Relocation

A new law that requires overseas financial institutions to report on accounts held by U.S. citizens may have an unintended impact on expatriate employees.

The Arab spring, nuclear disaster in Japan and the worldwide financial crisis -- combined with other political and security issues -- made last year an "extremely turbulent" one for business travelers, expatriates and their organizations

More employers are going local when setting up reward and recognition programs in China.

Across industry sectors, multinational companies face a common obstacle in developing the Chinese market -- attracting, developing and retaining the local Chinese talent needed to accomplish this goal. Compensation and cultural norms in the rapidly growing economy are particular sticking points.

In its beginning, recruitment-process outsourcing was a response to the boom-or-bust mentality of companies that would cycle through large-scale hiring to hiring freezes, sometimes in the same year.

Global mobility professionals cite cost as their major concern with international relocation assignments, but they also are seeing an increased reluctance by employees to take such assignments and an increased tendency by such employees to negotiate relo packages. And, as always, determining ROI remains an issue.

Expatriates and business travelers face significant risks around the world this year due to increased social activism, potential natural disasters, and continued risks from crime and terrorism. HR leaders need to ensure that all stakeholders are involved in creating -- and communicating -- detail-rich crisis-management policies and procedures.

Employers are finding assistance programs for spouses of U.S.-bound expatriates can help boost the successes of those assignments, too.

We're often asked to evaluate existing outsourcing relationships.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act's prime objective is to give more Americans access to healthcare. What it may also be doing is fueling a spike in the growth of benefits-administration outsourcing, as employers seek help in navigating recent, and ongoing, healthcare-reform measures.

Hoping to attract talent from a limited pool, Asian companies are now paying higher executive salaries than Western European businesses, and will catch up to U.S. levels by 2013, according to a recent report by Mercer.

This article accompanies Coming to America.

Brazil is on track for yet another year of above-average GDP performance. This boom, however, poses challenges for the country. Chief among them is a shortage of qualified labor.

The dismal worldwide economy is affecting compensation decisions, although there are some "hot spots," such as Brazil, Singapore, China and South Africa. Employers continue to focus on pay-for-performance and workforce segmentation in their rewards strategies.

A new law that requires foreign banks to report information on their U.S. account holders may create some difficulties for expat employees. Smaller banks not wishing to accept the administrative burden may refuse to allow Americans to have bank accounts. It may also impact company payroll processes.

The intense economic pressures in the European Union, combined with high unemployment, restrictive labor policies, an aging workforce and high costs of living, offer some key challenges for HR leaders. Intensified workforce planning is crucial.

This note is in response to Should You Outsource?