrieved from https://www.communicaid.com/cross-cultural-training/blog/reducing-risk-international-assignment-failure/

2Mercer. (2020). Worldwide Survey of International Assignment Policies and Practices. Retrieved from https://mobilityexchange.mercer.com/international-assignments-survey .

3Dickmann, M., & Baruch, Y. (2011). Global careers. New York: Routledge.

4Mercer. (2020). Worldwide Survey of International Assignment Policies and Practices. Retrieved from https://mobilityexchange.mercer.com/international-assignments-survey

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Delivering A Successful International Assignment

  • Anne Morris
  • 9 October 2019

IN THIS SECTION

  • 8 minute read
  • Last updated: 9th October 2019

Organisations deploy personnel on international assignment for many reasons. Whether you are addressing an internal skills gaps, supporting leadership development or looking to improve working relations across borders, for any international assignment to be successful, there will be a multitude of legal, immigration, tax and pensions risks to manage when sending employees overseas.

This article covers:

International assignment objectives, international assignment structures, employment law.

  • Immigration options 

Assignee remuneration

Professional support for international assignments.

Global mobility programmes have traditionally been developed with a uniform approach, driven largely by cost management and operational efficiencies. However, organisations are increasingly taking a more flexible and bespoke approach to overseas assignments in order to attain advantage in areas such as compliance and talent development and retention.

While a one-size-fits-all approach to the fundamentals of mobility management may be a commercial reality, overlaying this should be areas of specific consideration and capability that can be adapted to the specific needs and risks of each international assignment. This allows for greater focus on the assignment’s commercial objectives and the agility to respond to the organisation’s changing global mobility needs .

From the outset of any successful assignment project, there should be clarity of objectives. Why as an organisation is the decision being made to invest in sending an employee to perform services in a different country?

International assignments can offer value in many areas, many of which typically present in the longer-term.

Internal knowledge transfer is a common assignment objective to address talent or skills shortages within overseas regions. Deploying key talent with specialist knowledge and skills to train and upskill local team members can help to resolve local labour or skill supply issues. The cost/benefit analysis can explore potential missed opportunities or delays resulting from shortages in the local talent market.

International assignments are also highly effective in building relationships and improving intercultural working. This could be relationships within an organisation, with local clients and intermediaries or local authorities. Face to face interaction remains highly effective and valuable in building influence on the ground and can offer significant potential for advantage over competitors.

Beyond relationships, value is also created in the knowledge gained by assignees working overseas, from insight into local customs and culture, improved language capability and a general understanding of how business is ‘done’ within the region and helping to adapt organisational protocol to suit the local environment. Combined with the assignee’s existing market and organisational knowledge, they can offer a global perspective with local details, bringing considerable potential to build competitive differentiation.

With clarity of objective, you can then consider whether an international assignment is the most appropriate solution . Is it possible to hire or promote locally? Would multiple, shorter trips be as effective in performance terms but with lower cost implications? International assignments demand significant investment and it will be important to assess cost projections against expected return and value to the organisation.

As well as clarity of objectives, a successful international assignment also requires clarity of contractual terms, both to manage the expectations and understanding of the assignee, and also for the mobility team to identify support needs and potential risks. 

Now more than ever, organisations are developing portfolios of mobility programmes to enable an agile approach to global mobility that responds to the organisation’s changing needs for international personnel mobility. Assignments come in increasingly different shapes and sizes, from permanent relocations or temporary exchanges, secondments or transfers to a different region or to a different organisation.

While organisations demand greater flexibility and agility from their global mobility programmes, underpinning the activity should be an appropriate assignment structure with a supporting contractual agreement that enables compliance with regulatory and legal duties.

When considering which structure to adopt, organisations will need to consider a range of factors including the type of assignment and the relevant environmental context such as regulatory, immigration, employment law, tax, pension implications. 

For international assignments, where the employee is moving from the home country employer to a host country employer, the employer could consider a number of assignment structures, including:

  • The employee continues to be employed solely by the home employer.
  • The employment contract with the home employer is suspended for the duration of the assignment while the employee enters into a new employment contract with the host employer .
  • The employment contract with the home employer is terminated with a promise of re-employment at the end of the assignment while the employee enters into a new employment contract with the host employer .
  • The employment contract with the home employer is suspended and the employee enters into a contract with an international assignment company (IAC) within the employer group
  • The employment contract with the home employer is suspended and the employee enters into a contract with both an IAC and the host country employer.
  • The employee remains resident in the home country and works in a host country under a commuter assignment.  

Each type of assignment structure offers advantages and disadvantages which should be considered in light of the individual assignment. For example: 

  • Do employment laws in the host country require the assignee to be employed by a local entity? 
  • Would the assignee be agreeable to ending their home country contract and starting a new agreement with a new entity in the host country? 
  • Are there terms in the home country contract that would need protecting in any new agreement, such as restrictive covenants? 
  • Which jurisdiction would prevail, the host or home country? 
  • How would local laws interpret a situation where there is no contract of employment with the employer in the host country? 
  • Issues such as income and corporate tax, pension and employment rights and responsibilities will need to be identified and assessed against the specific assignment objectives and budget and the assignee profile and circumstances. 

Employment law implications come hand-in-hand with selecting an appropriate assignment structure.

Home-country employment contracts for employees on assignment from the UK to an overseas jurisdiction should generally be interpreted under the laws of England and Wales. If a host country contract is used, there should be specific provision in the agreement to determine which jurisdiction would prevail. However, neither position is guaranteed, for example where issues of domicile arise which may supersede any contractual provisions. Again the need is to assess on an individual assignment basis.

As well as explicit contractual considerations, employers should also be aware of any statutory rights or implied terms under UK law that may continue to apply even in the host country.

Specific provisions may also need to be made to ensure confidentiality and appropriate handling of commercial and sensitive information. While this may be standard or expected for senior employees, those on assignment should also be considered for such terms relevant to the type of assignment and the commercial objectives of the project.

Immigration options

Successful international assignments will invariably require careful consideration of the immigration requirements. Governments across the globe are adopting increasingly protectionist stances towards economic migrants, as policies seek to favour domestic workers. This means business travellers and visa holders are now facing greater scrutiny when applying for work visas and when trying to gain entry at the border. 

Visa options and criteria vary between countries and are subject to frequent change. Where permission is required for the assignee to work in the host country, it will be important to ensure the assignee applies for the most appropriate route to meet the assignment need, whether that is a work permit or a business visitor visa. The immigration requirements and options will be determined in most part by the rules of the home and host countries, the nationality of the assignee (and any of their dependants who will be joining them overseas) and the nature of the activities the assignee intends to perform during their time in the host country. 

For example, a British citizen may be eligible to travel to the US to attend sales meetings and work conferences for up to 90 days  without having to apply for a visa but to conduct ‘gainful employment’ they would need to look at a specific work visa, such as the L-1 visa for intracompany  transfers. 

A further factor will be the specific requirements of the visa or permit. Work visas, for example, may require sponsorship of the employee by a local entity with valid sponsor status. The application process for work visas are typically resource-intensive and in many cases will require the employer to provide compelling evidence as to why the role or work cannot be performed by a worker resident in the host country. 

Preparation will, therefore, be critical, ensuring there is sufficient time to consider the relevant immigration options in light of local rules, and to then make the required application. Complications may also arise where the employee does not meet certain requirements under the local rules, for example if they have a past criminal conviction or negative immigration record. This will require careful handling and, depending on the host country’s rules, may require submission of a visa waiver to explain the issue and provide assurances of the employee’s eligibility by requesting a discretionary decision on the application.

Relocation packages are typically the biggest expense associated with an international assignment. While cost control will remain a concern, it is important for employers to ensure they are offering packages that are competitive within the market and that the package will support both the commercial objective of the assignment and compliance with associated legal and tax risks.

Home-based packages remain common, including those which may be markedly above local market compensation levels, particularly in circumstanecs where the assignment need is business-critical.

It may be possible however to look at offering a lower package than the home-based option, by either localising the package to harmonise with host nation levels or to develop a ‘local-plus’ offering that maintains a degree of competition, but this can be challenging to apply consistently across all assignment types and locations.

Again, consideration should be given to the individual assignment and the assignee. Millennial workers for example are generally understood to value international experience and the remuneration package may not be their primary concern where the opportunity for overseas exposure is available.

For organisations with a substantial cohort of international assignees and travellers, it may be more appropriate to build a compensation scheme specifically for globally-mobile personnel.

Importantly, assignees who will remain under an employment contract in their home country may continue to be subject to home country payroll while on assignment. This will also enable pension and benefits to be offered in the same way through the home country. Taxation, however, raises more complex issues, for example where withholding rules apply in the host country. This will require specialist guidance to ensure tax liabilities in the home and host country are correctly managed and met withiin the appropriate timeframes.

International assignments are demanding on the employer and the employee, but have become critical given the business imperatives to meet talent and development needs and achieve competitive advantage . 

Employers should not lose sight of the need to understand the specific risks of each individual assignment, which increasingly demand bespoke solutions. While compliance , efficiencies and cost control should be underpinned by a solid global mobility infrastructure of policies, systems and procedures, the current shift is away from a uniform approach to assignment management, instead moving towards more agile management of each assignment, shaped by the specific assignment objectives, budget and risks in relation to immigration, tax, remuneration and employment law.

DavidsonMorris’ specialist global mobility consultants provide expert guidance to employers on all aspects of international assignments, from programme management and implementation to strategic consultancy to ensure value and return on the mobility investment. We understand the commercial drivers behind mobilising workers and the need to ensure compliance without impacting return on mobility investment.

We work with senior management teams, HR and mobility professionals to develop strategies that ensure effective compliance risk management while supporting delivery of the organisation’s global mobility objectives. For advice on making the most of international assignments, speak to us .

About DavidsonMorris

As employer solutions lawyers, DavidsonMorris offers a complete and cost-effective capability to meet employers’ needs across UK immigration and employment law, HR and global mobility .

Led by Anne Morris, one of the UK’s preeminent immigration lawyers, and with rankings in The Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners , we’re a multi-disciplinary team helping organisations to meet their people objectives, while reducing legal risk and nurturing workforce relations.

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Why International Assignments Are Vital for Talent Attraction and Retention

  • Global Mobility

Transferring an employee to an overseas host country can be high-risk, costly and time-consuming, however, international assignments are vital for talent attraction and retention. People are the greatest asset to any business; a company’s workforce determines the ruin or triumph of any given organization.

To remain competitive, many organizations have moved their talent focus onto employee engagement to hire high achieving employees and increase retention. International assignments are an excellent way to nurture employee engagement, attract new talent, increase diversity and inclusion and share knowledge across your organization.

Here are four reasons why.

1.   Talent attraction

Professionals are keen to gain international work experience to enhance their career prospects in the long-term.

In a survey by the Korn Ferry Institute , the top reasons for employees wanting to take on international assignments included:

  • Exposure to a new work environment
  • Nurturing and improving business and networking skills
  • Forging a sturdier, career-boosting relationship with senior management

Why Global Mobility Needs to Help Shape an Organization's Talent

These employee desires need to be explored and met in order to build an effective talent attraction and retention strategy. In these modern days of global accessibility and agility, many employees have ambitions to utilize mobile working in order to see the world and spend time living overseas, experiencing new cultures .

Ignoring this need may prove to be a fundamental mistake for a company’s enduring prospects.

2.   Future planning & high potential talent

According to a survey by PwC, 60% of leading global mobility practitioners said that employees are moved to develop a succession pipeline of future leaders. Enticing and retaining high potential talent, in conjunction with future planning, are integral aspects of global mobility . 

In a recent blog, Alchemy has explored how to attract future innovators by ‘ millennial proofing ’ a global mobility policy.

Millennials are the first generation to see bargain package holidays and truly affordable air travel. This group are internationally and culturally aware with research abilities that have been enhanced by their tech skills.

Millenials are not intimidated by the idea of living and working abroad – in fact they actively seek it.

In Wakefield and Topia’s topical white paper , it is expressed that 54% of U.S. and 61% of U.K. Millennials (as well as 43% of U.S. and 52% of U.K Centennials) have already been relocated to other offices at a more frequent rate than Baby Boomers (38% of U.S. and 43% of U.K.).

This ‘internet age’ demographic is bombarded by accounts and images of peers with fast-paced international careers; glass skyscrapers with sparkling city views and evenings spent eating (and photographing) foreign cuisine against exotic backdrops.

They want a slice of the action; work hard and play hard is a key aspect of the Millennial/Centennial mindset and an international assignment is the perfect way to achieve this balance.

Further reading

How can global mobility enhance the assignee experience, the profile of the modern international assignee in 2019, the top 10 global mobility insights of 2018, global mobility trends to look out for in 2019, why top talent is refusing an international assignment.

Millennials are now aged in their 20s and 30s (and the Centennial generation hot on their heels), this demographic is a key part of your current workforce. For your organization to take the lead, your talent strategy needs to be attentive to the hopes of these rising stars; how you treat them now will pay dividends later.

Providing Y and Z with the international experience they clearly desire will go a long way to improving vitally important talent attraction and retention.  

3.   Diversity & inclusion

There are obvious benefits to building a diverse and inclusive workforce:

  • Enhanced employee engagement
  • Generation of varied ideas
  • Improved company culture and customer services
  • Increased profitability

Alongside the moral implications, genuine diversity and inclusion are essential to building a positive brand, as well creating an attractive work environment for current and potential employees.

Diversity attracts talent, so how are international assignments key to achieving this?

Organizations can solve issues surrounding a lack of diversity by utilizing the global mobility process to build a diverse team inclusive of international assignees. International assignments can also be used to retain the best and most diverse range of employees by offering overseas working opportunities.

A study by PwC entitled ‘Modern Mobility: Moving Women with Purpose ’ focuses on the importance of building a gender diverse organization:

  • 71% of millennial women said they have ambitions to work overseas at some point during their careers
  • 64% percent of women agreed that the opportunity to complete an international assignment was a key factor in attracting them to work for their current employer
  • 64% also agreed it was a key factor in their remaining with an employer

Considering that presently women only make up 20% of the international assignee population surveyed, it makes sense that offering assignments to this underrepresented group might give your organization the edge over the competition in the race to win (and keep) the best talent.

Deloitte’s blog regarding global talent trends explains that “data-driven insights from active business processes can inform better proactive decisions on talent, deployment, and future global workforce planning”.

This same principle could be applied to other underrepresented demographics in terms of international assignment participation, to boost cultural diversity for example. Organizations should look to encourage international assignments amongst a full range of age, gender, and ethnically diverse colleagues to enjoy all the benefits offered by a diverse working environment.

4.   Sharing of knowledge

As globalization steadily drives businesses forward, some companies are being left behind; scarcity of international talent is often quoted as a barrier to organizations aiming for growth – international assignments offer a solution.

Global mobility is not something that is ‘nice to have’…It is becoming increasingly integral to the way today’s organizations do business in an ever more global world (Mercer)

This vital point is highlighted by Mercer in a recent Executive Summar y.

In some locations, human capital requirements are expansive to the extent that local talent pools cannot fulfill business needs. Beyond filling vacant roles, organizations need international assignments to transmit knowledge from home to host country ( and back ) in order to be successful in any global venture.

Likewise, the best talent requires international assignments to feel truly challenged and to have an opportunity to stretch their current skill set and abilities, allowing them to gain knowledge and progress further in new directions.

Think international or lose out to your competitors 

International assignments are essential to any successful talent strategy; they allow for improved talent attraction, development of high potential staff and the creation of a diverse and inclusive culture. International assignments also promote the practical facilitation of knowledge sharing on an individual scale, as well as the wider international business. The fact is, that to be an employer of choice on the world-stage and excel at talent attraction and retention, international assignments are essential for sustainable, on-going growth and success.

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10 tips for managing successful international assignments (2023 update)

Published on July 19th, 2023

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Embarking on international assignments brings both excitement and challenges. As businesses have been extending their global presence for years, the effective management of international assignments has always been extremely important. These assignments require collaboration and coordination among team members from different countries and cultures, demanding a unique set of skills and strategies. In this article, we will explore ten invaluable tips to help you navigate the complexities of international assignments and achieve success. 

The world has become a global village, with teams spanning continents and cultures. In this interconnected landscape, effective management of international assignments is essential for organizations to thrive. Whether you are a team leader or a team member, understanding the intricacies of international collaboration is key to overcoming obstacles and achieving exceptional results. 

Our ten tips for managing successful international assignments cover a range of factors that influence the outcome of these endeavors. From communication and cultural sensitivity to logistical considerations and fostering team cohesion, each tip provides actionable insights to enhance your approach. By implementing these strategies, you can strengthen your team’s collaboration, optimize productivity, and cultivate a harmonious work environment that transcends borders. 

Here are 10 tips for managing successful international assignments:

1. Effective communication 

Effective communication serves as a cornerstone for success in international assignments. Understanding the diverse communication styles of team members is essential, as it allows for clearer and more meaningful interactions. Different cultures have their own ways of expressing ideas and collaborating, so being attentive to these styles fosters better rapport and mutual understanding. 

Bridging language and cultural barriers is another vital aspect of effective communication in international assignments. Cultivating cultural sensitivity and embracing inclusivity create an environment where everyone feels respected and valued. Being mindful of cultural norms, customs, and social etiquette enhances cross-cultural interactions. Additionally, utilizing interpreters, translation tools, and language training programs can facilitate communication across language barriers. 

2. Cultural sensitivity and adaptability 

Embracing cultural diversity as a strength is essential. Each team member brings a unique perspective shaped by their cultural background, which can lead to a wealth of ideas and innovation. By recognizing and appreciating these differences, teams can create a collaborative environment that celebrates diverse viewpoints and enhances problem-solving capabilities. 

Developing cultural intelligence and awareness is key to navigating cultural differences.  

This involves cultivating the right attitude, developing awareness, acquiring knowledge, and honing the necessary skills to understand diverse cultures, including their customs, traditions, and values. 

By doing so, team members can navigate potential misunderstandings, promote effective communication, and build strong relationships based on mutual respect and understanding. 

Effective leadership in international assignments requires flexibility and an understanding of diverse work styles and cultural preferences. That is why adapting leadership and work styles to accommodate cultural differences is crucial. Leaders who adapt their approach can foster trust, engagement, and collaboration within the team. By demonstrating respect for the values and practices of team members, leaders create a harmonious and inclusive work environment. 

3. Logistical planning and coordination 

Dealing with time zone differences and scheduling challenges is a primary concern in the realm of international assignments. With team members located across different regions, finding mutually convenient meeting times and synchronizing schedules becomes crucial. By considering time zones and accommodating various working hours, teams can establish effective communication and seamless collaboration. 

Leveraging technology plays a vital role in facilitating efficient coordination. Collaboration tools, project management software, and communication platforms enable real-time updates, document sharing, and instant communication irrespective of geographical distances. Harnessing these technological solutions enhances productivity and streamlines workflows for international teams. 

To ensure smoother operations, streamlining processes is imperative. By establishing clear protocols and workflows, teams can minimize delays, miscommunications, and redundancies. Standardizing documentation, establishing effective communication channels, and defining roles and responsibilities maintain clarity and efficiency throughout the project. Regular evaluation and improvement of processes further enhance productivity and mitigate challenges. 

4. Building trust and collaboration  

Trust forms the foundation of effective teamwork. In international assignments, team members may come from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and work environments. Establishing trust is essential to foster collaboration, promote open communication, and ensure the success of the project. 

Building trust begins with setting clear expectations and goals. Team members should have a shared understanding of the project’s objectives, milestones, and deliverables. Clearly defining roles and responsibilities helps to avoid confusion and promotes accountability. Regularly communicating progress, addressing challenges, and providing feedback fosters transparency and trust among team members. 

Promoting collaboration is also crucial in international assignments. Encouraging open dialogue and creating platforms for sharing ideas and insights allows team members to contribute their expertise and perspectives. Virtual team-building activities, such as icebreaker sessions, virtual coffee chats, or online forums, can help strengthen relationships and enhance collaboration. Additionally, facilitating cross-cultural training and workshops enables teams to develop a shared understanding and appreciation of each other’s cultures, further fostering collaboration. 

5. Flexibility and adaptation 

Flexibility and adaptability are key attributes for success in international assignments. As the business landscape continues to evolve, teams must be prepared to adapt to changing circumstances, new technologies, and unforeseen challenges. 

Being open to new ideas and approaches is crucial. International assignments provide an opportunity to learn from diverse perspectives and innovative practices. Embracing new methodologies, tools, and processes can lead to improved efficiency and effectiveness. By encouraging a culture of continuous learning and adaptation, teams can remain agile and responsive to the demands of the project. 

Flexibility also extends to accommodating personal and cultural differences. Recognizing that team members may have different working styles, preferences, and needs helps create an inclusive and supportive work environment. Providing flexible work arrangements, considering cultural holidays and celebrations, and accommodating individual time zones and schedules demonstrates a commitment to valuing diversity and promoting work-life balance. 

6. Conflict resolution and mediation 

In international assignments, conflicts and disagreements are bound to arise due to differences in perspectives, cultural norms, or communication styles. Effectively addressing and resolving conflicts is crucial to maintaining team cohesion and productivity. 

First and foremost, creating an open and safe environment for addressing conflicts is essential. Encouraging team members to express their concerns, opinions, and ideas fosters open communication and prevents conflicts from escalating. Active listening and empathy play a significant role in understanding different viewpoints and finding common ground. 

When conflicts arise, mediation and conflict resolution techniques can be employed. Facilitating constructive discussions, encouraging compromise, and seeking win-win solutions can help resolve conflicts amicably. In situations where cultural differences contribute to conflicts, cultural mediators or intercultural experts can provide valuable insights and guidance. 

7. Knowledge sharing and learning 

International assignments provide an excellent opportunity for knowledge sharing and learning. Each team member brings unique skills, expertise, and experiences to the table, which can enrich the project and promote professional growth. 

Encouraging knowledge sharing ensures that valuable insights and best practices are disseminated throughout the team. Regular meetings, virtual workshops, and collaborative platforms can be utilized to share knowledge, discuss challenges, and learn from each other’s expertise. Implementing mentoring programs or buddy systems can further facilitate knowledge transfer and create a supportive learning environment. 

Additionally, fostering a culture of continuous learning enhances the team’s adaptability and innovation. Encouraging team members to pursue professional development opportunities, attend relevant training programs or webinars, and stay updated on industry trends strengthens their skills and knowledge base. Providing resources and support for learning initiatives demonstrates the organization’s commitment to personal and professional growth. 

8. Respect for diversity and inclusion  

International assignments bring together individuals from various cultural backgrounds, ethnicities, genders, and perspectives. Promoting diversity and inclusion is not only ethically important but also contributes to the success of the project by harnessing the power of different ideas and experiences. 

Respecting diversity means creating an inclusive environment where all team members feel valued, respected, and empowered to contribute. This includes embracing different cultural practices, beliefs, and perspectives. Avoiding stereotypes, biases, and discriminatory behavior is crucial in fostering an inclusive work environment. 

Leadership plays a vital role in promoting diversity and inclusion. Leaders should lead by example and demonstrate a commitment to diversity and inclusion through their actions and decisions. By actively seeking diverse perspectives, creating opportunities for underrepresented individuals, and ensuring equitable access to resources and opportunities, leaders can foster a culture of inclusivity. 

9. Cross-cultural training and education 

To navigate the complexities of international assignments successfully, investing in cross-cultural training and education is invaluable. Understanding cultural differences and acquiring intercultural competence enhances communication, collaboration, and overall project outcomes. 

Cross-cultural training programs provide team members with insights into different cultural norms, values, communication styles, and business practices. These programs help build cultural intelligence, enabling team members to adapt their behavior, communication, and work styles to effectively interact with colleagues from different cultures. 

Beyond basic cultural awareness, cross-cultural training should also include education on specific cultural nuances relevant to the project. This may involve learning about local customs, etiquette, and business protocols of the countries involved. By equipping team members with this knowledge, they can navigate cultural differences with sensitivity and respect. 

10. Recognize and celebrate achievements 

Recognizing and celebrating achievements is essential for boosting morale, fostering team spirit, and reinforcing a positive work environment. In international assignments, it is important to acknowledge the accomplishments of team members from different cultures and countries. 

Take the time to acknowledge individual and team achievements, both big and small. This can be done through public recognition, appreciation emails, virtual celebrations, or awards. Celebrating cultural diversity by incorporating elements of different cultures into the recognition process further enhances inclusivity. 

Regularly highlighting and celebrating achievements not only motivates team members but also reinforces a sense of belonging and pride in the project. It creates a positive work culture where everyone feels valued and appreciated for their contributions, regardless of their cultural background. 

In conclusion, managing successful international assignments requires a combination of effective communication, cultural sensitivity, adaptability, and collaboration. By embracing diversity, investing in cross-cultural training, and fostering an inclusive work environment, teams can overcome challenges, maximize productivity, and achieve outstanding results. With the right strategies and a commitment to cultural understanding, international assignments can become transformative opportunities for growth, learning, and global success. 

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Handbook of Human Resources Management pp 951–974 Cite as

Compensation and Benefits: Essentials of International Assignment Management

  • Juergen Czajor 2  
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  • First Online: 28 April 2016

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Internationalization became an essential strategic dimension for companies to ensure profitable growth. International assignments play an important role to implement this strategy. As a consequence the number of international assignees is growing year by year; they work as interface manager between headquarters and branch office, as cultural ambassador, or as technical specialist to transfer knowledge. For ambitious and open candidates, a position in a foreign country and in a different culture can be an interesting step to further develop their professional career. International assignment management first of all needs a policy framework, defining the compensation and benefit package, especially the typical assignment allowances depending on distance to the home country and hardship of the host country. The administration of international assignments secondly requires standardized processes for all phases of an assignment, from selection to reintegration and with clear allocation of roles and responsibilities between all human resources partners involved. Organizations exchanging bigger numbers of specialists and executives between several countries work with centralized assignment management teams, who cooperate with local HR in the host countries and often use external partners for relocation, social security, payroll, and taxation to manage this complex task.

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Deutsche Industrie- und Handelskammer in Japan (DIHKJ) –Auditor – (2007) Expatriate versus Local, Vor- und Nachteile von Expatriates in japanischen Tochtergesellschaften deutscher Unternehmen. http://japan.ahk.de

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Weber S (2010) Implementierung westlicher Standards an einem neuen Unternehmensstandort als Voraussetzung fuer den internationalen Mitarbeitereinsatz. Diploma thesis at Hochschule Pforheim

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Czajor, J. (2016). Compensation and Benefits: Essentials of International Assignment Management. In: Zeuch, M. (eds) Handbook of Human Resources Management. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-44152-7_73

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Lessons from an international assignment

Robert S. DeVries

An international assignment has long been seen as providing executives with an opportunity for personal growth and professional development, while enabling companies to place executives in markets where specific capabilities are needed or to spread corporate values and best practices throughout the organization. With business footprints expanding and international markets becoming increasingly important drivers of revenue and profit growth, companies need executives who are global thinkers with broad-based business perspectives and the agility to master an array of markets, cultures, competitors and workforce differences.

As these capabilities become even more important, having a meaningful assignment outside one’s own market has become a critical element of executive experience and is likely to become a prerequisite for career advancement at a growing number of multinational companies.

We asked several senior executives to think back to their first or most memorable international assignment and share how those experiences helped to shape or influence their leadership styles. What surprised them the most? What did they learn and how have they continued to apply those lessons in their current leadership roles? Finally, what advice would they give to other executives about succeeding in an international assignment?

Philippe Bourguignon

Vice chairman, revolution places, and ceo, club med, what surprised you.

Someone who was born and raised in his country and, when he is 25, 28, 30, is posted abroad, obviously, learns so much during his first assignment. I was raised in Morocco. My father worked for a U.S. company, and I came to the U.S. almost every year when I was a young boy. Therefore, I’ve been exposed and living international from basically almost the time I was born. It is more a way of life, and, by the way, this has been a huge gift. My two children were born in New York and raised in the U.S., and today they are totally bicultural.

What have you learned?

I like to say that I’ve learned patience in Asia, and I’ve learned what competition means in the U.S., because I’m from a country where there is no patience and limited competition.

What I also learned by working internationally is that if you keep good sense — remain grounded in basic business judgment and rules — you can work in any foreign environment. Good sense is key. Some people try too hard to be too local, understand everything, but you will never understand a foreign country as well as you understand your native country, even if you speak the language. But good sense is the same everywhere.

What advice would you give to others based on your experience?

To an executive, my advice would be to listen and be humble. Listening is very important. Be humble and respectful. The tendency, particularly if you go into emerging countries, is to consider that everything else is not as well done. But being humble and respectful of people buys you tremendous mileage no matter where you go. You need to be more humble abroad than you are at home and more respectful.

When you are abroad, things are over-amplified. Being abroad over-amplifies your body language, your words and your decisions. Whatever you say is listened to twice as carefully as when you say it at home. You are watched much more closely than you are at home — for both good and bad.

John Doumani

Managing director, australasia for fonterra cooperative group, what did you learn.

The business issues were not that hard to discover, but the bigger issues for me were actually more cultural. The culture in the U.K. was similar to here, and there was a relatively informal work environment where you can joke around a bit. This is my style and it translated really well. However in Italy and the U.S., the work environment is more formal, and I had to adjust my style to be conscious of this. Had I not done so, I would not have been able to be effective working for the organization. You have to be very careful not to offend people. If you want people to follow your leadership, you have to engage them in a way that works for them.

Seventy percent of what you know about business will translate, but the other 30 percent — the difference between success and failure quite often — comes down to truly understanding the business dynamics that might be different. Market dynamics vary greatly in terms of regulations, trade and competitive structures. You’ve got to make sure you get your head around this because it will affect your ability to implement what you want to do, and you have to modify whatever you do to fit in.

The bigger issue is to be really sensitive to cultural differences. There’s no shortcut in being able to do this other than to have an open mind and be willing to accept any differences. You can’t go with the attitude of, “I’m just going to do what I do and if they don’t like it, stuff it!” The first thing is to accept that the cultural issues are really important. Accept the fact that it may be different and be really open-minded. The sooner you identify and are open to any differences, the better.

Philip Earl

Executive vice president and general manager, publishing for activision blizzard, what most surprised you.

Having worked in Saudi Arabia, having worked in Australia, having worked in Los Angeles, what surprised me the most is that there are more similarities than differences in the people across countries.

I learned the importance of understanding the pace of change: how much to do and how quickly. You have to be very astute in understanding the capabilities of the organization in the marketplace. It can be too fast, but can also be too slow. There is no right or wrong answer. You have got to accept that you can have a very strong strategy and you can have a very good vision, but unless you bring the team with you, it is just disconnected. Your people capability platform will determine whether to go faster or slower.

What people leadership insights have you gained?

Something interesting I have learned is the fact that people are motivated by different things, and understanding what most drives a specific individual lies at the heart of leadership. Often you assume people are concerned about money. It almost always isn’t the case. There has to be a base level of remuneration, but in three years working with video games people, I have Harvard graduates who just want to work in that industry; it motivates them to be part of something amazing. It is a passion for them. Some people are motivated by a very strong sense of family and a sense of community. If you are not careful and gloss over individual motivations, you never get the most out of people. You have got to understand people. There can be 10 nuances of what motivates them, and if you get that right, despite cultural differences, you can usually do quite well.

My advice is to “be in.” When you go to a new market, don’t hang around on the side; just get in there. Absorb the culture, language, food, sport, everything. You get a reaction from your work colleagues that is really incredible and makes you feel that you really want to be here, and as a consequence, they see you as an expat wanting to be here.

Conrado Engel

Chief executive officer, hsbc bank brazil.

The most important thing was how careful you have to be about managing cultural differences. People react differently to situations, and this is very challenging. For example, the way you interact with a Chinese company is completely different from an Indian one. Individuals can interpret situations very differently. Early during my assignment in Hong Kong, after a meeting where we were assigned tasks for a particular project, I asked an executive for a status update prior to the due date. I realized later that this made the executive feel very uncomfortable, because, as he said, he would fulfill his commitments; it was part of his responsibility. Again, it demonstrates the importance of understanding cultural differences.

What personal or professional lessons from your international experience have remained with you?

Managing any business is about managing people. Dealing with different cultures and reactions is crucial. I learned to listen more and reflect more before taking immediate action. I also learned that people can significantly benefit from each other’s experience. For example, I believe that my experience in dealing with crisis management as a Brazilian executive was very beneficial to the HSBC Group when I was in Hong Kong.

You have to visit people, go and visit the countries and the operations, and establish strong professional connections. Personal relationships may also help. Understanding the cultural environment is of vital importance. Learning how to navigate a large organization like HSBC — with a strong internal culture, with very strong roots in Asia — is also critical for success.

It is always best to listen, comprehend and then act.

Kirk Kinsell

President of the americas, intercontinental hotels group.

Based in London, with responsibilities for Europe and Africa, the things that surprised me were the diversity of thinking and the distinctive cultures and, therefore, how people felt, how people thought, how they processed information and what was important to them varied tremendously. As a result, there was more dialogue, which oftentimes meant debate. Having to have that broader discussion on issues was intriguing, challenging and fulfilling. Initially, the discussion can feel like it’s slowing things down, but when you reset expectations and build in opportunities for debate, what I have found is that, even though people may not agree with the ultimate decision, the process allows people to align and walk out of a meeting on the same page.

What personal or professional lessons have remained with you?

I made it a point to get underneath the differences between my new environment and what I was used to at home, and understand the history and the stories behind the surface. I began to appreciate the differences for how they enrich the environment that I was in, creating a more holistic and colorful tapestry from an aesthetic standpoint.

Coming back to the United States, I find myself wanting to go deeper with people who I otherwise would have thought were just like me. As a result, I think I have the potential to build stronger relationships. I have the potential to be a better leader. Because our job as leaders is to unlock the potential of the people we work with and the people we have the privilege of leading and managing. And, therefore, I can get perhaps a better perspective of who they are and their motivations and how they align with the company’s purpose and objectives.

What advice would you give others based on your experience?

To another American, I would say dialing down the fact that you’re American and dialing up being a global citizen is probably a much more effective way of engaging people. It doesn’t mean that you change your principles or your beliefs or your value system; it means being sensitized to how you come across. Saying things like, “We do it this way back there” — meaning that was the only good way — can come off as being too American, too know-it-all, too celebratory, too cheerleading, too shallow, all those things that are sometimes attributed to being American.

Murilo Portugal

President of febraban (brazilian federation of banks).

My most relevant international experience was to work with International Monetary Fund. It provided me a great opportunity to understand the reality of other countries. Since I was responsible for the fund’s relations with 81 countries in all five continents — from advanced countries such as Sweden to developing countries such as Bhutan — I had to understand different environments and market dynamics. In this role, I came into direct contact with the reality of different countries, different economic cycles and stages of development, from crisis to growth moments. What did not surprise me, unfortunately, was the reaction in some places to the economic crisis in 2008, in particular, the difficulty of entering into a discussion with governments and the denial about the gravity of the problems.

Do not postpone the inevitable. Trying to escape an inevitable conclusion will increase the costs related to the decision, but it is hard to define what you should fight for, and what to give up.

What personal or professional lessons from the experience have remained with you?

Life is the best teacher. The only problem is that there is only one pedagogy. You learn when you hit a wall, and usually you have to go through this painful process to learn. Even if you rationally know what to do, usually you only change when you hit a wall, because of the limitations in the decision-making process and human behavior.

Respect the level of the professionals who work with you, and learn how to best deal with very smart people and motivate them. Well-qualified people, of course, have their own ambitions and personal interests. It is critical to maintain the enthusiasm of people in a multicultural environment, and devote time for that. You have to be a manager of people, otherwise you will fail even if you are capable of managing processes and tasks. Technical knowledge alone will not make you successful.

This article is included in Point of View 2012 .

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A Successful International Assignment Depends on These Factors

  • Boris Groysberg
  • Robin Abrahams

Your marriage, your family, and your career will all benefit from advance planning.

The prospect of an international assignment can be equal parts thrilling and alarming: Will it make or break your career? What will it do to your life at home and the people you love? When you’re thinking about relocating, you start viewing questions of work and family — difficult enough under ordinary circumstances — through a kind of high-contrast, maximum-drama filter.

international assignments bedeutung

  • BG Boris Groysberg is a professor of business administration in the Organizational Behavior unit at Harvard Business School and a faculty affiliate at the school’s Race, Gender & Equity Initiative. He is the coauthor, with Colleen Ammerman, of Glass Half-Broken: Shattering the Barriers That Still Hold Women Back at Work (Harvard Business Review Press, 2021). bgroysberg
  • Robin Abrahams is a research associate at Harvard Business School.

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international assignments bedeutung

Why should you seek an international assignment?

international assignments bedeutung

A bit of history: The British Empire was the largest and most complex form of human organization in history, ruling over approximately one quarter of the world’s population. Its social, economic, cultural and religious diversity was immense. I won’t go into the dynamics of such an administration as we all know that it represented the cornerstone of imperialism, but within the Empire it became a customary for leaders to travel to the various colonies and territories. And by leaders, we can think of public servants, officers, aristocrats and members of the Royal Family, educators, scientists, clergy or artists. Perhaps for the first time in history, it became common practice that leaders spent time overseas to develop, learn or simply grow through the ranks. People had of course been travelling for work and education since antiquity, but now it seems that this was simply the new normal. And this was not limited only to the British Empire but to most of the European states; this was the dawn of globalization. Churchill spent 5 years in India, Sudan and South Africa; Kipling based his “Jungle Book” on Indian folklore that he gathered in his 10 years spent in the colony while Paul Gaugin spent 10 years in French Polynesia where he conceived some of his most representative paintings. And the list goes on.

Fast forward to present days – and not counting the last two months. We were in the middle of a digital revolution and the pace of adopting innovation and change was unprecedented. Globalization seemed to be a term of the 20 th century already and for many of us it has been on the ascending curve for the entirety of our lives.

So why should you seek an international assignment? Here are 5 reasons:

  • It gets you out of your comfort zone and offers you an innovative mindset. You will be exposed to a different environment, business cultures and mostly everything will be “new”; if you combine this with your past experiences, you can generate many new ideas. This is why most of the global innovation centers are also the most culturally diverse, attracting talent from all over the world.
  • It expands your network . As business seems to become more and more international in a more global world, your network should keep up the pace. This can be a great opportunity to connect with stakeholders with whom you may interact later in your career.
  • It develops your soft skills . This is a “must have” in case you want a longer career abroad. Skills such as communicating, negotiating, work ethic, teamwork, problem-solving or listening – they all get a new dimension in an international environment and the base for all of these is adaptability.
  • It grows your Cultural Intelligence . Ok, this might be a buzzword and a derivative of Emotional Intelligence, but exposing yourself to other cultures can help you to understand and anticipate other perspectives. This comes hand in hand with developing your soft skills and the benefits last throughout your career. Simply trying to put yourself in the shoes of the person that is in front of you becomes a learning experience.
  • It’s a career boost . Even though it sounds pragmatic and opportunistic, the reality is that an international assignment will increase your chances of promotion and career progression, not to mention being more appealing to recruiters.

international assignments bedeutung

Amrop is Market Leader in Executive Search & HR Advisory since 2017 in Romania. Amrop is also one of the world’s largest Executive Search firms & Leadership Services solutions provider. Amrop Romania helps you build your business by finding the “Leaders For What’s Next” – top talent adept at working across borders, in markets around the world. Provided services are: Executive Search, Leadership Assessment & Team Effectiveness workshops and Boardroom Consulting. Amrop covers all industries, especially: Consumer Goods & Retail, Life Sciences, Technology & Media, Automotive & Industrial, Financial Services, Family Business, Energy and Defence.

IFC, FEPRA and PIVOT-C, together with the Romanian Government, launched “Circularity in Action Report”

IFC, FEPRA and PIVOT-C, together with the Romanian Government, launched “Circularity in Action Report”

11/2023

Issue 11/2023

international assignments bedeutung

Download PDF: Business Review Magazine December (II) 2023 Issue

Download PDF: Business Review Magazine December (II) 2023 Issue

The Public Advisors: Strategies must focus on high-quality brand campaigns and social media posts with viral potential

Air quality, waste management, and green space issues, the main complaints in Bucharest’s small communities

Air quality, waste management, and green space issues, the main complaints in Bucharest’s small communities

Leonardo Badea (BNR): Economic structure, growth dynamics, and the strategic channeling of investments: a regional perspective

Leonardo Badea (BNR): Economic structure, growth dynamics, and the strategic channeling of investments: a regional perspective

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10 Tips for Managing Successful International Assignments

20 Apr / 2021 | By TMA World

international assignments bedeutung

International assignments can be one of the most rewarding and life-changing experiences in an individual’s career. Yet international assignments are expensive for the employer – and a surprisingly high number of them fail. There are various reasons for this, but culture shock, failure of the employee to perform in their new post and dissatisfaction with the assignment itself are cited as common causes. How can you best prepare employees for international assignments – and help them make the assignment a success? Here are some tips.

1. Make a business case for international assignments

Sending an employee to live and work overseas is expensive. Is there a case for doing this? Would a local hire be better, or is there absolutely nobody else for the job? If there is nobody locally, does the individual have the right skills and mindset? Are they open to living and working in different cultures? What benefit will their overseas experience bring to the company when they return?

2. Consider the individual’s position

Employers need to be sensitive to personal situations when considering sending someone overseas. Posting an LGBTQ individual to, say, a conservative Muslim country is not impossible, but requires serious consideration and extra support. The same applies to an employee’s partner and family; is there anything that might put them at risk in the new destination?

3. Manage expectations

Employees need to be prepared for the fact that life during international assignments will be different, and not necessarily glamorous and exotic. There will be cultural barriers to overcome, as well as homesickness and culture shock to deal with. Families and spouses need to be prepared for the changes. New relationships will need to be built in the workplace and a new structure fitted into. Going with realistic expectations is better than plunging into international assignments unprepared, and having it turn out to be a disappointment.

4. Prepare for cultural immersion

Embarking on a programme of cross-cultural training is invaluable before taking up international assignments; individuals learn to understand their own mindset and prejudices as well as what to expect in the new culture. There are less formal ways to prepare, too. Would-be assignees for international posts could should be encouraged to build up a picture of the new culture by reading literature, newspapers and blogs. They should listen to podcasts and even watch movies to put together the jigsaw of everyday life in the new place.

5. Arrange mentoring schemes

A cross-cultural mentor might be a colleague in the new office, or a co-worker who is in the destination, or has experience of it. Ideally, new expat workers should have a mentor in the new destination and one at home; it is very easy for expatriates to feel cut adrift from the familiarity of their old office and colleagues. Typical discussion points with a mentor might include management style, hierarchy, gender issues, meeting etiquette, negotiating and decision making. Essentially, though, a mentor should be a sounding board on whom the expat can rely when problems crop up.

6. Encourage a positive attitude

Even having a few simple memos and pointers can help newly landed expats through difficult times. Learning not to compare their old culture with the new one; remembering that the new culture is different but not necessarily wrong; understanding different approaches to time management; and starting out with the basic assumption that people in the new culture are friendly and welcoming, even if there are hiccups in communicating with them. This is all part of cross-cultural communication training.

7. Offer language training

Even if English is the international language of business, and even if English is the language of the workplace in the new country, a basic conversational command of the destination language will go a long way towards integrating into society and overcoming culture shock. This is important for trailing spouses, too; culture shock can be even worse for a spouse who has less structure to their day and lacks the confidence to build a life of their own.

8. Keep communication focused

Mentoring aside, a company should have a formal reporting scheme while the employee is abroad on assignment. Checking in regularly is the best way to stay appraised of how the assignment is progressing, what new ideas and useful information have been picked up, and dealing with any problems before they escalate. Companies should make the most of the assignee’s time abroad by encouraging them to share their experiences – by blogging, for example, or participating in video conferences.

9. Provide support for sufferers of culture shock

Culture shock is a serious condition; it can lead to depression, a sense of isolation and even illness. Almost everybody suffers from culture shock in some way. Most people get through it but some fail to adapt, feeling lonely, resenting the new culture, maintaining an illusion that everything back home is superior. Acknowledging culture shock and finding small ways to deal with it should all be part of preparation for life abroad, for example, working to establish a network of friends, both expats and people from the new culture; keeping busy; and making an effort as a family to explore the new culture; visiting markets, trying out restaurants and arranging enjoyable activities for weekends, like a trip to the beach. Craving the comforts of home is not wrong; it’s normal.

10. Remember that reintegrating is just as important

Many of these issues apply to the end of international assignments. A posting abroad can be a life-changing experience and it’s not uncommon for individuals to return home with new skills and ambitions to find that they are different – and that their old friends, colleagues and workplace have changed, too. Some of the positives of an overseas posting are increased confidence, a broader world view, better empathy and more creativity when it comes to problem solving. Employers need to harness these new qualities, not just expect the individual to slot back in. Preparation should be made several months before an assignee returns. What new skills do they have? How do they see themselves fitting in? What opportunities might be available for them? Fail to prepare and the chances are, they’ll take their new skills elsewhere.

Our blended learning solutions ensures your global travelers, international assignees and their families will be successful. Our learning process can be fully adapted to suit the needs of your organization. Our training is delivered across coaching sessions, instructor led training and online learning pathways.  Click here to read our brochure for more information . 

Interested in how introducing a cultural intelligence tool in your business could help to create a more borderless workforce? We’d love to show you our groundbreaking platform.

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1. Changing international assignments

  • Initial research conducted amongst global businesses in 2021, as Covid-19 was controlled showed that a mobile workforce was still integral to future working plans. Although most expat assignments were likely to follow the traditional format, the area was not unaffected by change. We delved into the alternative options businesses were using to achieve business goals while satisfying employee demand for more flexibility around ways of working. 

2. Managing commuter assignees

3. managing short term assignments.

Another option for employers with a specific goal to achieve is to send an employee on a short-term assignment of less than a year. A short-term assignment can be a cost-effective option when the goal is to transfer resource, knowledge, or skills.

This kind of task may mean some employees have to be separated from spouse or family for a time. But a short-term assignment may still be a better option if their partner has a career of their own or if children are at pivotal points in their education. We investigate how employers can prepare expat assignees for a short assignment and most importantly how to help them prepare for their return. 

Managing Virtual Assignments

Managing expat assignments post pandemic.

Following the cataclysmic shift in the working world that has occurred in the last few years. Employees are looking for more flexibility from their employers than ever before. Employers are answering this need with remote or hybrid working options and a stronger focus on health and wellbeing in the workplace. How is this translating into the world of the globally mobile workforce? We look at considerations your company may wish to consider to make the most of expat assignees in your business.

There is no denying there is a lot to think about when it comes to the future of expat assignments in your business. 

There is one thing we can take off your plate, that’s group international health insurance for expats . Our range of products can be tailored to meet the needs of your business. Get in touch today to see how we can help your employees access private healthcare while on assignment. 

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Gareth Wadley

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International assignments: Key issues to consider

international assignments bedeutung

What legal issues do you need to consider when it comes to sending employees overseas?

The number of employees working abroad is increasing. As it becomes more common, some assume this will lead to greater standardisation, with template assignment letters the norm.

However, the legal, tax, pension and other variables involved in international assignments require a more bespoke approach, leaving little room for standard documentation. We outline some key issues to address below.

What is an assignment?

Also referred to as a secondment or transfer, an assignment might be internal (to a different role abroad with the same employer) or to an external employer. A key characteristic of an international assignment is that an employee from one legal entity and country ('home' country) temporarily performs services in another country ('host' country).

Potential assignment structures

There are a number of different ways in which assignments can be structured and documented. Which approach is appropriate will depend on a range of issues including employment law, tax, pension, social security and regulatory implications as well as the expectations of employees. Five frequently used assignment structures are:

  • the employee continues to be employed solely by the home employer;
  • the contract with the home employer is suspended and the employee enters into a local employment contract with the host employer for the assignment;
  • the contract with the home employer is terminated with a promise of re-employment at the end of the assignment. In the meantime, the employee enters into a local employment contract with the host employer;
  • the contract with the home employer is suspended and the employee enters into a contract with an international assignment company (IAC) within the employer group; or
  • the contract with the home employer is suspended and the employee enters into a contract with both an IAC and the host country employer.

Which is best?

When deciding on the best structure for the circumstances, some questions to consider are:

  • Do the host country’s laws require employment by a local entity, ruling out sole employment by the home employer?
  • Where there is no contract of employment in place with the host employer, could local laws presume that the host is the de facto employer?
  • If the home contract is “suspended”, is the home employer prepared to accept the legal uncertainty, in employment law terms, that this status brings?
  • In a dual contract structure, who will bear the greatest risk of being liable for employment claims – host, home (or the IAC)?
  • Will the employee accept the termination of his/her home contract?
  • What is the impact on pension and benefit schemes, social security and tax?

Are there key terms in the home contract that require special consideration and protection, for example, restrictive covenants and confidentiality?

Which national law applies, when and to what? Which courts would have jurisdiction in the event of a dispute?

Who pays for, and manages, the employee during the assignment and will the employee return to the home country?

Looking forward

It is inevitable that documenting assignments will become a smoother process as employers become more familiar with the issues involved. However, the range of significant personal, legal and financial implications will mean that a degree of tailoring will always be necessary, in order to avoid negative repercussions.

Gareth Wadley is principal associate at Eversheds

Further reading

international assignments bedeutung

Paying your way: International tax and benefits

international assignments bedeutung

How HR can improve LGBT+ employees' access to international assignments

international assignments bedeutung

Companies expect to increase international assignments

international assignments bedeutung

How territorial jurisdiction works

international assignments bedeutung

Hot topic: Key issues for the new government

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Rise of 'global nomads' causes problems for employee benefits strategy, Mercer study shows

international assignments bedeutung

Three-quarters of Europeans would consider international roles

international assignments bedeutung

Your new international assignee: The cross-border commuter

Intercultural and International Business Communication

The international assignment, learning objectives.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

  • Describe how to prepare for an international assignment.
  • Discuss the acculturation process as an expatriate.
  • Describe effective strategies for living and working abroad.

Suppose you have the opportunity to work or study in a foreign country. You may find the prospect of an international assignment intriguing, challenging, or even frightening; indeed, most professionals employed abroad will tell you they pass through all three stages at some point during the assignment. They may also share their sense of adjustment, even embrace of their host culture, and the challenges of reintegration into their native country.

An international assignment, whether as a student or a career professional, requires work and preparation, and should be given the time and consideration of any major life change. When you lose a loved one, it takes time to come to terms with the loss. When someone you love is diagnosed with a serious illness, the news may take some time to sink in. When a new baby enters your family, a period of adjustment is predictable and prolonged. All these major life changes can stress an individual beyond their capacity to adjust. Similarly, in order to be a successful “expat,” or expatriate, one needs to prepare mentally and physically for the change.

International business assignments are a reflection of increased global trade, and as trade decreases, they may become an expensive luxury. As technology allows for instant face-to-face communication, and group collaboration on documents via cloud computing and storage, the need for physical travel may be reduced. But regardless of whether your assignment involves relocation abroad, supervision of managers in another country at a distance, or supervision by a foreign manager, you will need to learn more about the language, culture, and customs that are not your own. You will need to compare and contrast, and seek experiences that lend insight, in order to communicate more effectively.

An efficient, effective manager in any country is desirable, but one with international experience even more so. You will represent your company and they will represent you, including a considerable financial investment, either by your employer (in the case of a professional assignment) or by whoever is financing your education (in the case of studying abroad). That investment should not be taken lightly. As many as 40 percent of foreign-assigned employees terminate their assignments early, Tu, H., & Sullivan, S. (1994). Business horizons . Retrieved from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1038/is_nl_v37/ai_14922926 at a considerable cost to their employers. Of those that remain, almost 50 percent are less than effective. Tu, H., & Sullivan, S. (1994). Business horizons . Retrieved from FindArticles.com: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1038/is_nl_v37/ai_14922926

Preparation

With this perspective in mind, let’s discuss how to prepare for the international assignment and strategies to make you a more effective professional as a stranger in a strange land. First we’ll dispel a couple of myths associated with an idealized or romantic view of living abroad. Next we’ll examine traits and skills of the successful expatriate. Finally, we’ll examine culture shock and the acculturation process.

Your experience with other cultures may have come firsthand, but for most, a foreign location like Paris is an idea formed from exposure to images via the mass media. Paris may be known for its art, as a place for lovers, or as a great place to buy bread. But if you have only ever known about a place through the lens of a camera, you have only seen the portraits designed and portrayed by others. You will lack the multidimensional view of one who lives and works in Paris, and even if you are aware of its history, its economic development, or its recent changes, these are all academic observations until the moment of experience.

That is not to say that research does not form a solid foundation in preparation for an international assignment, but it does reinforce the distinction between a media-fabricated ideal and real life. Awareness of this difference is an important step as you prepare yourself for life in a foreign culture.

If the decision is yours to make, take your time. If others are involved, and family is a consideration, you should take even more care with this important decision. Residence abroad requires some knowledge of the language, an ability to adapt, and an interest in learning about different cultures. If family members are not a part of the decision, or lack the language skills or interest, the assignment may prove overwhelming and lead to failure. Sixty-four percent of expatriate respondents who terminated their assignment early indicated that family concerns were the primary reason. Contreras, C. D. (2009). Should you accept the international assignment? BNET . Retrieved from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa5350/is_200308/ai_n21334696

Points to consider include the following:

  • How flexible are you?
  • Do you need everything spelled out or can you go with the flow?
  • Can you adapt to new ways of doing business?
  • Are you interested in the host culture and willing to dedicate the time and put forth the effort to learn more about it?
  • What has been your experience to date working with people from distinct cultures?
  • What are your language skills at present, and are you interested in learning a new language?
  • Is your family supportive of the assignment?
  • How will it affect your children’s education? Your spouse’s career? Your career?
  • Will this assignment benefit your family?
  • How long are you willing to commit to the assignment?
  • What resources are available to help you prepare, move, and adjust?
  • Can you stand being out of the loop, even if you are in daily written and oral communication with the home office?
  • What is your relationship with your employer, and can it withstand the anticipated stress and tension that will result as not everything goes according to plan?
  • Is the cultural framework of your assignment similar to—or unlike—your own, and how ready are you to adapt to differences in such areas as time horizon, masculinity versus femininity, or direct versus indirect styles of communication?

This list of questions could continue, and feel free to add your own as you explore the idea of an international assignment. An international assignment is not like a domestic move or reassignment. Within the same country, even if there are significantly different local customs in place, similar rules, laws, and ways of doing business are present. In a foreign country, you will lose those familiar traditions and institutions and have to learn many new ways of accomplishing your given tasks. What once took a five-minute phone call may now take a dozen meetings and a month to achieve, and that may cause you some frustration. It may also cause your employer frustration as you try to communicate how things are done locally, and why results are not immediate, as they lack even your limited understanding of your current context. Your relationship with your employer will experience stress, and your ability to communicate your situation will require tact and finesse.

Successful expatriates are adaptable, open to learning new languages, cultures, and skilled at finding common ground for communication. Rather than responding with frustration, they learn the new customs and find the advantage to get the job done. They form relationships and are not afraid to ask for help when it is warranted or required. They feel secure in their place as explorer, and understand that mistakes are a given, even as they are unpredictable. Being a stranger is no easy task, but they welcome the challenge with energy and enthusiasm.

Acculturation Process

Acculturation , or the transition to living abroad, is often described as an emotional rollercoaster. Steven Rhinesmith Rhinesmith, S. (1984). Returning home . Ottawa, Canada: Canadian Bureau for International Education. provides ten steps that show the process of acculturation, including culture shock, that you may experience:

  • Initial anxiety
  • Initial elation
  • Initial culture shock
  • Superficial adjustment
  • Depression-frustration
  • Acceptance of host culture
  • Return anxiety
  • Return elation
  • Reentry shock
  • Reintegration

Humans fear the unknown, and even if your tolerance for uncertainty is high, you may experience a degree of anxiety in anticipation of your arrival. At first the “honeymoon” period is observed, with a sense of elation at all the newfound wonders. You may adjust superficially at first, learning where to get familiar foods or new ways to meet your basic needs. As you live in the new culture, divergence will become a trend and you’ll notice many things that frustrate you. You won’t anticipate the need for two hours at a bank for a transaction that once took five minutes, or could be handled over the Internet, and find that businesses close during midday, preventing you from accomplishing your goals. At this stage, you will feel that living in this new culture is simply exhausting. Many expats advise that this is the time to tough it out—if you give in to the temptation to make a visit back home, you will only prolong your difficult adjustment.

Over time, if you persevere, you will come to accept and adjust to your host culture, and learn how to accomplish your goals with less frustration and ease. You may come to appreciate several cultural values or traits and come to embrace some aspects of your host culture. At some point, you will need to return to your first, or home, culture, but that transition will bring a sense of anxiety. People and places change, the familiar is no longer so familiar, and you too have changed. You may once again be elated at your return and the familiar, and experience a sense of comfort in home and family, but culture shock may again be part of your adjustment. You may look at your home culture in a new way and question things that are done in a particular way that you have always considered normal. You may hold onto some of the cultural traits you adopted while living abroad, and begin the process of reintegration.

The international assignment requires adaptability. FIGURE 18.3: © 2010 Jupiterimages Corporation

The international assignment requires adaptability.

You may also begin to feel that the “grass is greener” in your host country, and long to return. Expatriates are often noted for “going native,” or adopting the host culture’s way of life, but even the most confirmed expats still gather to hear the familiar sound of their first language, and find community in people like themselves who have blended cultural boundaries on a personal level.

Living and Working Abroad

In order to learn to swim you have to get in the water, and all the research and preparation cannot take the place of direct experience. Your awareness of culture shock may help you adjust, and your preparation by learning some of the language will assist you, but know that living and working abroad take time and effort. Still, there are several guidelines that can serve you well as you start your new life in a strange land:

  • Be open and creative . People will eat foods that seem strange or do things in a new way, and your openness and creativity can play a positive role in your adjustment. Staying close to your living quarters or surrounding yourself with similar expats can limit your exposure to and understanding of the local cultures. While the familiar may be comfortable, and the new setting may be uncomfortable, you will learn much more about your host culture and yourself if you make the effort to be open to new experiences. Being open involves getting out of your comfort zone.
  • Be self-reliant . Things that were once easy or took little time may now be challenging or consume your whole day. Focus on your ability to resolve issues, learn new ways to get the job done, and be prepared to do new things.
  • Keep a balanced perspective . Your host culture isn’t perfect. Humans aren’t perfect, and neither was your home culture. Each location and cultural community has strengths you can learn from if you are open to them.
  • Be patient . Take your time, and know a silent period is normal. The textbook language classes only provide a base from which you will learn how people who live in the host country actually communicate. You didn’t learn to walk in a day and won’t learn to successfully navigate this culture overnight either.
  • Be a student and a teacher . You are learning as the new member of the community, but as a full member of your culture, you can share your experiences as well.
  • Be an explorer . Get out and go beyond your boundaries when you feel safe and secure. Traveling to surrounding villages, or across neighboring borders, can expand your perspective and help you learn.
  • Protect yourself . Always keep all your essential documents, money, and medicines close to you, or where you know they will be safe. Trying to source a medicine in a country where you are not fluent in the language, or where the names of remedies are different, can be a challenge. Your passport is essential to your safety and you need to keep it safe. You may also consider vaccination records, birth certificates, or business documents in the same way, keeping them safe and accessible. You may want to consider a “bug-out bag,” with all the essentials you need, including food, water, keys, and small tools, as an essential part of planning in case of emergency.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • Research one organization in a business or industry that relates to your major and has an international presence. Find a job announcement or similar document that discusses the business and its international activities. Share and compare with classmates.
  • Conduct a search on expat networks including online forum. Briefly describe your findings and share with classmates.
  • What would be the hardest part of an overseas assignment for you and why? What would be the easiest part of an overseas assignment for you and why?
  • Find an advertisement for an international assignment. Note the qualifications, and share with classmates.
  • Find an article or other first-person account of someone’s experience on an international assignment. Share your results with your classmates.
  • Communication For Business Success. Authored by : anonymous. Located at : http://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/communication-for-business-success/ . License : CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike

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international assignments bedeutung

Russia establishes special site to fabricate fuel for China’s CFR-600

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A special production site to fabricate fuel for China’s CFR-600 fast reactor under construction has been established at Russia’s Mashinostroitelny Zavod (MSZ - Machine-Building Plant) in Elektrostal (Moscow region), part of Rosatom’s TVEL Fuel Company. 

As part of the project, MSZ had upgraded existing facilities fo the production of fuel for fast reactors, TVEL said on 3 March. Unique equipment has been created and installed, and dummy CFR-600 fuel assemblies have already been manufactured for testing.

The new production site was set up to service an export contract between TVEL and the Chinese company CNLY (part of China National Nuclear Corporation - CNNC) for the supply of uranium fuel for CFR-600 reactors. Construction of the first CFR-600 unit started in Xiapu County, in China's Fujian province in late 2017 followed by the second unit in December 2020. The contract is for the start-up fuel load, as well as refuelling for the first seven years. The start of deliveries is scheduled for 2023.

“The Russian nuclear industry has a unique 40 years of experience in operating fast reactors, as well as in the production of fuel for such facilities,” said TVEL President Natalya Nikipelova. “The Fuel Division of Rosatom is fulfilling its obligations within the framework of Russian-Chinese cooperation in the development of fast reactor technologies. These are unique projects when foreign design fuel is produced in Russia. Since 2010, the first Chinese fast neutron reactor CEFR has been operating on fuel manufactured at the Machine-Building Plant, and for the supply of CFR-600 fuel, a team of specialists from MSZ and TVEL has successfully completed a complex high-tech project to modernise production,” she explained.

A special feature of the new section is its versatility: this equipment will be used to produce fuel intended for both the Chinese CFR-600 and CEFR reactors and the Russian BN-600 reactor of the Beloyarsk NPP. In the near future, the production of standard products for the BN-600 will begin.

The contract for the supply of fuel for the CFR-600 was signed in December 2018 as part of a governmental agreement between Russia and China on cooperation in the construction and operation of a demonstration fast neutron reactor in China. This is part of a wider comprehensive programme of cooperation in the nuclear energy sector over the coming decades. This includes serial construction of the latest Russian NPP power units with generation 3+ VVER-1200 reactors at two sites in China (Tianwan and Xudabao NPPs). A package of intergovernmental documents and framework contracts for these projects was signed in 2018 during a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

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COMMENTS

  1. International assignment

    An international assignment is an overseas task set by a company to an employee. Companies that engage in international assignments are mainly multinational corporations (MNCs). MNCs send employees from the home country to a different country for business operations at overseas offices or subsidiaries. [1] These employees are called expatriates.

  2. How to Grow Your Career with International Assignments

    1 Types of international assignments Be the first to add your personal experience 2 Benefits of international assignments 3 Risks of international assignments 4 How to choose an...

  3. Managing International Assignments

    Managing International Assignments. International assignment management is one of the hardest areas for HR professionals to master—and one of the most costly. The expense of a three-year ...

  4. 5 Types of Global Assignments

    May 3, 2023 Lucy Halse Global Immigration Compass, Immigration Decoded Last Updated on November 1, 2023 Employers and employees have many reasons for sending employees and other talent on different types of global assignments worldwide. Sometimes, companies need to relocate their employees temporarily for a short-term finite assignment.

  5. Delivering A Successful International Assignment

    International assignment structures. As well as clarity of objectives, a successful international assignment also requires clarity of contractual terms, both to manage the expectations and understanding of the assignee, and also for the mobility team to identify support needs and potential risks. Now more than ever, organisations are developing ...

  6. Why International Assignments Are Vital for Talent ...

    1. Talent attraction. Professionals are keen to gain international work experience to enhance their career prospects in the long-term. In a survey by the Korn Ferry Institute, the top reasons for employees wanting to take on international assignments included: Exposure to a new work environment. Nurturing and improving business and networking ...

  7. Tips for Managing International Assignments Effectively

    International assignments are a valuable opportunity for both employees and employers to gain global and cultural awareness, expand their network, and develop new skills. However, managing...

  8. 10 tips for managing successful international assignments

    Knowledge sharing and learning 8. Respect for diversity and inclusion 9. Cross-cultural training and education 10. Recognize and celebrate achievements. Embarking on international assignments brings both excitement and challenges. As businesses have been extending their global presence for years, the effective management of international ...

  9. Compensation and Benefits: Essentials of International Assignment

    Along with an international assignment, various foreseeable and unforeseeable low-cost expenses happen. Over time catalogs were developed to decide which items can be reimbursed or not, such as application and renewal of ID documents, bank charges, transportation during relocation, purchase of electrical equipment or missing household goods, fees associated with necessary driver licenses, and ...

  10. Lessons from an international assignment

    Author. An international assignment has long been seen as providing executives with an opportunity for personal growth and professional development, while enabling companies to place executives in markets where specific capabilities are needed or to spread corporate values and best practices throughout the organization.

  11. A Successful International Assignment Depends on These Factors

    A Successful International Assignment Depends on These Factors. by. Boris Groysberg. and. Robin Abrahams. February 13, 2014. Post. The prospect of an international assignment can be equal parts ...

  12. Full article: The organizational value of international assignments

    The number of expatriates on international assignments (IAs) continues to grow (Santa Fe Relocation Services, Citation 2019) despite significant cost premiums to local hires (Doherty & Dickmann, Citation 2012). Surprisingly, the value to organizations is rarely measured and generally unknown to practitioners (McNulty et al., Citation 2013).

  13. Why should you seek an international assignment?

    Here are 5 reasons: It gets you out of your comfort zone and offers you an innovative mindset. You will be exposed to a different environment, business cultures and mostly everything will be "new"; if you combine this with your past experiences, you can generate many new ideas. This is why most of the global innovation centers are also the ...

  14. 10 Tips for Managing Successful International Assignments

    3. Manage expectations. Employees need to be prepared for the fact that life during international assignments will be different, and not necessarily glamorous and exotic. There will be cultural barriers to overcome, as well as homesickness and culture shock to deal with. Families and spouses need to be prepared for the changes.

  15. International Assignment Management in 2022

    1. Changing international assignments Initial research conducted amongst global businesses in 2021, as Covid-19 was controlled showed that a mobile workforce was still integral to future working plans. Although most expat assignments were likely to follow the traditional format, the area was not unaffected by change.

  16. Balancing Costs and Benefits of International Assignments

    International assignments are a key component of global mobility, but they also come with significant costs and challenges. How can you make sure that your organization is getting the best...

  17. International assignments: Key issues to consider

    As it becomes more common, some assume this will lead to greater standardisation, with template assignment letters the norm. However, the legal, tax, pension and other variables involved in international assignments require a more bespoke approach, leaving little room for standard documentation. We outline some key issues to address below.

  18. Understanding International Assignments in Workday

    International Assignment Policy (see the attachment) defines the principles for the Aalto University employee's work abroad. The purpose of the International Assignment policy is to support the ...

  19. The International Assignment

    Similarly, in order to be a successful "expat," or expatriate, one needs to prepare mentally and physically for the change. International business assignments are a reflection of increased global trade, and as trade decreases, they may become an expensive luxury. As technology allows for instant face-to-face communication, and group ...

  20. Contacts

    Küçükbakkalköy Mah. Fevzipaşa Cad. Bozkır Sok. No:1 ,K:3 D:15 Ataşehir 34750 Istanbul + (90) 216 900 28 62 +(90) 216 576 47 90. [email protected]

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    Air Show Report : MAKS 2005 Moscow International Aviation & Space Salon. Financial reasons have restricted Russian Air Force equipment from attending airshows in the west for many years. We visited the best place in all of Russia to see military aircraft perform, the MAKS air show. This trade show is held at the test field of Zhukovsky, which ...

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  23. Russia establishes special site to fabricate fuel for China's CFR-600

    A special production site to fabricate fuel for China's CFR-600 fast reactor under construction has been established at Russia's Mashinostroitelny Zavod (MSZ - Machine-Building Plant) in Elektrostal (Moscow region), part of Rosatom's TVEL Fuel Company.