By Juliane Gruethner, Mercer
Greetings from Anywhere!
International project assignments are one of the current hot topics in global mobility management. A quick poll in conjunction with our Expatriate Management Conference in 2018 showed that, in an increasing number of organizations, the mobility function is responsible for the administration of international project assignments. Nearly 90% of the responding mobility managers confirmed that their organizations have international project assignments, and 80% of respondents are responsible for their administration. With this trend, new challenges are emerging. Let’s have a look.
Challenge 1: Common Understanding of Terminology
There does not seem to be a common definition of an international project assignment. Mercer's poll showed that about 40% of the responding businesses define an international project assignment as simply an international assignment to a project, regardless of its duration, while 60% specified a period of time. Some organizations also differentiate between project assignments for an external client or for an internal project. Apart from the lack of clear definitions, most businesses do not have any formal policy or regulations for their international project assignments (73%). If they exist, they often overlap with those for traditional long- or short-term assignments. No matter how you approach international project assignments, make sure that your company has a precise definition and corresponding guidelines in place that allow for consistent handling and fair treatment of all internationally mobile employees.
For this discussion, we define international project assignments as assignments to client projects abroad, whereas assignments to projects abroad within one organization are called international assignments.
Challenge 2: Fair and Equal Treatment
Determining an individual compensation package for an international project assignment differs from traditional forms of international assignment compensation. Some employees may have been hired especially or exclusively for project work. Others are assigned to work on international projects based on short- or long-term assignments or commuter packages. Those differences can lead to inconsistencies in compensation between the assignees – depending on where they come from and how their project assignment is defined in the home country. Clear internal regulations differentiating target groups and assignment types increase the transparency of the mobility program and ultimately increase its acceptance among employees.
Challenge 3: Determining the Return on Investment
In Mercer’s 2017 Worldwide Survey of International Assignment Policies and Practices, the vast majority of respondents stated that a business case is required for an international assignment (62%) and that they prepare corresponding cost estimates (96%). However, only 43% track the actual costs against budgeted costs, and only 2% have defined how the return on investment (ROI) of an international assignment is quantified. It is often linked to a mid- to long-term perspective and not easily expressed in pure economic figures. However, it is possible to track success by means of faster promotions or higher retention rates of expariates.
The ROI of international project assignments, in contrast, is easier to measure. Actual costs can be compared to the original estimate and the price paid by the client. This transparency leads to higher cost pressure, which calls for a greater flexibility with respect to the applicability of existing internal rules and regulations to be able to offer projects at a competitive price.
In conclusion, the short-term business value (winning and conducting the project in a profitable manner) and the mid- to long-term value of international assignments (for example, filling a skills gap in the host location or employee development) have to be balanced diligently, which can be achieved by a thoroughly segmented international assignment policy.
Challenge 4: Management of Large Numbers of International Project Assignments
Depending on the industry sector, the number of international project assignments in an organization can be extremely high. One of the respondents in the conference poll indicated that they handle about 23,000 international project assignments per year. Therefore, the resources needed in the mobility function will have to be increased or resources reallocated once mobility takes over the responsibility for international project assignments. You should also review the service delivery model as well as individual procedures and, if necessary, adapt them in order to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the international project assignment administration. Using the right technology can also help streamlining processes and making a large number of international project assignments manageable.
Challenge 5: Deployment to Unknown Places
International project assignments take place not only in the company’s regular assignment destinations but also in new locations at client sites. The company therefore may not have any resources in or knowledge about the location. Client resources or external vendors can be used to obtain necessary information or to perform necessary services, such as immigration or payroll. In addition, if employees perform services in hardship locations, their safety and security need to be considered.
Challenge 6: A Matter of Compliance
When it comes to international project assignments, mobility is regularly asked to deliver results even faster than for traditional international assignments because requirements tend to come up or change at short notice. However, compliance is as complex as for any other international assignments and needs to be evaluated individually. This is true for external as well as internal compliance issues. Although compliance is regarded as one of the most important aspects by many mobility managers, we have seen that compliance is just the tip of the iceberg, and the list of challenges presented in this first part of the article is not exhaustive.
We continue our considerations with the companies’ duty of care and possible solutions in part 2 of this article.