BIGGEST RELOCATION CHALLENGES INTERNATIONAL ASSIGNMENTS

Transcription

1 BIGGEST RELOCATION CHALLENGES INTERNATIONAL ASSIGNMENTS What keeps relocation managers up at night? During a turbulent period that included a real estate recession, the European financial crisis, and the Arab Spring, among others, people with corporate relocation and global mobility responsibilities had a lot to worry about. Our Biggest Relocation Challenges pulse survey pointed to a number of key concerns among managers of international mobility programs. Among them: a keen focus on costs, changing employee expectations caused by demographics and entitlement, and an awareness of the critical importance of talent management as companies look to the future. The Biggest Challenges survey for International Assignments was brief in scope, but broad in implications. The survey covered strategic topics in international assignment programs; a companion survey focused on issues in domestic relocation. The response was particularly strong, with exactly 200 companies responding between the two surveys, 116 completing the international. The survey was also highly representative; responding companies moved an average of between 51 and 100 people domestically and 26 to 50 internationally. Large programs were well represented: more than 12 percent of respondents moved more than 500 per year domestically, and a similar percentage moved more than 500 internationally. The survey generated responses from a broad range of industries, as well. Those most represented were manufacturing; technology; pharmaceutical and health care; banking, financial, and insurance; energy and utilities; and consumer products and retailing. Following is an analysis of the International Assignment segment of the Pulse Survey. Key Findings The key findings in the International Assignments Pulse Survey are: 1. Cost is currently the number one concern, with aspects of talent management, such as development and retention, fairly far down the list of priorities. However, when looking to future challenges, while cost still occupies the number one spot, items associated with talent management move up significantly in the ranking, reflecting companies awareness that a focus on cost control may begin to jeopardize key talent needs. In fact, repatriation and career management top the list of areas companies most want to improve. Employee demands and talent management goals are likely being intensified by the move to emerging market locations, where a more difficult assignment scenario can lead to increased employee demands for compensation or perks. Emerging/expanding markets is the future challenge rated highest in extreme impact, a finding underscored by recent Cartus research in emerging markets dynamics. A closely related challenge immigration was listed close behind in terms of future impact. 2. A significant 79% of companies indicated an increased focus on control/compliance related to tax and immigration, an issue that is likely being expanded by the move to nontraditional locations and is underscored by an overwhelming reliance on global policy compliance compared with regional decision making. Current Challenges Cost is the major, but by no means the only, concern of international relocation managers. Thus, while the most significant current challenge companies face is cost of international assignments (67.8 percent), changing employee expectations and attitudes, caused by factors such as changing demographics and a sense of entitlement, also ranks high as a concern (45.2 percent; see Chart 1). This hints at the difficulties companies face in selecting willing and capable candidates for assignments. Thus, employee reluctance to accept assignments (at 14.8 percent) and failed assignments (at 8.7 percent), which remain current issues, rank below a number of issues demanding more current attention. The third-ranked challenge, expansion into new and emerging markets, is mentioned by 40.0 percent of respondents. Applying the insights gained from our recent Emerging Markets survey, it is likely that this concern involves a very broad and diverse range of countries and even discrete areas within countries. PAGE 1 OF 6

2 Chart 1. Most significant current challenges in relation to international assignments. (multiple responses possible) Cost of international assignments Changing employee expectations/ attitudes (demographics, entitlement) Expansion into new and emerging locations Employee sense of entitlement Control and compliance ROI Immigration Mobility program tracking Talent retention following assignments Failed assignments (early return, not achieving assignment goals) 20.0% 19.1% 14.8% 8.7% 2.6% 31.3% 29.8% 27.0% 40.0% 45.2% 67.8% Surprisingly, talent retention following assignments and failed assignments are, by comparison, much less significant, even though their impact on the strategic goals of an international assignment program is so dramatic. Steps Companies Have Taken More than half of respondents (54.1 percent) say that they have modified their policy/program in the past two years or are currently considering doing so. In line with the importance of cost as a challenge, more companies have implemented formal cost estimation and budgeting (31.8 percent) than any other policy/program change in the past two years (see Chart 2); few are currently considering a change in this area (9.2 percent), likely because they have already taken action if they saw the need. The second key change made was in tiering (20.9 percent), which itself has the potential to reduce costs by targeting benefits more effectively. Interestingly, the three lowest-ranking changes already implemented were the three highest in terms of currently being considered. Repatriation/talent retention (25.0 percent) and candidate assessment and development of candidate pools (each at 20.8 percent) all speak to the need to select assignees wisely and leverage their experience for the benefit of the organization (and not a competitor) when they return. Note also the Implemented/Considering Ratio at the bottom of the chart to see the extent to which these issues have been addressed or are being evaluated currently. This comparison shows a balance between past and current focus on many issues, implying that program evaluation is actively underway, albeit focusing on different issues. Chart 2. Policy/program changes implemented or currently under construction. Implemented/Considering Ratio: 53.4%/46.6% Formal cost estimation and budgeting 31.8% 9.4% 41.2% Align benefits more closely to the employee s level (tiering) 20.9% 16.7% 37.6% Support for sale of departure home 12.7% 4.2% 16.9% Candidate assessment (including the financial situation) 11.8% 20.8% 32.6% Repatriation/talent retention 10.9% 25.0% 35.9% Development of candidate pools 8.2% 20.8% 29.0% 3.6% 3.1% 6.7% Have implemented Are considering Implemented+Considering PAGE 2 OF 6

3 Exploring Alternatives As companies look for new ways to control costs, short-term assignments head the list of approaches already implemented (22.4 percent; see Chart 3). In terms of approaches companies are currently considering, on the other hand, localization of expatriates on assignment (24.0 percent), commuter assignments (18.7 percent), and rotational assignments and intra-country moves (each at 13.3 percent) all lead short-term assignments (10.7 percent). These findings clearly reflect the breadth of strategies companies have begun to consider. supplanting career development moves; both are increasing strongly. As alternatives to traditional assignment forms increase, companies have resorted to intra-country relocations more and more (see Chart 4). Over half of responding companies say that they have seen (34.5 percent) or anticipate (18.6 percent) an increase in intra-country relocations. Chart 4. Increases seen in intra-country relocations? In a cost-control environment, one would expect an emphasis on shorter-term assignments with explicit goals, and this is the case. Companies report overwhelmingly that they are using tactical project-based assignments more than they were two years ago (87.1 percent). However, they also report that they are increasing career development assignments significantly (72.7 percent). It is certainly not the case that tactical assignments are Yes No Not yet, but anticipate an increase 18.6% 34.5% 46.9% Chart 3. Alternative approaches to global mobility implemented in the past two years or currently under consideration. Implemented/Considering Ratio: 78.4%/21.6% Short-term assignments 22.4% 10.7% 33.1% Localization of expats on assignment 17.6% 24.0% 41.6% Permanent moves 17.3% 8.0% 25.3% Rotational assignment 9.9% 13.3% 23.2% Commuter assignments 9.6% 18.7% 28.3% Intra-country moves 8.8% 13.3% 22.1% Use of property management for departure home 7.0% 6.7% 13.7% Delaying relocation activity 5.5% 8.0% 13.5% 1.8% 1.3% 3.1% Have implemented Are considering Implemented+Considering PAGE 3 OF 6

4 Chart 5. Increasing focus on compliance in managing payroll, immigration, and tax risk? (multiple responses possible) NO Early involvement of tax and immigration 85.7% 20.7% More clearly defined policies and processes 69.2% Better tracking of assignees days in country 63.7% YES 79.3% Internal education Consolidation to one global travel provider 18.7% 41.8% 3.3% Compliance Compliance in all its varied dimensions from observing immigration and residency laws to limiting policy exceptions is clearly top of mind. Specifically, 79.3% of responding companies are paying heightened attention to managing the compliance risks related to payroll, immigration, and tax (see Chart 5). This trend reflects not only the severe penalties for failing to comply with local laws and regulations but also the increasing breadth of locations to which companies are sending assignees. An additional factor is the increased visibility of stealth expats, whose days-incountry excesses can pose major compliance risks to their companies operations. To tighten compliance in this area, 85.7 percent of companies increasing their focus report early involvement of tax and immigration providers. In addition, companies report more clearly defined policies and processes (69.2 percent) and better tracking of assignees days in country (63.7 percent) all very high scores. If global relocation managers agree on any strategy for controlling costs, compliance with policy is probably the top item. In reality, though, centralized control and local autonomy are two competing concerns in any global program. Just where the balance falls between these approaches can be instructive. In this survey, companies report that they are strongly weighted toward strict compliance with a global policy, compared with decision making at the local level. On a 10-point scale, where strict compliance is rated 10, the median response was 8, and only 15.8 percent of respondents reported that they favored local decision making over global policy compliance (see Chart 6). Chart 6. Decision making at the local level versus strict compliance with a global policy. 19.3% 28.9% 21.9% 7.9% 0.9% 1.8% 2.6% 2.6% 7.9% 6.1% Local Decision Making Compliance with Global Policy PAGE 4 OF 6

5 Program Effectiveness Companies are generally satisfied that their international assignment program is supporting their organizational goals, compared with several years ago. In fact, 40.6 percent felt their policies and program were more effective and 49.0 percent felt they were equally effective. Similarly, almost nine out of 10 companies responding (89.2 percent) consider the perceived value to the employee of the policy/program changes made or currently being considered to either increase (43.4 percent) or stay the same (45.8 percent). Future Challenges Predictably, cost control was the challenge with the greatest future impact (81.0 percent indicating it was either extremely impactful or very impactful see detail in Chart 7). Following cost control was a large group of similarly scored challenges including immigration (70.9 percent), designing equitable policy packages (68.7 percent), emerging or expanding markets (67.7 percent), developing global competencies (65.2 percent), and linking mobility to career development (64.2 percent). This mix clearly reflects the struggle to balance cost control with talent management in an environment dominated by new emerging markets and their attendant challenges, such as immigration. When we examine the difference between extremely impactful and very impactful, a different picture emerges: emerging or expanding markets ranks highest in extremely impactful, with nearly one-third of respondents (32.3 percent) placing it at the highest level as a challenge. Interestingly, responses to Cartus previous Emerging Markets survey indicated that emerging markets were so important to company strategy that the ability to project and control costs ranked fifth as an assignment challenge, behind various issues related to candidate qualifications and local infrastructure. Nonetheless, the cost factor isn t disappearing, and reining in expenses is simply more complex. Chart 7. Future global mobility challenges. Cost control 80.9% 14.3% 4.8% Immigration 70.9% 15.5% 13.6% Designing equitable policy packages 68.7% 24.2% 7.1% Emerging or expanding markets 67.8% 21.5% 10.8% Developing global competencies 65.2% 25.3% 9.5% Linking mobility to career development 64.2% 25.3% 10.5% Global vs. local policy development 54.2% 32.3% 13.5% Measuring mobility program/assignment success 54.2% 30.2% 15.6% Mobility program tracking 51.0% 33.0% 16.0% Stealth expats 42.2% 24.4% 33.3% 14.3% 14.3% 71.4% Total: 61.9%/ 24.4%/ 13.7% Extremely+Very Impactful Somewhat Impactful Little+No Impact PAGE 5 OF 6

6 Stealth expats stood out as a future issue with the least impact (33.3 percent of respondents). Whether this response reflects success in uncovering and controlling these under-the-radar moves or continued difficulty in scaling the size of this problem is not clear. Chart 8. Program aspects respondents are most interested in improving. (multiple responses possible) Repatriation and career management Candidate assessment and selection 41.3% 51.0% When asked what aspects of their international program they were most interested in improving, respondents identified a relatively large number of issues (see Chart 8), repatriation and career management being named by more than half (51.0 percent). Grouped together were candidate assessment and selection and performance measurement/evaluation of assignees (both at 41.3 percent) and global leadership development (at 40.4 percent), demonstrating concerns that range broadly from the strategic purpose of assignments to the most effective tracking of their success. Performance measurement/evaluation of assignees Global leadership development Relocation support services Family assistance Compensation and benefits elements 4.8% 41.3% 40.4% 36.5% 24.0% 23.1% Asked which measures they have implemented that were the most effective, respondents provided a wide range of answers. Following is a sampling of issues noted. Most Effective Measures Implemented Respondent Verbatims We are trying to have more control in the pre-assignment decision phase to help the business consider other alternatives to the full-blown expat package. Providing education on costs and compliance to HR as well as project managers has been most effective. Overview of assignees by business, including average costs, development vs. expertise assignments, etc. We have much more focus on costs and as such have built up our cost projection and approval process as well as set up a more stringent exception process, when needed. International permanent transfer policy: Developed core + flex benefits policy to use globally with optional cafeteriastyle menu. Informing local businesses of the cost. Lower-cost accelerated development policy to encourage movement from emerging to mature markets. More local plus packages and less full assignment packages. In Summary, given the rapidly changing environment in which managers of international assignment programs are operating, they will continue to face challenges from the often competing issues of cost, talent, and new markets as they seek to develop effective program and policy structure for their companies. Cartus will repeat this Biggest Challenges survey in 2012 to continue to share knowledge on trends and best practices with our client base and the broader market. PAGE 6 OF 6