most expatriate assignments are of which type

United States: Expat Playbook: Best Practices For Sending Employees Abroad

Introduction.

Deploying and maintaining talent around the world is a critical priority for multinational companies. Driven by globalization, global mobility is an increasingly important component of maintaining market competitiveness, whether for expanding to a new country, sourcing the right talent or ensuring workforce diversity.

There are myriad reasons why companies choose to send employees overseas on assignment, but employers typically must navigate a common set of challenges with regard to properly managing their expats. Make no mistake: The stakes are high. Employing an expat typically costs two or even three times more than the simple cost of the individual's home-country salary. Moreover, expat assignments can and do fail, and improper immigration or tax compliance management can lead to serious legal trouble for the employer and/or the employee.

This playbook addresses the most common challenges faced by multinational companies sending employees abroad. Effectively managing a mobile global workforce is highly complex, touching on everything from immigration to taxes, insurance to talent development. Drawing on our vast experience supporting clients that send employees abroad, we have created this document as a roadmap of important questions organizations should answer and sensitivities they should be aware of to successfully deploy a workforce to foreign countries.

The playbook is organized according to four important themes. Though it would be impossible to give a full, technical account of each, we highlight those issues relevant to most organizations and suggest best practices where appropriate. The four themes are:

• Immigration
• Tax and Payroll
• Compensation
• Other Considerations

For the purposes of this document, an expat is an employee who is sent abroad by his or her employer on a foreign assignment for an extended period of time.

The expat's length of stay in the host country is often a critical determinant of his or her immigration status, compensation, taxes and treatment under company policy, among other factors. Thus, the most salient organizing principle for expat assignments is determined by assignment length. Here are five common types of expat assignments.

• Business visitor assignments: Typically last less than six months and can often be treated as a regular business trip, with reduced consideration for issues such as immigration and taxation (although the details of each assignment, including country requirements, must be reviewed).
• Commuter assignments: Frequently crossing jurisdictions (e.g., between the United States and Canada); how these expats are managed will largely be determined by the amount of time they spend in the host country and the activities being performed.
• Short- and medium-term assignments: Last anywhere from six months to two years and will require full consideration of immigration, taxation and other issues.
• Long-term assignments: Usually last more than two years and require full consideration of immigration, taxation and other issues.
• Permanent assignments: These are "one way" relocations, and the expat is expected to remain in the host country permanently or for the foreseeable future. Often the expat's employment contract and compensation treatment will be structured like those of locally hired employees, but with some additional payments to cover the initial relocation.

Understanding the composition of your expatriate workforce and adopting policies to manage them effectively begins by ensuring you understand how long each employee plans to be or has been outside the home country and where each employee has been or will be located. A common theme throughout this

playbook is the importance of developing expat policies that are appropriate to different types of assignments and implementing a system to administer and track expats. Taking these steps will help ensure that you are being consistent in your treatment of each employee, aware of and proactively addressing key questions that may arise from employees and other company stakeholders, and properly managing expatriates according to home- and host-country obligations to avoid costly errors.

It is advisable, then, that employers adopt and adhere to a comprehensive global mobility policy. The policy should address the key considerations discussed throughout this document, including incentives for accepting a foreign role, logistical support, local housing allowances, family support and tax considerations, among many others. Adopting and adhering to a well-structured policy with clear guidelines will help provide for a consistent and transparent approach across a potentially diverse expat population, removing uncertainty and reassuring your employees that you are in control.

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The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.

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5 Tips for Managing Successful Overseas Assignments

• Andy Molinsky
• Melissa Hahn

Stay in constant touch and have a plan for their return.

Sending talented employees overseas can be a promising way to leverage the benefits of a global economy. But expatriate assignments can be extremely expensive: up to three times the cost of a person’s typical annual salary, according to some statistics. And despite the investment, many organizations lack the know-how for optimizing the potential benefits, leaving them disappointed with the results. The unfortunate reality is that even companies providing well-crafted relocation packages (including the all-important cultural training) may not have the talent management mechanisms in place to truly leverage the valuable skills expatriate employees gain during their assignments.

• Andy Molinsky is a professor of Organizational Behavior and International Management at Brandeis University and the author of Global Dexterity , Reach , and Forging Bonds in a Global Workforce . Connect with him on LinkedIn and download his free e-booklet of 7 myths about working effectively across cultures .
• Melissa Hahn teaches intercultural communication at American University’s School of International Service. Her new book, Forging Bonds in a Global Workforce (McGraw Hill), helps global professionals build effective relationships across cultures.

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8 Tips for Preparing Expatriates for Foreign Assignments

Preparing expatriates for foreign assignments is a crucial undertaking for either expansion processes or short-term business travel. The challenge here is to ensure that the employees chosen to go work abroad do so successfully. Much of that effort will be produced by them, but even more important is for the wider company to provide support.

When moving and managing assets - in this case, your talented employees - you want to make sure that all that time and effort isn’t for nothing. You want to make sure the move is compliant and that workflows shared by your team and the expatriate employee are streamlined. 

So what do you need to focus on? Here are eight tips for preparing expatriates for foreign assignments in a successful mobility project. 

• Pre-Move Training
• Sourcing Immigration Support
• Ensure Continued Communication
• Provide Support On The Ground
• Undertake Project Alignment Meetings
• Invest in Knowledge Management
• Provide Home and Host Sponsorship
• Take Into Account Domestic Duties

1. Pre-Move Training

Preparation for expatriation is of utmost importance. This training needs to be well-researched, taking into consideration the potential challenges that employees and mobility teams might face. For example, identify:

Your potential challenges : For example, a specific country could require a specific tax set up for expatriates or business travelers. You’ll have to research the requirements that apply to your expatriation.

Strategies that help you deal with these issues: Some global organizations work with Professional Employer Organizations (PEO) in order to maintain compliance and work in line with cultural requirements. This is one potential solution that you might find appealing.

Areas for cultural training : Cultural expectations can be radically different in one country compared to another - while this may seem like the last thing to focus on, it’s worth spending time looking into cultural differences, just so no accidental faux pas are made.

The overarching goals of the assignment : An expatriation depends on all stakeholders having visibility and an understanding of the reasons for it. 

Local language training : Even if the host country has a good rate of use for your language, it’s worth helping your employee get to grips with the basics.

2. Sourcing Immigration Support

Immigration and the requirements therein are obviously crucial. Border controls, regulatory environments and immigration law are therefore all things to contend with. Now, these can be daunting and confusing, but it’s imperative to fully prepare for them, as they’re some of the first barriers to overcoming when expatriating an employee for foreign assignments. 

You need to make sure that you’re expatriation is in line with national and international immigration policy for both your home and host country. Similarly, visas and short-term or permanent residency applications need to be sent off for. Without these, alongside a considered approach towards global immigration , your overseas assignment won’t be able to continue. 

3. Ensure Continued Communication

Without communication, there’s no expansion. Home and host teams need to be on top of carrying out frequent communications, so that data is acted upon and problems can be solved collaboratively.

Assignees need to be proactive in this and so too do home teams. Communication allows organizations to leverage what’s being learned and respond actively to specific events. On top of that, communication needs to be structured so the learnings and updates shared are easily tracked. Monthly meetings and weekly check-ins are good places to start. 

4. Provide Support On The Ground

Alongside frequent communication, on-ground support also needs to be offered. This is a job for HR teams, who can help expats and their families (if applicable) adapt to their new surroundings. This kind of support covers:

• Finding accommodation.
• Creating bank accounts and setting up payroll in line with host-country regulations ( This is another obligation that a PEO can support you with ).
• Providing health insurance.
• Enrolling children in school (if applicable).
• Preparing accurate taxation processes.

Taxation is one thing to be aware of, as getting the process wrong can result in legal ramifications. Again, this is something a PEO can help support , as they can act as local Employers of Record, managing and deducting taxation at source - making sure your expatriate assignment is compliant in terms of taxation. 

5. Undertake Project Alignment Meetings

Once the critical information regarding the expatriate employee’s assignment, residency, taxation and other requirements has been exchanged with the relevant stakeholders and/or authorities, it’s time for a project alignment meeting.

This meeting should be held between the employee, a host manager or host team and home team. In it, you should identify the potential causes of friction for the assignment and work to strategize mitigation techniques. Similarly, go over mutual expectations held by the home and host team so that visibility and transparency are also captured. 

Overall, you’ll want to firmly pin down issues that may affect:

• Data collection.
• Reporting strategies.

6. Invest in Knowledge Management

Any assignment knowledge generated needs to be properly disseminated to the relevant parties, quickly and efficiently. These lessons are not only worthwhile for future expatriates, but for the wider company itself and how it approaches global marketplaces. 

When we ensure that learning is absorbed and spread across the whole enterprise, we help to reduce mistakes and delays in the future.

7. Provide Home and Host Sponsorship

As we’ve briefly discussed, having home and host teams managing the expatriate are important, but let’s cover that more in-depth. 

Communication via email isn’t the best way to manage a remote employee. To make sure the expat doesn’t feel cut off from home office processes, create teams or ‘sponsors’ that oversee the experience and work of the employee. 

Whether they be points of contact or mentors, these individuals (or wider teams) help to anchor an expat employee to the work in the home country, keeping them updated on any new developments. Both sides help to co-manage and resolve problems when they arise.

Sponsor individuals within the home country are best suited if they too have had experiences with expatriation, because a lot of this management is about empathy - not just looking for hitting the next performance goal. Expatriation is a difficult process, especially if the host country is a radically different place.

8. Take Into Account Domestic Duties

Another tip for preparing expatriates for overseas assignments is to make sure their family is supported.

Some expatriate employees have children and spouses, which sometimes do make an overseas assignment a lot more complex. These difficulties are usually hard to spot, as many employees will be reluctant to share them with employees, due to the size of the project and the personal nature of these difficulties.

It can be the case that the people most likely to be able to help are the last to know, so this is another thing that good communication can help with. From the home country team’s point-of-view, they need to inquire regularly about how the domestic side of the project is going. 

It needs to be made clear that any issues in regards to this need to be made known, but also that no judgment will arise from those issues being aired. Expatriation is a tough process for a family and businesses need to be supportive. This kind of transparency will dramatically help the overseas assignment. 

To discover more about overseas assignments and expansion, we’ve created a fantastic foundational guide that will help you when strategizing your next moves, be they domestic or international. 

The Guide to Global Expansion

There’s a lot of different info out there on the web about taking your business abroad - or even just sending an employee overseas. To help cut through the noise, our detailed guide will help your business’ journey to expansion.

Inside, you’ll discover more on expansion methods, the crucial considerations and further information on PEO. Just click the link below to get your copy.

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International Assignment Management: Expatriate Policy and Procedure

Our philosophy.

[Company Name] is a global company that operates over X offices worldwide. The transfer of employees between the various [Company Name] units, from headquarters to subsidiaries, between subsidiaries and from subsidiaries to headquarters, enables our company to better utilize its human resources, while offering efficient support to its business activity. In addition, it enables our executives and professionals to gain international business experience and opens up wider promotion paths.

The objective of this procedure is to define the processes, terms and conditions for transferring personnel from one [Company Name] unit to another and to provide guidelines for the benefit and relocation package for such employees. While differing laws in various countries may influence some aspects of the policy implementation, the basic guidelines are to be maintained in order to ensure a unified company policy.

The effective date of this policy is [Insert Date].

Definitions

Expatriate (Hereinafter “Ex-pat”) - An employee who is relocated from his/her home country to work at one of the subsidiaries of [Company Name] abroad or at Corporate Headquarters for a period exceeding one year.

Host country/ subsidiary - The receiving or destination country/subsidiary of the Ex-pat.

Home country/subsidiary - Originating country/subsidiary of the Ex-pat.

General Approval process for an Ex-pat assignment

The transfer of an employee from headquarters to a subsidiary, between subsidiaries or from a subsidiary to headquarters, is contingent upon joint discussions held between the divisions and the subsidiaries.

The Ex-pat position must be granted budgetary approval from the division and approved by the Corporate HR Forum. The host country has veto power over the corporate offer for all candidates except those in top management positions. In January of each year, the HR Forum will convene in order to discuss general Ex-pat recruitment needs for the upcoming year.

Contract approval process

Contracts of subsidiary management team are coordinated and approved in advance by the relevant Co-President and Corporate VP of HR. The rest of the Ex-pat’s contract is coordinated and approved in advance by the Corporate VP of HR.

The employment offer, including salary, benefits and job description, is generated on behalf of the subsidiary by the host country HR Manager and/or relevant VP.

When an Ex-pat relocates from one subsidiary to another, the receiving HR Manager will transfer the offer to the HR Manager in the Home Subsidiary and to the Corporate VP of HR.

As a rule, the entire process of transferring employees between the various company units (subsidiaries/headquarters) under Ex-pat terms is coordinated by Corporate VP of HR (as described above).

Standard Assignment Period

Ex-pat status is restricted to a period of up to 5 years. After this period, the employee is no longer employed under Ex-pat terms and conditions, but rather, under local terms. Exceptions are granted under very limited circumstances and require written explanations and approval of the subsidiary president and the Corporate VP of HR. Under no circumstances will the extension of Ex-pat status exceed an additional 3 years.

Transferring from one subsidiary to another is considered a new assignment in this context.

Terms of Assignment Termination

Completion of the Ex-pat assignment requires a ninety (90) day mutual notice period. If the Ex-pat assignment is termi­nated by the company for any reason other than a breach of the employment agreement on the part of the employee, s/he will be relocated to his/her home country in accordance with the company’s then-current relocation policy and will be exempt from repaying the standing relocation loan

Relocation Allowance

In the event that the employee resigns from the company or from the assignment, he is required to repay the relocation allowance on a pro-rata basis as well as take responsibility for household moving arrangement and expenses (excluding countries in which the law requires the Company to cover Ex-pat relocation expenses, even in case of employee resignation).

Budget allocation

All Ex-pat benefits will be allocated to the host country budget.

Commitment to Hiring the Ex-pat When His/Her Assignment is Completed

[Company Name] makes no commitment to re-hire the employee in his/her home country after his/her Ex-pat assignment is completed.

However, should the employee work in his host country during the ninety (90) day notice period (see above), the employee will be granted the right to work for three (3) months at the company in the Home country on local terms as determined by the home country HR manager on a case-by-case basis.

Commitment to return to the company upon assignment completion

The employee makes no commitment to return to the company upon completion of his/her assignment. However, s/he may be eligible for repatriation benefits (see “Repatriation Policy & Benefits”) upon return to his/her home country.

Spouse Status/Domestic Partners

[Company Name] will extend spouse status to domestic partners. Ex-pat terms apply to the employee, his/her spouse or domestic partner and their children.

Salary Review

Salary review takes place in accordance with the host subsidiaries policy as approved by corporate policy.

The Ex-pat is responsible for paying any tax liability incurred from benefits and compensation received in both his/her host and home countries (excluding countries in which the employer is required to deduct the taxes from all paid benefits).

Option Plan

Options are granted, if applicable, in accordance with host country policy.

Retention of Home Country Social Benefits

The company will cease to fund payment to retirement plans for Ex-Pats for the period of employment in one of the Company subsidiaries. Following are details on the implementation of the decision:

Ex-Pats Recruited from within [Company Name]

Upon the termination of employee-employer relations with [Company Name] – prior to his relocation to the subsidiary, the Ex-Pat will sign an employment termination agreement with [Company Name]. The amounts accumulated by the employee in various funds, will be released

Ex-Pats Recruited from outside of the Company

In accordance with the above-mentioned policy, no amounts will be allocated to retirement and national insurance to Ex-pats recruited from outside the company as of January 2004.

Ex-Pats Currently in Office

Employees will be granted the option to choose between the termination of employer-employee relations and between the continued payments of funds, up to a ceiling of 5 years after their departure to the host subsidiary – a time in which, according to the procedure, the employees cease to carry Ex-Pat status.

The termination of employee-employer relations, in this context, is accompanied by the release of accumulated funds only, with no supplement. Any employee decision (continued payment of funds or termination of relations) will be backed by a document signed by the employee.

Health Insurance

The Employee and his immediate family are covered by local or international health insurance as per the host country’s policy.

Performance Appraisal

In accordance with host country policy (as per corporate policy).

Recruitment and Selection of Ex-pats

Ex-pat recruitment is conducted either internally (i.e. within the company) or externally.

Internal Recruitment

The recruitment process must include a professional recommendation from the division/unit/subsidiary and personality assessment of the employee and his/her spouse conducted by the HR manager (in Corporate, HR manager of the relevant Division or by the Recruitment manager) and/or by an external assessment agency.

Once a final decision is made in the home country, the internal candidate will be interviewed at the host country.

Should the host country HR manager decide to hire, s/he will issue a contract to the employee in cooperation with the HR manager in the home country.

The home country HR manager is charged with care of the administrative processes surrounding the relocation of the employee, including the signing of a non-paid-vacation/leave of absence agreement, which identifies preservation of rights benefits but otherwise confirms the lack of a contractual relationship between the home country company and the employee.

External Recruitment at Corporate

In cases where there is no suitable internal candidate the Corporate Recruitment manager in cooperation with the HR Manager of the relevant division, will manage the search.

The external candidate will be interviewed by corporate managers and by the HR department. Assuming the candidate makes a positive impression, an external personality and capabilities assessment process of both the candidate and his/her spouse will be performed by a specialized agency.

Once Corporate makes positive recommendation, the candidate will be interviewed by the host country.

An acceptance by the Subsidiary will result in either:

• The Subsidiary offering the position to the candidate and employing him/her from day one (the preferred option), or:
• The candidate signing a temporary agreement with Corporate until completion of the training period and/or residency visa procedures. In this case, a secondary employment agreement for the assignment will also be signed with the Subsidiary.

Engagement in an Ex-pat employment assignment is contingent on successful attainment of work authorization in the host country. The process for being granted a work visa differs with the country of destination. Company is responsible for supporting the application for a work visa for the employee and a residence visa for the family.

It is the responsibility of the host country HR manager in coordination with the home country HR manager to take care of the process.

Family Visas

[Company Name] is obliged to support the application of a residency visa only for the Ex-pat’s immediate family (for this matter, the term “immediate family” relates to the spouse and children of the Ex-pat).

The employee has the responsibility to monitor the accuracy and expiration dates of visa documentation for himself and his/her family in order to maintain a lawful working status in the host country.

Language studies

The allotment of English/local language lessons will be approved in accordance with each Subsidiary’s existing policy.

Cross-Cultural Orientation

Written material containing informative details relevant to the country of destination will be delivered to the employee by the HR Department. A complementary cross-cultural workshop will be also coordinated for the employee, his/her spouse and their adult children. The workshop will concentrate on the psychological/emotional stages that the employee and his/her family are likely to face during the transition to a foreign country.

The workshop will be coordinated by the HR Department in the home country once the contract is signed.

Preview Trip

The candidate who expresses a sincere intention to accept the Ex-pat assignment and his/her spouse/domestic partner (if they have school age children) are eligible for a preview trip.

The preview trip is approved for up to 5 working days. It is recommended that the preview trip be combined with a business trip.

The company will pay for round trip economy airfares to the host country and per-diem according to the home country’s per-diem travel policy.

The potential candidate should notify the host country’s HR manager re: his/her preview trip schedule so that proper arrangements can be made.

The potential candidate will meet with his/her direct manager and related business VP’s or managers to learn more about the scope of the job as well as the host country milieu.

House hunting should be done during the preview trip. If possible, it is recommended that an apartment be identified so paperwork can be processed and the apartment readied for when the Ex-pat’s arrival to start his/her assignment.

Visits to potential schools should also take place during the preview trip.

Temporary Housing (at home country)

Expats will be allowed to choose between using their 30 days of hotel and rented car right in their Home Country or at the Host Country, as long as they don't exceed the 30 days period limit.

Special Vacation Days for Arrangement

The Ex-pat is eligible for 5 days vacation leave, in addition to the annual leave, before going on the assignment, in order to arrange his personal matters.

Traveling and Settling-in Policy & Benefits

Cargo Shipment

The company pays for a 20-foot container, insured for up to $40K (US).

It is the responsibility of the host country HR manager to coordinate cargo shipment, except in the case of Ex-pats departing or repatriating from and to Corporate. In such cases, the Customer Department of the Operations Division coordinates the shipment.

For Ex-pats moving from one subsidiary to another, on a sequential assignment, the Repatriation Policy and Benefits re: cargo shipment, shall apply.

No payments will be allocated for the storage of freight for longer than the period required to release the container from Customs.

The company will provide the Ex-pat with a Relocation Allowance to assist with miscellaneous transition expenses. The amount of the allowance will be $3K (US) for singles and $4K (US) for couples with or without children.

The payment will be provided in the home country or upon arrival in the host country as per local procedures.

If the Ex-pat resigns before completing two years of his/her assignment, he/she will be required to pay back the Relocation Allowance to the company on a pro-rata basis.

Household Goods Loan- Company Inc.

Upon arrival at Company Inc., the Ex-pat is eligible to apply for an additional no interest loan of up to $2.5K (US) to assist with miscellaneous costs.

The loan is repaid as per subsidiary policy.

Temporary Housing and Rental Car

Upon arrival at the country of destination, the company will pay for car rental and hotel accommodations for a period of up to 30 days. During this time the employee is expected to make longer term automobile and housing arrangements.

Special Vacation Days for initial settling

Upon arrival to new country the Ex-pat is eligible for 5 days vacation leave, in addition to the annual leave, for arranging his personal matters.

At-Post Policy & Benefits

Annual Leave- as per host country policy.

Holidays and Leave - as per host country policy.

Housing- as per host country policy.

Car- as per host country policy.

Ex-pats are eligible for home leave after each year, as long as they have a balance of one-year service commitment in the host country upon return from home leave.

Home Leave Duration

The duration of the home leave will be up to 21 days, as listed below:

5 days – Training and meetings that will be regarded as working days at Corporate headquarters or at the Home Subsidiary headquarters. In case there is no need for the employee to attend any business meetings/training or if his home country is far from subsidiary headquarters, these 5 days, if taken, will be on the account of the employee’s annual vacation days allotment together with the other 10 days mentioned below.

6 days – Weekends

10 days – Annual vacation days

[Company Name] will cover the round-trip coach fare from and to the country of origin for up to a 21-day visit by the employee and his/her family. In the event that the employee’s family extends its visit beyond the 21-day period and in the event that this extension incurs additional costs to the tickets, these costs will be borne by the employee.

Home Leave Expenses

The Ex-pat is eligible for a special (taxable) allowance towards expenses during home leave:

Senior Subsidiary managers (Presidents/Vice Presidents) will be eligible for $2,000 (US). They are also eligible to a car for their use during the working days they are requested to work during their home leave period, up to a 5 days limit. Any other car expenses during the Home Leave period are covered by the $2,000 that Senior Subsidiary Managers are entitled to as Home Leave Expenses.

Other Ex-pats will be eligible for $1,300 (US).

Application for Home Leave

Ex-pats will fill the home leave application form and obtain direct manager’s, relevant VP’S and host country HR manager’s approvals prior to taking the leave. This process should take place 3 months prior to the starting date of the planned home leave.

Children’s Education

[Company Name] pays for children’s education from Kindergarten through Secondary School or High School Grade 12 equivalent or from age 2 to age 18, depending on local practice.

In countries where the local school system is inappropriate or in an unfamiliar language, International/ American/ British/ Canadian School may be an appropriate alternative.

Educational expenses supported by the company include the following:

• School registration fee
• Tuition fee
• School bus transportation fee
• The company does not pay for the following:
• Summer school
• Summer camp
• School field trip

Academic Studies

Ex-pats (who are not subsidiary management members) will have the option to apply for academic studies, with a subsidy of the company, according to the local subsidiary’s terms and procedures.

Ex-pats who are subsidiary management members (VP’s and Branch managers) will have the option to apply for academic studies, with a subsidy of the company (based on the subsidiary terms and procedure). The applications will be submitted with the subsidiary recommendations to Corporate HR VP for final approval

Family Member in Home Country

The company will provide a round trip economy air ticket for the shortest route to the host country as per the home leave policy of frequency of the Ex-pat, for family member/s who continue to reside in the home country. Family member/s in this case includes sons and/or daughters of the Ex-pat until age 18 or completion of mandatory military service.

Death in the Family

In the event there is a death in the Ex-pat’s family or the Ex-pat’s spouse’s family the company will pay for round trip economy air tickets to the Ex-pat’s home country for either the Ex-pat or his/her spouse. The Ex-pat is entitled to 7 working days paid leave under such circumstances. For the matter of this paragraph, “Family” is defined as: father, mother, spouse, son, daughter, brother or sister.

Tax Preparation Assistance

The Ex-pat is eligible for tax consultation reimbursement as per host country policy.

Repatriation Policy & Benefits

The benefits set forth below will be valid for a period of up to three months after the date of assignment completion and only in conjunction with a bona fide move of a permanent nature back to the employee’s country of origin or to a subsequent assignment in another subsidiary.

Upon assignment completion the company will arrange and pay for the Ex-pat’s cargo shipment. An Ex-pat with 3 or more children will be eligible for a 40-foot container insured for up to $40K (US). An Ex-pat with fewer than 3 children is eligible for a 20-foot container, insured for the amount of up to $40K (US).

It is the responsibility of the originating country HR manager to coordinate the shipment, except in the case of Ex-pats repatriating to Corporate. In this case, the Customer Department of the Operations Division coordinates the shipping.

No payments will be allocated for the storage of freight in the host or home country for a period exceeding that required to release the container from Customs.

Special Vacation Days for Arrangement (Host Country).

The Ex-pat is eligible for 5 days vacation leave, in addition to the annual leave for arranging his personal matters, before departing to his/her home country or before going on his/her next Ex-pat assignment.

Temporary Housing and Rental Car (Host Country)

The company will pay for car rental and hotel accommodations for a period of up to 12 days if needed, at the employee’s regular location, prior to the Ex-pat departure from the host country. The host country HR manager is responsible for the coordination of these arrangements.

Benefits for Employees Returning to Work at Company in Home Country

The employee is eligible for 5 days vacation leave, in addition to the annual leave, to assist with his/her settling-in arrangements.

Repatriation Grant

The company will reimburse the employee for up to $1,000 (US), as per receipts, to help with repatriation expenses. “Repatriation Expenses” include such expenses as temporary accommodations, rental cars and tutoring.

Responsibility

This procedure may be changed occasionally. All changes require the approval of the Corporate VP Human Resources.

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The Best Types of Expatriate Assignments for Your Mobility Program

von WHR Global | Feb 20, 2018 | News

Finding the right person for an open position can be difficult, so when you find that perfect fit, you’ll do what it takes to get them to their new location, even if that new location is abroad. However, relocating someone internationally has never been an easy task. Even if you offer your employees a pay raise,  ship their household goods , or help them find the most amazing new home, expatriate assignments often go awry over time. The industry experts at WHR Global can help with your compan y’ s expatriate assig nment and implementing an expat program .

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