At That Point
  • home
  • services
  • about us
  • our work
  • our thoughts

Global workforces require mobility teams

26/1/2016

0 Comments

 
PictureKevan Hawley recently addressed reward professionals at the annual SARA conference, emphasising that businesses must understand international talent requires dedicated support and trained professionals
“Global expansion to counter the economic downturn sounds easy, until selecting employees to send to foreign countries,” said Kevan Hawley, Managing Director of Expatriate Preparation. “Businesses must understand that international talent requires dedicated support and trained professionals.”
​
Hawley addressed reward professionals at the recent annual conference of the South African Reward Association (SARA). “Growing a valuable global workforce is not just about having the PA organise a passport, a plane ticket and a place to stay. It is about ensuring that the right person is allocated the right position and that the workforce mobility strategy is integrated from the top down.”


A valuable global workforce is one that has been developed and nurtured by a trained reward professional who understands mobility, how to keep costs in check and what kind of work suits specific individuals.
“Leadership has to develop a global mind-set before establishing a global workforce,” he says. “Employees assigned to international posts need to feel as if these enhance their careers and they have the local support required for integration and growth.”

Traditionally, the organisation has had one Human Resources (HR) practitioner to around 20 international employees. South African companies often have only one mobility officer for every 60 international employees. Shifting these figures to ensure the workforce is better managed, and the “us-and-them” mentality excluded, should be imperative.

“70% of all international assignees leave their company within a year after their return as their international experience is not used or appreciated when they come back,” says Hawley. “Trained mobility professionals will recognise this concern and will add value in terms of role allocation, role development and skills enhancement.”

It is also essential that any globalisation strategy be led from the top of the organisation. The mobility officer has to be given a clear mandate and support to ensure that there is no negativity, seamless integration on both international and local fronts and guidelines on personal and career growth for the globalised individuals.

“There are five types of international employee and it is the role of a well-trained mobility officer to avoid the bad and recognise the good,” concludes Hawley. “They should select the person for the way they fit internationally and their internal value systems.”

The five types of international assignee are:
• The Assimilator – loves the host country, speaks the language fluently, but it not that mobile as they no longer wish to move;
• The Integrator – can change and adapt and is easy to bring home or move to another country;
• The Separator – is told to go, no career aspirations, does not like host country and does not want to learn the local language;
• The Segregated – tries to integrate, but cannot due to host pressure; and
• Colonialist – assimilates expat life, loves their status, doesn’t learn about host country and are the most disliked in Africa.

ENDS
​

MEDIA CONTACT: Cathlen Fourie, 012 644 2833, cathlen@thatpoint.co.za, www.atthatpoint.co.za  

For more information on SARA please visit:
Website: www.sara.co.za  
Twitter: @SA_reward
LinkedIn: South African Reward Association
Facebook: SARA – South African Reward Association

0 Comments

    Archives

    November 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    August 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015

    Welcome to the South African Reward Association newsroom.

    Categories

    All
    2016 SARA Reward Awards
    2016 South African Reward Association Conference
    ABSA
    Chris Blair
    Deon Smit
    Dr Mark Bussin
    Dr Ronel Nienaber
    Economic Growth
    Employee Empowerment
    Employee Engagement
    Employee Performance Management
    Executive Bonuses
    Executive Pay
    Executive Remuneration
    Female Employees
    Financial And Non Financial Rewards
    Financial And Non-financial Rewards
    Fixed Pay
    FNB
    Gender Pay Gap
    Global Workforce
    Incentives
    International Mobility
    Jerry Botha
    Job Security
    Job Seekers
    Kevan Hawley
    Khokhela Consulting
    Kim Lombard
    King IV
    Laurence Grubb
    Lindiwe Sebesho
    Living Wage
    Marie Claire Mclachlan
    Marie-Claire Mclachlan
    Martin Hopkins
    Minimum Wage
    Morag Phillips
    MTN
    Nazlie Samodien
    Negotiating Salary
    Nicol Mullins
    Pay Discrepancies
    Peet Kruger
    PwC
    Remuneration Resolutions
    Reward Awards
    Reward Systems
    SARA
    SARA Conference 2015
    SARA Conference 2020
    Shareholder Votes
    Standard Bank
    Technology
    Termination Pay
    Total Reward Internship Programme
    Total Reward Package
    Total Rewards Model
    Total Reward Strategy
    UIF
    Variable Pay
    Wage Freeze
    Wage Negotiations
    Women In Business
    WorldatWork
    Zuma

    RSS Feed

CONTACT US

office [at] atthatpoint [dot] co [dot] za
© COPYRIGHT 2020
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

  • home
  • services
  • about us
  • our work
  • our thoughts